Consumer Behavior, 10e (Solomon)

Chapter 14 Culture

1) Culture is best described as society's ________.

A) attitude
B) consciousness
C) personality
D) history
Answer: C
Diff: 1
Learning Outcome: Explain the influence of the needs and cultural values of consumers.
Skill: Concept
Objective: 14-1

2) Which functional area of culture is most closely related to the idea of a common worldview?
A) ecology
B) social structure
C) ideology
D) socio-psychology
Answer: C
Diff: 2
Learning Outcome: Explain the influence of the needs and cultural values of consumers.
Skill: Concept
Objective: 14-1
AACSB: Multicultural and diversity understanding

3) ________ usually dictate what is right or wrong, acceptable or unacceptable.

A) Myths
B) Theories
C) Norms
D) Rituals
Answer: C
Diff: 2
Learning Outcome: Explain the influence of the needs and cultural values of consumers.
Skill: Concept
Objective: 14-1
AACSB: Multicultural and diversity understanding

1
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4) Crescive norms are ________.
A) strict "must do" rules of behavior in a society
B) followed only by the females of a culture
C) associated with monetary rewards and punishments
D) subtle rules discovered as we interact with others
Answer: D
Diff: 2
Learning Outcome: Explain the influence of the needs and cultural values of consumers.
Skill: Concept
Objective: 14-1
AACSB: Multicultural and diversity understanding

5) We explicitly decide on ________ norms, such as the rule that a green traffic light means "go"
and a red one means "stop."
A) crescive
B) enacted
C) reciprocal
D) ritualized
Answer: B
Diff: 2
Learning Outcome: Explain the influence of the needs and cultural values of consumers.
Skill: Concept
Objective: 14-1
AACSB: Communication abilities

6) A ________ is a custom with a strong moral overtone.

A) more
B) superstition
C) convention
D) monomyth
Answer: A
Diff: 1
Learning Outcome: Explain the influence of the needs and cultural values of consumers.
Skill: Concept
Objective: 14-1
AACSB: Multicultural and diversity understanding

2
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7) Interest in the occult is most likely to increase in a society when ________.
A) economic conditions begin to improve
B) there has been a major triumph, such as winning a war
C) members of a society feel overwhelmed or powerless
D) people become less religious
Answer: C
Diff: 2
Learning Outcome: Explain the influence of the needs and cultural values of consumers.
Skill: Concept
Objective: 14-1
AACSB: Multicultural and diversity understanding

8) A story containing symbolic elements that express the shared emotions and ideals of a culture
is called a ________.
A) norm
B) ritual
C) myth
D) more
Answer: C
Diff: 1
Learning Outcome: Explain the influence of the needs and cultural values of consumers.
Skill: Concept
Objective: 14-2
AACSB: Communication abilities

9) Myths serve four interrelated functions in a culture. All of the following are among those
functions EXCEPT the ________ function.
A) cosmological
B) sociological
C) psychological
D) anthropological
Answer: D
Diff: 2
Learning Outcome: Explain the influence of the needs and cultural values of consumers.
Skill: Concept
Objective: 14-2
AACSB: Communication abilities

3
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10) ________ postulated that myths involve binary opposition, in which two opposing ends of
some dimension are represented (such as good versus evil).
A) Levi-Strauss
B) Freud
C) Hofstede
D) Bettelheim
Answer: A
Diff: 3
Learning Outcome: Explain the influence of the needs and cultural values of consumers.
Skill: Concept
Objective: 14-2
AACSB: Multicultural and diversity understanding

11) A set of multiple symbolic behaviors that occur in a fixed sequence and tend to be repeated is
called a ________.
A) myth
B) more
C) ritual
D) convention
Answer: C
Diff: 1
Learning Outcome: Describe the relationship between modern-day rituals and consumption.
Skill: Concept
Objective: 14-3
AACSB: Multicultural and diversity understanding

