Decoding, Connecting and Converting Cultural Understanding and Consumer Behavior: The Imperative of Applying Anthropology in Marketing Management

Pongsiri Kamkankaew; Chatcharawan  Meesubthong; Kotchaporn  Sawang

doi:10.60027/ijsasr.2023.3341

Authors

Pongsiri Kamkankaew Faculty of Business Administration, North-Chiang Mai University, Thailand https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5885-4805
Chatcharawan Meesubthong Faculty of Business Administration, Huachiew Chalermprakiet University, Thailand https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1984-7071
Kotchaporn Sawang Faculty of Business Administration, Santapol College, Thailand https://orcid.org/0009-0003-2637-7973

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.60027/ijsasr.2023.3341

Keywords:

Marketing; , Anthropology; , Consumer Behavior ; , Marketing Management

Abstract

Background and Aim: The integration of marketing and anthropology has become a valuable approach for marketers seeking to understand consumer behavior and cultural dynamics. This academic article aims to elucidate the concept of marketing anthropology, its definition, the scope and duties of marketing anthropologists, the imperative need for anthropological insights in marketing management, and the practical applications of anthropological principles in enhancing marketing strategies.

Materials and Methods: This academic article compiles scholarly materials from academic databases that are related to marketing, anthropology, consumer behavior, and marketing management. This academic paper was compiled using analysis and synthesis techniques that addressed its primary objectives. The written content of this academic paper is structured in a systematic way to provide knowledge in conformity with the investigation objectives effectively.

Results: This academic article found that marketing anthropology is a crucial field in modern marketing management, combining anthropological concepts to understand customer behavior in diverse cultural environments, enhancing marketing tactics and brand success. Marketing anthropologists play a crucial role in contemporary marketing practices, synthesizing cultural meanings, constructing contextual understanding, and advocating cultural sensitivity. Anthropology enhances marketing management by understanding cultural nuances, consumer preferences, and globalization. Anthropology in marketing management enhances understanding of consumers, cultural intricacies, and segmentation methods, addressing disparities and fostering global engagement.

Conclusion: Anthropology and marketing provide a comprehensive framework for managing marketing activities, and recognizing the complex relationship between culture, consumer behavior, and market dynamics. By incorporating ethnographic research, organizations can strengthen affiliations, cultivate brand loyalty, and thrive in the global marketplace.

References

Aaker, J.L., Benet-Martínez, V., & Garolera, J. (2001). Consumption Symbols as Carriers of Culture: A Study of Japanese and Spanish Brand Personality Constructs. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 81(3), 492-508.

Agarwal, P.K. (2020). Marketing management from an Indian perspective. Pragati Prakashan, Meerut.

Arnold, S.J., & Thompson, C.J. (2005). Consumer Culture Theory (CCT): Twenty Years of Research. Journal of Consumer Research, 31(4), 868-882.

Arnould, E.J., & Campbell, M.C. (2020). The Anthropology of Market Worlds. Journal of Marketing, 84(3), 1-19.

Arnould, E J., & Thompson, C.J. (2005). Consumer Culture Theory (CCT): Twenty Years of Research. Journal of Consumer Research, 31(4), 868-882.

Arnould, E.J., & Wallendorf, M. (1994). Market-Oriented Ethnography: Interpretation Building and Marketing Strategy Formulation. Journal of Marketing Research, 31(4), 484-504.

Arrigo, E. (2013). Corporate Responsibility Management in Fast Fashion Companies: The Gap Inc. Journal of Fashion Marketing and Management, 17(2), 175–189.

Banister, E.N., & Hogg, M.K. (2004). Negative Symbolism in Consumer Gifting Behavior: Reciprocity and the Creation of Obligation. Consumption, Markets and Culture, 7(3), 221-240.

Belk, R.W. (1988). Possessions and the Extended Self. Journal of Consumer Research, 15(2), 139-168.

Belk, R.W. (1995). Collecting and Interpreting Qualitative Material Culture. Journal of Business Research, 33(3), 191-201.

