Chapter 3

The Changing American Society:

Values and Gender Roles

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 Changes
Changes in
in American
American Society
Society that
that
Affect
Affect Marketing
Marketing Strategy
Strategy

Changes in Changes in Changes in

American society market needs marketing strategy
 Products Understanding
 Demographics  Media these changes
 Values  Packages is a key input
 Subcultures  Outlets in developing
 Families  Service a successful
 Images strategy

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 Traditional,
Traditional, Current,
Current, and
and Emerging
Emerging
American
American Values
Values
Self-Oriented

Active ECT* Passive

Material T C E Nonmaterial
Hard work T C E Leisure
Postponed gratification T E C Immediate gratification
Sensual gratification C E T Abstinence
Religious T E C Secular

* T = Traditional, E = Emerging, and C = Current

Irwin/McGraw-Hill © The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc., 1998

 Traditional,
Traditional, Current,
Current, and
and Emerging
Emerging
American
American Values
Values
Environment-Oriented

Maximum cleanliness TCE* Minimum cleanliness

Performance T E C Status
Tradition E C T Change
Risk taking T CE Security
Problem solving T CE Fatalistic
Admire nature E C T Overcome nature

* T = Traditional, E = Emerging, and C = Current

Irwin/McGraw-Hill © The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc., 1998

 Traditional,
Traditional, Current,
Current, and
and Emerging
Emerging
American
American Values
Values
Other-Oriented

Individual T EC* Collective

Limited family TEC Extended family
Diversity E C T Uniformity
Competition T C E Cooperation
Youth T C E Age
Masculine T C E Feminine

* T = Traditional, E = Emerging, and C = Current

Irwin/McGraw-Hill © The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc., 1998

 Green Marketing
 Green Marketing involves:
 Producing products whose production, use, or
disposal is less harmful to the environment than the
traditional version
 Developing products that have a positive impact on

the environment
 Tying the purchase of a product to an

environmental organization or event

 One problem with Green Marketing is that
marketers use ambiguous terms such as “environ-
mentally friendly” and “environmentally safe.”
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 Cause-Related Marketing
 Cause-related marketing (CRM) is
marketing that ties a company and its
products to an issue or cause with the goal
of improving sales and/or corporate image
while providing benefits to the cause.

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 Gender Roles in American Society

 Gender identity refers to the traits of femininity

and masculinity.
 Gender roles are behaviors considered appropriate

for males and females in a given society.

 Ascribed roles (such as gender roles) are based on

an attribute over which the individual has little or

no control.
 Achievement roles (such as occupational roles) are

based on performance criteria over which the

individual has some degree of control.

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 Gender Differences
 What gender differences exist in American
society with respect to clothing?
 Think about:

 types of material used in clothing

 variety of color and styles of clothing

 “signals” represented by clothing

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