12) Brands that we closely link to our rituals are called ________ brands; once they become
imbedded in our rituals we are unlikely to replace them.
A) fighter
B) fortress
C) transcultural
D) sacralized
Answer: B
Diff: 1
Learning Outcome: Describe the relationship between modern-day rituals and consumption.
Skill: Concept
Objective: 14-3

4
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13) Grooming rituals express two kinds of binary opposition: private/public and ________.
A) work/leisure
B) self/others
C) pride/modesty
D) innocence/experience
Answer: A
Diff: 2
Learning Outcome: Describe the relationship between modern-day rituals and consumption.
Skill: Concept
Objective: 14-3
AACSB: Multicultural and diversity understanding

14) Researchers primarily see the gift-giving ritual as one of ________ exchange.
A) symbolic
B) stylistic
C) psychological
D) economic
Answer: D
Diff: 3
Learning Outcome: Describe the relationship between modern-day rituals and consumption.
Skill: Concept
Objective: 14-3

15) Which of the following is NOT one of the three distinct stages of gift-giving rituals?
A) convention
B) gestation
C) presentation
D) reformulation
Answer: A
Diff: 2
Learning Outcome: Describe the relationship between modern-day rituals and consumption.
Skill: Concept
Objective: 14-3

16) As a relationship grows and progresses, gift giving tends to become more ________.
A) exchange oriented
B) reciprocal
C) altruistic
D) reformulated
Answer: C
Diff: 3
Learning Outcome: Describe the relationship between modern-day rituals and consumption.
Skill: Concept
Objective: 14-3

5
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17) A special ritual marking a person's change in social status is called a ________.
A) convention
B) sacralization
C) cycle
D) rite of passage
Answer: D
Diff: 1
Learning Outcome: Describe the relationship between modern-day rituals and consumption.
Skill: Concept
Objective: 14-3
AACSB: Multicultural and diversity understanding

18) ________ consumption occurs with objects and events that are considered to be ordinary and
everyday.
A) Profane
B) Sacred
C) Objectified
D) Ritualized
Answer: A
Diff: 1
Learning Outcome: Describe the relationship between modern-day rituals and consumption.
Skill: Concept
Objective: 14-4

19) Through the process of ________, objects associated with sacred events or people become
sacred in their own right.
A) congregation
B) reciprocity
C) desacralization
D) contamination
Answer: D
Diff: 1
Learning Outcome: Describe the relationship between modern-day rituals and consumption.
Skill: Concept
Objective: 14-4

20) The systematic acquisition of a particular object or set of objects is called ________.
A) prioritizing
B) hoarding
C) collecting
D) ritualizing
Answer: C
Diff: 1
Learning Outcome: Describe the relationship between modern-day rituals and consumption.
Skill: Concept
Objective: 14-4

6
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21) When a sacred item or symbol is removed from its special place or is duplicated in mass
quantities, then it becomes profane as a result of ________.
A) sacralization
B) desacralization
C) defamation
D) objectification
Answer: B
Diff: 1
Learning Outcome: Describe the relationship between modern-day rituals and consumption.
Skill: Concept
Objective: 14-4

22) It is quite common for mainstream culture to modify symbols identified with "cutting edge"
subcultures and present these to a larger audience. Such cultural products undergo a process of
________, by which their original meanings are transformed by outsiders.
A) innovation
B) transformation
C) diffusion
D) cooptation
Answer: D
Diff: 1
Learning Outcome: Explain how membership in ethnic, religious, and racial subcultures
influences consumer behavior.
Skill: Concept
Objective: 14-5
AACSB: Multicultural and diversity understanding

23) The culture we live in creates the meaning of everyday products; these meanings move
through a society to consumers. Meaning transfer is largely accomplished by ________.
A) product design and distribution
B) product design and pricing
C) advertising and fashion industries
D) public relations and the music industry
Answer: C
Diff: 2
Learning Outcome: Discuss the techniques marketers use to change consumers' attitudes.
Skill: Concept
Objective: 14-5
AACSB: Communication abilities