Belk, R.W. (2013). Extended self in a digital world. Journal of Consumer Research, 40(3), 477-500.

Belk, R.W., & Costa, J. A. (2022). The Anthropology of Collecting and Hoarding. Journal of Business Research, 141, 572-580.

Belk, R.W., Wallendorf, M., & Sherry, J.F. (1989). The sacred and the profane in consumer behavior: Theodicy on the Odyssey. Journal of Consumer Research, 16(1), 1-38.

Brown, M.K. (2011). Cultural influences on luxury consumption: A cross-cultural analysis. International Journal of Consumer Studies, 35(6), 698-707.

Chen, L., & Li, Y. (2012). Cross-cultural advertising strategies: A comparative analysis. Journal of Advertising, 41(3), 85-99.

Cotte, J., & Wood, S.L. (2004). Families and Innovative Consumer Behavior: A Triadic Analysis of Sibling and Parent Influence. Journal of Consumer Research, 31(1), 78-86.

Cova, B., & Cova, V. (2002). Tribal Marketing: The Tribalisation of Society and Its Impact on the Conduct of Marketing. European Journal of Marketing, 36(5/6), 595-620.

De Mooij, M. (1998). Global Marketing and Advertising: Understanding Cultural Paradoxes. Sage Publications.

Firat, A.F., & Dholakia, N. (2021). Theorizing anthropology in marketing through radical humanism. Marketing Theory, 21(2), 221-240.

Fischer, E., & Arnold, S.J. (1990). More than a labor of love: Gender roles and Christmas gift shopping. Journal of Consumer Research, 17(3), 333-345.

Garcia, M.A. (2016). Ethical considerations in cross-cultural marketing. Journal of Business Research, 69(9), 3573-3581.

Geertz, C. (1973). The Interpretation of Cultures. Basic Books.

Geertz, C. (1973). The Interpretation of Cultures: Selected Essays. Basic Books.

Grier, S.A., & Deshpande, R. (2001a). Social Dimensions of Advertising: The Role of Ad‐Induced Effect in Creating a Bond between the Brand and the Consumer. Journal of Advertising, 30(3), 49-59.

Grier, S., & Deshpande, R. (2001b). Social Dimensions of Advertising: The Role of Advertiser Social Orientation and Metaphors of Advertisements. Journal of Advertising, 30(4), 1-17.

Grier, S., & Deshpande, R. (2001c). Social dimensions of consumer distinctiveness: The influence of social status on group identity and advertising persuasion. Journal of Marketing Research, 38(2), 216-224.

Hofstede, G. (1980). Culture's Consequences: International Differences in Work-Related Values. Sage Publications.

Hofstede, G. (2011). Dimensionalizing cultures: The Hofstede model in context. Online Readings in Psychology and Culture, 2(1), 1–26.

Holt, D.B. (2002). Why do brands cause trouble? A dialectical theory of consumer culture and branding. Journal of Consumer Research, 29(1), 70-90.

Holt, D.B. (2004). How Brands Become Icons: The Principles of Cultural Branding. Harvard Business Press.

Holt, D.B. (2016). Cultural Strategy: Using Innovative Ideologies to Build Breakthrough Brands. Oxford University Press.

Johnson, D.R., & Thomas, S.A. (2014). Digital anthropology: Exploring online consumer communities. Journal of Marketing Anthropology, 3(1), 45-58.

Johnson, L.T., & Green, S.R. (2020). Sustainable marketing strategies: An anthropological perspective. Journal of Marketing Ethics, 46(3), 324-340.

Kacen, J.J., & Lee, J.A. (2002). The Influence of Culture on Consumer Impulsive Buying Behavior. Journal of Consumer Psychology, 12(2), 163-176.

Kamkankaew, P., Phattarowas, V., Khumwongpin, S., Limpiaongkhanan, P., & Sribenjachot, S. (2022a). Increasing Competitive Environment Dynamics and the Need for Hyper-Competition for Businesses. International Journal of Sociologies and Anthropologies Science Reviews, 2(5), 9–20.