7
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24) Products are winnowed out as they make their way down the path from conception to
consumption, a process called ________.
A) diffusion
B) cooptation
C) cultural selection
D) cultural mapping
Answer: C
Diff: 1
Learning Outcome: Explain the influence of the needs and cultural values of consumers.
Skill: Concept
Objective: 14-5

25) Which of the following statements would be viewed as most true about styles?
A) A style typically starts in a large group of people as a safe but unique statement.
B) Styles are often a reflection of more fundamental societal trends.
C) Influential people play only a minor role in deciding which styles will succeed.
D) Styles most often result from a deliberate statement from ordinary consumers that has been
met by a rather spontaneous response from designers.
Answer: B
Diff: 2
Learning Outcome: Explain the influence of the needs and cultural values of consumers.
Skill: Concept
Objective: 14-5

26) In the cultural production process, the people who control the flow of information between
producers and customers are called ________.
A) lead users
B) cultural gatekeepers
C) cultural transformers
D) innovators
Answer: B
Diff: 1
Learning Outcome: Explain the influence of the needs and cultural values of consumers.
Skill: Concept
Objective: 14-5
AACSB: Communication abilities

8
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27) Which of the following is an object that is admired strictly for its beauty or because it
inspires an emotional reaction?
A) an art product
B) a reality-engineered product
C) a craft product
D) a trial product
Answer: A
Diff: 1
Learning Outcome: Explain the influence of the needs and cultural values of consumers.
Skill: Concept
Objective: 14-6

28) Which of the following statements most accurately describes high and low art?
A) High art is very expensive, but low art is relatively cheap.
B) It is becoming harder and harder to distinguish between high and low art.
C) Low art is popular with the masses while high art is popular among the cultural elites of
American society.
D) Especially in Europe, low art is seen as commercial in nature while high art is seen as
independent of commercialism.
Answer: B
Diff: 3
Learning Outcome: Explain the influence of the needs and cultural values of consumers.
Skill: Concept
Objective: 14-6

29) ________ occurs as marketers appropriate elements of popular culture and convert them for
use as promotional vehicles.
A) Reality engineering
B) Crescive norming
C) Desacralization
D) Product placement
Answer: A
Diff: 1
Learning Outcome: Explain the influence of the needs and cultural values of consumers.
Skill: Concept
Objective: 14-7

9
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30) Promoters attempt to have their products shown prominently in full-length films. This type
of promotion is referred to as ________.
A) desacralization
B) objectification
C) product placement
D) advertainment
Answer: C
Diff: 1
Learning Outcome: Discuss the techniques marketers use to change consumers' attitudes.
Skill: Concept
Objective: 14-7
AACSB: Communication abilities

31) In the diffusion of innovation process, the ________ are the one-sixth of the population that
is very slow to adopt.
A) innovators
B) early adopters
C) late adopters
D) laggards
Answer: D
Diff: 1
Learning Outcome: Describe the stages of consumer decision making.
Skill: Concept
Objective: 14-8

32) A ________ innovation is a new product that creates major changes in the way we live.
A) globally continuous
B) continuous
C) discontinuous
D) dynamically continuous
Answer: C
Diff: 2
Learning Outcome: Describe the stages of consumer decision making.
Skill: Concept
Objective: 14-8

33) Fashion refers to ________.

A) a particular combination of attributes within a style
B) the process of social diffusion by which a new style is adopted by some groups of consumers
C) being positively evaluated by some reference group
D) rejecting the norm and pushing for newness
Answer: B
Diff: 2
Learning Outcome: Discuss the techniques marketers use to change consumers' attitudes.
Skill: Concept
Objective: 14-9
AACSB: Communication abilities
10
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34) A ________ is a very short-lived fashion.
A) trend
B) fad
C) classic
D) style
Answer: B
Diff: 1
Learning Outcome: Discuss the techniques marketers use to change consumers' attitudes.
Skill: Concept
Objective: 14-10

35) Gen Akoi greatly values his micro-refrigerator. The refrigerator is so small it will fit almost
anywhere. Gen believes that the efficient use of space is one of the characteristics any good
product should have. With respect to the functional areas of a cultural system, Gen is focusing on
________ as a variable in selecting his products.
A) ideology
B) ecology
C) social structure
D) socio-psychology
Answer: B
Diff: 2
Learning Outcome: Explain the influence of the needs and cultural values of consumers.
Skill: Application
Objective: 14-1
AACSB: Analytic skills

36) J. P. Stevens always looks perfect in his business suit. The colors are always right for the
season and prevailing style. His tie has the proper knot, he does not wear a tie-tac, his
handkerchief is the proper "two-fingers" above the pocket, and his socks and shoes do not
distract from his overall look. Which of the following does J. P. seem to be adhering to with his
"correctness"?
A) enacted behaviors
B) customs
C) mores
D) conventions
Answer: D
Diff: 2
Learning Outcome: Explain the influence of the needs and cultural values of consumers.
Skill: Application
Objective: 14-1
AACSB: Analytic skills

11
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37) The story goes that George Washington (as a small child) cut down his father's cherry tree
with a hatchet. When asked who might have committed this act (even though young Washington
was afraid of punishment for the act), George replied, "I cannot tell a lie; I cut down the cherry
tree." This story has taken on mythical proportions in the United States. Which of the following
functions does this myth best match?
A) metaphysical
B) cosmological
C) psychological
D) anthropological
Answer: C
Diff: 2
Learning Outcome: Explain the influence of the needs and cultural values of consumers.
Skill: Application
Objective: 14-2
AACSB: Analytic skills

38) Pavel was an inventor. He read that there were several million people who could not sleep at
night until they looked under the bed. He invented a light that could be put under a bed and went
on automatically when someone looked there. Pavel's product is designed to help people perform
a ________.
A) ritual
B) symbolic exchange
C) convention
D) rite of passage
Answer: A
Diff: 2
Learning Outcome: Describe the relationship between modern-day rituals and consumption.
Skill: Application
Objective: 14-3
AACSB: Analytic skills

39) Ralf and his brother had a business in a Midwest college town taking SUVs and modifying
them into tailgating machines. These "awesome party wagons" were equipped with the owner's
desired team logo on the front, side, and back; gas grills; and large beverage coolers. Their
business boomed, especially when the university had a winning season. Ralf and his brother were
creating and selling what could be best described as ________.
A) myth carriers
B) ritual artifacts
C) symbolic exchange objects
D) attitudinal reciprocity products
Answer: B
Diff: 2
Learning Outcome: Describe the relationship between modern-day rituals and consumption.
Skill: Application
Objective: 14-3
AACSB: Analytic skills

12
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40) Sharon is upset with her secretary. Though everyone in the office agreed not to give
Christmas presents this year, Sharon's secretary gave her an expensive bottle of perfume. Which
of the following best identifies the source of Sharon's feelings?
A) objectification
B) self-serving guilt
C) the reciprocity norm
D) role transference
Answer: C
Diff: 2
Learning Outcome: Describe the relationship between modern-day rituals and consumption.
Skill: Application
Objective: 14-3
AACSB: Analytic skills

41) Carl Thorne has just passed the final test to become a member of a college fraternity. This
rite of passage has moved Carl from being an individual to being a member of a bonded group.
When Carl receives his fraternity pin in a final ceremony and joins his new brothers, he will have
passed through the final stage of a rite of passage. According to the text, what is this stage
called?
A) separation
B) aggregation
C) liminality
D) finality
Answer: B
Diff: 2
Learning Outcome: Describe the relationship between modern-day rituals and consumption.
Skill: Application
Objective: 14-3
AACSB: Analytic skills