Kamkankaew, P., Thanitbenjasith, P., Sribenjachot, S., Wongmahatlek, J., & Sanpatanon, N. (2022b). The Digital Media Education Concept of Business Education for Thailand. International Journal of Sociologies and Anthropologies Science Reviews, 2(6), 11–22.

Kim, H.J., & Park, M. (2017). Indigenous branding: Authenticity and identity. Journal of Marketing Management, 33(5-6), 411-427.

Kincheloe, J.L. (2002). The McDonaldization of Knowledge. The Curriculum Studies Reader, 2nd Edition, 277-293.

Kjeldgaard, D., & Askegaard, S. (2006). The Glocalization of Youth Culture: The Global Youth Segment as Structures of Common Difference. Journal of Consumer Research, 33(3), 231-247.

Kjeldgaard, D., & Özbilgin, M. (2021). Re‐sourcing market value: An ethnography of marketing and social work. Journal of Consumer Behavior, 20(1), 76-89.

Kjeldgaard, D., & Özbilgin, M. (2022). Sensing the Market: An Anthropological Approach to Marketing. Routledge.

Klein, J.G. (2006). Us versus Them, or Us versus Everyone? Delineating Consumer Aversion to Foreign Goods. Journal of International Business Studies, 37(2), 187-199.

Kotler, P., Keller, K., L., Ang, S., H., Leong, S., M. & Tan, Chin, T. (2018). Marketing management: an Asian perspective 7th ed. (7th). Harlow: Pearson.

Kotler, P., Bowen, J. T., Makens, J. C., & Baloglu, S. (2020). Marketing for hospitality and tourism. Pearson.

Kozinets, R.V. (2010). Netnography: Doing ethnographic research online. Sage.

Kumar, V., Rahman, Z., Kazmi, A. A., & Goyal, P. (2015). Effect of Culture on Consumer Behavior. Case Studies Journal, 4(2), 96-105.

Lee, S., & Chen, J. (2018). Digital anthropology and online consumer behavior analysis. International Journal of Market Research, 60(2), 139-153.

Levy, S.J. (1981). Interpreting consumer mythology: A structural approach to consumer behavior. Journal of Marketing Research, 18(2), 133-140.

Lillis, A.M., & Tian, X. (2010). Listening to consumers’ culturally contingent voices in international marketing. International Marketing Review, 27(5), 498-516.

Malinowski, B. (1922). Argonauts of the Western Pacific. George Routledge & Sons.

Manzenreiter, W., & Horne, J. (Eds.). (2021). The Routledge Handbook of the Business of Mega-Events. Routledge.

Martinez, E. P. (2013). Indigenous marketing and cultural representation: A critical examination. Journal of Business Ethics, 118(2), 411-425.

Martinez, E.P., & Chen, A. (2021). Big data and anthropological insights: Merging methodologies. International Journal of Consumer Research, 45(5), 670-685.

McCracken, G. (1986). Culture and Consumption: A Theoretical Account of the Structure and Movement of the Cultural Meaning of Consumer Goods. Journal of Consumer Research, 13(1), 71-84.

McDonald, M., & Dunbar, I. (2004). Market Segmentation: How to Do It, How to Profit from It. Sage.

Mead, M. (1928). Coming of Age in Samoa. William Morrow & Company.

Miller, D. (1995). Consumption and Commodities. Annual Review of Anthropology, 24, 141-161.

Miller, D. (2001). Consumption as the vanguard of history: a polemic by way of an introduction. Consumption: Critical Concepts in the Social Sciences, 1, 1-17.

Miller, D. (2005). Materiality: An Introduction. In D. Miller (Ed.), Materiality (pp. 1-50). Duke University Press.

Miller, D. (2008). Anthropology and Advertising. International Journal of Advertising, 27(3), 467-470.

Muniz Jr, A.M., & O'Guinn, T.C. (2001). Brand community. Journal of Consumer Research, 27(4), 412-432.

Okazaki, S., & Taylor, C.R. (2008). Socialization agents and collectivist communication: A comparative analysis of Japan and the United States. Journal of International Marketing, 16(4), 1-31.