42) Thomas and his family recently toured the Gettysburg battlefield on their vacation. The area
was rich in history. While walking, Thomas remembered all the accounts of the battle that he had
read in school. He finally understood why this place had such a special meaning in American
history and to Americans in general. This tour is best classified as an example of ________
consumption.
A) profane
B) objectified
C) sacred
D) crescive
Answer: C
Diff: 2
Learning Outcome: Describe the relationship between modern-day rituals and consumption.
Skill: Application
Objective: 14-4
AACSB: Analytic skills

13
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43) Country singers Marty Stewart and Travis Tritt and their record label decided to change the
culture of the Country and Western music scene. With their now famous "No Hats" tour, the
singers abandoned conventional country and western fashion (they threw away their hats, let
their hair grow long, and wore t-shirts) and tried to appeal to larger and younger audiences with a
grinding sexy message. The process that these singers went through is best described as a
________.
A) cultural funnel
B) cultural production system (CPS)
C) cultural distribution system (CDS)
D) cultural gatekeeping process (CGP)
Answer: B
Diff: 2
Learning Outcome: Discuss the techniques marketers use to change consumers' attitudes.
Skill: Application
Objective: 14-5
AACSB: Analytic skills

44) The Macah, a Native American tribe from the Northwest, built functional seagoing canoes
that are considered works of art by modern shipbuilders. By definition, these boats would be
considered ________.
A) high art products
B) style and cultural icons
C) low art products
D) craft products
Answer: D
Diff: 2
Learning Outcome: Explain the influence of the needs and cultural values of consumers.
Skill: Application
Objective: 14-6
AACSB: Analytic skills

45) Raymond Chandler wrote classic American detective stories. By always using certain roles
for his characters and props that were appropriate to the genre, Chandler's novels followed what
the text calls a(n) ________.
A) cultural formula
B) enacted norm
C) fashion cycle
D) innovation process
Answer: A
Diff: 2
Learning Outcome: Explain the influence of the needs and cultural values of consumers.
Skill: Application
Objective: 14-6
AACSB: Analytic skills

14
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46) Kyle liked to think he could program anything digital. He created a new video game, and a
major industry firm wanted to buy it from him. He was bothered by their insistence that he
modify the game by including a popular product's logo on the clothing of his main character. In
this example, Kyle is concerned about the practice of ________.
A) cultural jamming
B) advergaming
C) pretailing
D) plinking
Answer: B
Diff: 2
Learning Outcome: Discuss the techniques marketers use to change consumers' attitudes.
Skill: Application
Objective: 14-7
AACSB: Analytic skills

47) Several years ago, a new Lincoln Mark VIII automobile design was introduced with several
features added that had never been seen in a car before. The car had a ten-cartridge CD changer
(stored in the trunk), a special garage door-opener button, technology allowing the driver to talk
on a car phone without having to use her hands, and an air-suspension ride that raised and
lowered the car for different driving conditions. Which of the following best describes the type
of innovations included in the Lincoln Mark VIII?
A) revolutionary innovations
B) continuous innovations
C) dynamically continuous innovations
D) discontinuous innovations
Answer: C
Diff: 3
Learning Outcome: Describe the stages of consumer decision making.
Skill: Application
Objective: 14-8
AACSB: Analytic skills

48) Fallon was the son of a very wealthy banker from Connecticut. The first time Fallon saw an
artist on MTV wearing a polished bicycle chain around his neck, he knew he had to get an item
like that for himself. Fallon's behavior is best explained by the ________ theory of fashion.
A) trickle-down
B) trickle-up
C) trickle-across
D) prestige-exclusivity
Answer: B
Diff: 2
Learning Outcome: Discuss the techniques marketers use to change consumers' attitudes.
Skill: Application
Objective: 14-9
AACSB: Analytic skills

15
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49) Which of the following best supports the argument that tourism can be seen as a sacred
experience?
A) Tourism often involves the binary opposition of work and leisure.
B) Tourism involves setting events, places, and time aside from everyday, mundane activities.
C) Tourism involves the four most important dimensions of culture.
D) Tourism provides opportunities for individuals to better understand their culture's crescive
norms through interaction with other cultures.
Answer: B
Diff: 3
Learning Outcome: Describe the relationship between modern-day rituals and consumption.
Skill: Critical Thinking
Objective: 14-4
AACSB: Reflective thinking skills

50) What is the primary difference between an innovator and an early adopter?
A) Early adopters are much the same as innovators except they (as a group) have higher average
salaries and more education than do innovators.
B) Innovators are more risk adverse than are early adopters.
C) Innovators are more likely to accept risk than are early adopters.
D) Innovators are less socially active than are early adopters, who tend to be the true trendsetters
of a society.
Answer: C
Diff: 3
Learning Outcome: Describe the stages of consumer decision making.
Skill: Critical Thinking
Objective: 14-8
AACSB: Reflective thinking skills

51) Once a culture is established it doesn't change. An apparent change in a culture is simply the
emergence of a new culture.
Answer: FALSE
Diff: 2
Learning Outcome: Explain the influence of the needs and cultural values of consumers.
Skill: Concept
Objective: 14-1

52) A metaphysical myth fulfills the cultural function of explaining how the components of the
universe relate to each other.
Answer: FALSE
Diff: 2
Learning Outcome: Explain the influence of the needs and cultural values of consumers.
Skill: Concept
Objective: 14-2
AACSB: Communication abilities

16
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53) In many cultures, stories feature talking animals that act as mediating figures.
Answer: TRUE
Diff: 2
Learning Outcome: Explain the influence of the needs and cultural values of consumers.
Skill: Concept
Objective: 14-2
AACSB: Communication abilities

54) A myth that is common to many cultures is called a monomyth.

Answer: TRUE
Diff: 1
Learning Outcome: Explain the influence of the needs and cultural values of consumers.
Skill: Concept
Objective: 14-2
AACSB: Communication abilities

55) Most holidays commemorate a cultural myth.

Answer: TRUE
Diff: 2
Learning Outcome: Describe the relationship between modern-day rituals and consumption.
Skill: Concept
Objective: 14-3
AACSB: Multicultural and diversity understanding

56) Passing a driving test to receive a driver's license is an example of a rite of passage.
Answer: TRUE
Diff: 2
Learning Outcome: Describe the relationship between modern-day rituals and consumption.
Skill: Concept
Objective: 14-3

57) Profane consumption involves consumer objects and events that are ordinary.
Answer: TRUE
Diff: 1
Learning Outcome: Describe the relationship between modern-day rituals and consumption.
Skill: Concept
Objective: 14-4

58) Casting directors, textbook authors, and retail buyers are all examples of formal gatekeepers
in the culture production process.
Answer: TRUE
Diff: 2
Learning Outcome: Discuss the techniques marketers use to change consumers' attitudes.
Skill: Concept
Objective: 14-5
AACSB: Communication abilities

17
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59) A style typically begins as a risky or unique statement by a relatively small group of people.
Answer: TRUE
Diff: 2
Learning Outcome: Discuss the techniques marketers use to change consumers' attitudes.
Skill: Concept
Objective: 14-5

60) Romance novels often follow a cultural formula.