Peñaloza, L., & Gilly, M.C. (1999). Marketer acculturation: The Chaldeans' story. Journal of Marketing, 63(4), 86-101.

Pine, B.J., & Gilmore, J.H. (1999). The Experience Economy: Work Is Theatre & Every Business a Stage. Harvard Business Press.

Pink, S., Horst, H., Postill, J., Hjorth, L., Lewis, T., & Tacchi, J. (2019). Digital ethnography: Principles and practice. Sage.

Schouten, J.W., & McAlexander, J.H. (1995). Subcultures of consumption: An ethnography of the new bikers. Journal of Consumer Research, 22(1), 43-61.

Sherry Jr, J.F. (1983). The gift gives an anthropological perspective. Journal of Consumer Research, 10(2), 157-168.

Sherry Jr, J.F. (1987). The sociocultural significance of gift-giving in American consumer culture. Interpretive Consumer Research, 328-346.

Sherry, J.F. Jr. (1990). A Sociocultural Analysis of a Midwestern American Flea Market. Journal of Consumer Research, 17(1), 13-30.

Sherry, J.F., & Kozinets, R.V. (2007). Toward a Hermeneutic Anthropology of Consumer Behavior. Advances in Consumer Research, 34, 37-40.

Sheth, J.N., & Sethia, N.K. (1977). An Integrative Approach to Consumer Behavior. Research in Consumer Behavior, 1, 87-128.

Smith, A.M., & Tadajewski, M. (2020). Marketing and anthropology: A review essay. Journal of Marketing Management, 36(9-10), 776-789.

Smith, J.A. (2010). Ethnographic explorations of consumer behavior. Journal of Consumer Research, 37(4), 555-573.

Solomon, M.R. (1999). Consumer behavior: Buying, having, and being. Prentice Hall.

Solomon, M.R. (2017). Consumer Behavior: Buying, Having, and Being. Pearson.

Solomon, M.R., Dahl, D.W., & White, K. (2014). The symbolic consumption of meaning: Tensions between consumers and brand meaning. Journal of Consumer Research, 40(5), 767-788.

Thompson, C.J., & Haytko, D.L. (1997). Speaking of Fashion: Consumers’ Uses of Fashion Discourses and the Appropriation of Countervailing Cultural Meanings. Journal of Consumer Research, 24(1), 15-42.

Thompson, R.E. (2015). Sensory marketing: An anthropological perspective. Journal of Consumer Psychology, 25(2), 166-182.

Tian, K.T., & Belk, R.W. (2005). Extended self and possessions in the workplace. Journal of Consumer Research, 32(2), 297-310.

Tian, K.T., Bearden, W.O., & Hunter, G.L. (2001). Consumers' need for uniqueness: Scale development and validation. Journal of Consumer Research, 28(1), 50-66.

Tremblay, M., & Lemyre, L. (2019). Social Media Platforms: A New Market for Emotional Labour. Marketing Theory, 19(2), 229-250.

Turner, V. (1969). The Ritual Process: Structure and Anti-Structure. Aldine Publishing Company.

Usunier, J. C. (1996). International Marketing: A Cultural Approach. Prentice Hall.

Usunier, J. C. (2011a). International and Cross-Cultural Management Studies: A Postcolonial Reading. Routledge.

Usunier, J.C. (2011b). Marketing across cultures. Pearson.

Wang, Q., & Wu, F. (2019). Anthropological insights into multisensory marketing. Journal of Sensory Studies, 34(6), e12520.

West, J. (2020). Anthropology as a critical foundation for marketing thought: Rethinking marketing in the age of the algorithm. Marketing Theory, 20(1), 15-35.

Williams, D.W., & Smith, K.P. (2022). Globalization and consumption: An anthropological inquiry. Journal of International Marketing, 30(2), 77-91.

Zhang, Y. (2017). The Cross-Cultural Branding and Marketing Strategies: From China to the World. International Journal of Business and Management, 12(2), 189-196.