Answer: TRUE
Diff: 2
Learning Outcome: Explain the influence of the needs and cultural values of consumers.
Skill: Concept
Objective: 14-6
AACSB: Communication abilities

61) The diffusion of innovations is a process whereby a new product, service, or idea spreads
through a population.
Answer: TRUE
Diff: 1
Learning Outcome: Describe the stages of consumer decision making.
Skill: Concept
Objective: 14-8

62) The most radical of the innovation change forms is called a discontinuous innovation
because it creates major changes in the way we live.
Answer: TRUE
Diff: 2
Learning Outcome: Describe the stages of consumer decision making.
Skill: Concept
Objective: 14-8

63) The trickle-down theory of fashion says that fashion moves from the upper classes to the
lower classes.
Answer: TRUE
Diff: 2
Learning Outcome: Discuss the techniques marketers use to change consumers' attitudes.
Skill: Concept
Objective: 14-9

64) A fad has a relatively long acceptance cycle in today's marketplace because of the money
necessary to develop the fad.
Answer: FALSE
Diff: 2
Learning Outcome: Discuss the techniques marketers use to change consumers' attitudes.
Skill: Concept
Objective: 14-10

18
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65) Where you choose to sit in an almost empty movie theater is most likely determined by your
culture's mores.
Answer: FALSE
Diff: 2
Learning Outcome: Explain the influence of the needs and cultural values of consumers.
Skill: Application
Objective: 14-1
AACSB: Analytic skills

66) Every year, the students at a prestigious engineering school remove a car from the parking
lot and place it on the highest point of the roof of the main engineering building. The students
have been doing this for decades, but not once has anyone ever confided to an outsider how it
was done. This is a classic example of a ritual.
Answer: TRUE
Diff: 2
Learning Outcome: Describe the relationship between modern-day rituals and consumption.
Skill: Application
Objective: 14-3
AACSB: Analytic skills

67) Anna's best friend Aubrey was getting married. Anna spent a lot of time thinking of the
perfect gift. She was so excited about the gift that she gave it to Aubrey before the wedding.
Aubrey cried and told Anna that she would never in her life have a better friend. Reformulation
is the proper term for the new bond between Anna and Aubrey.
Answer: TRUE
Diff: 2
Learning Outcome: Describe the relationship between modern-day rituals and consumption.
Skill: Application
Objective: 14-3
AACSB: Analytic skills

68) A professor was given a warning after he made a bad joke about Princess Diana shortly after
her death. Students were likely upset because they now saw Princess Di as a profane character
worthy of special attention and respect.
Answer: FALSE
Diff: 2
Learning Outcome: Explain the influence of the needs and cultural values of consumers.
Skill: Application
Objective: 14-4
AACSB: Analytic skills

19
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69) Products appearing in retail stores are examples of the use of product placement.
Answer: FALSE
Diff: 2
Learning Outcome: Discuss the techniques marketers use to change consumers' attitudes.
Skill: Application
Objective: 14-7
AACSB: Analytic skills

70) Shift Corporation could not sell its premium running shoe at $49.99, but when they were
priced at $159.99, the shoes sold out of the stores almost overnight. Shift had just experienced
the snob effect characteristically explained by the sociological model of fashion.
Answer: FALSE
Diff: 3
Learning Outcome: Discuss the techniques marketers use to change consumers' attitudes.
Skill: Application
Objective: 14-9
AACSB: Analytic skills

71) A promotion director of a fine arts museum could use mass-marketing techniques to promote
a fine art gallery much the same way she could promote any other mass-marketed product.
Answer: TRUE
Diff: 2
Learning Outcome: Discuss the techniques marketers use to change consumers' attitudes.
Skill: Critical Thinking
Objective: 14-6
AACSB: Reflective thinking skills

72) Because Stephanie is an innovator with computer products, marketers should assume that she
is also an innovator with clothing styles.
Answer: FALSE
Diff: 2
Learning Outcome: Describe the stages of consumer decision making.
Skill: Critical Thinking
Objective: 14-8
AACSB: Reflective thinking skills

73) A clothier produced a line of clothing with insect repellant impregnated into the fabric for
outdoor enthusiasts. This product has a good chance of being adopted because it has a relative
advantage.
Answer: TRUE
Diff: 2
Learning Outcome: Discuss the techniques marketers use to change consumers' attitudes.
Skill: Critical Thinking
Objective: 14-8
AACSB: Reflective thinking skills

20
Copyright © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Prentice Hall
74) In the modern holiday rituals of Christmas, the figures of Christ and Santa can be seen as
binary opposite; one promotes selflessness while the other promotes materialism.
Answer: TRUE
Diff: 3
Learning Outcome: Explain the influence of the needs and cultural values of consumers.
Skill: Synthesis
Objective: 14-3
AACSB: Reflective thinking skills

75) Shira wants to prove that even the most mundane of objects can be sacralized through the
process of objectification. She should use examples of hoarding to support her argument.
Answer: FALSE
Diff: 3
Learning Outcome: Describe the relationship between modern-day rituals and consumption.
Skill: Synthesis
Objective: 14-4
AACSB: Reflective thinking skills

76) A cultural system consists of three functional areas. What are they? Give a brief explanation
of each.
Answer: Culture's functional areas include:
a. Ecology—the way in which a system is adapted to its habitat. This area is shaped by the
technology used to obtain and distribute resources.
b. Social structure—the way in which orderly social life is maintained. This includes the
domestic and political groups that are dominant within the culture.
c. Ideology—the mental characteristics of a people and the way in which they relate to their
environment and social groups. This revolves around the notion that members of a society
possess a common worldview. They share certain ideas about principles of order and fairness.
They also share an ethos, or a set of moral and aesthetic principles.
Diff: 2
Learning Outcome: Explain the influence of the needs and cultural values of consumers.
Skill: Concept
Objective: 14-1
AACSB: Multicultural and diversity understanding

21
Copyright © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Prentice Hall
77) Identify and describe the factors that affect the successful adoption of innovations.
Answer: All of the following factors have been deemed prerequisites to success for a new
product:
∙ Compatibility—innovations must be compatible with and/or complementary to existing
consumer lifestyles.
∙ Trialability—innovations must reduce the perceived risk involved in trying them, usually
through some kind of product sampling.
∙ Low degree of complexity—all innovations require some education of the market in how to
use them. Generally speaking, the easier this process is to understand and use, the greater the
chances of successful adoption.
∙ Observability—innovations for which the product benefits are visibly apparent or observable
to the market in general have a greater chance of catching on.
∙ Relative advantage—innovations should provide consumers with some advantage in terms of
benefits that are not available in alternative products.
Diff: 3
Learning Outcome: Describe the stages of consumer decision making.
Skill: Concept
Objective: 14-7

78) Describe the difference between an enacted norm and a crescive norm. Indicate forms that
the crescive norm may take.
Answer: An enacted norm is explicitly decided on, such as the rule that a green traffic light
means "go" and a red one means "stop." The rules are not subtle; they are specific.

A crescive norm is embedded in a culture and is discovered only through interaction with other
members of that culture. These norms can be subtle. Crescive norms include the following:
a. A custom is a norm that controls basic behaviors, such as the division of labor in a household
or the practice of particular ceremonies.
b. A more is a custom with a strong moral overtone. A more often involves a taboo or forbidden
behavior, such as incest or cannibalism. Violation of a more often meets with strong sanctions
from other members of a society.
c. A convention is a norm regarding the conduct of everyday life. These rules deal with the
subtleties of consumer behavior, including the "correct" way to furnish one's house, wear one's
clothes, host a dinner party, and so on.
Diff: 3
Learning Outcome: Explain the influence of the needs and cultural values of consumers.
Skill: Application
Objective: 14-1
AACSB: Analytic skills

22
Copyright © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Prentice Hall
79) Define monomyth. Give an illustration.
Answer: A monomyth is a myth that is common to many cultures. As an illustration, a
monomyth might involve a hero such as Superman. In this myth, a father gives his only son to
save a world with his supernatural powers.

Note to Instructor: Be sure that the students' illustration matches the criterion expressed in the
definition.
Diff: 2
Learning Outcome: Explain the influence of the needs and cultural values of consumers.
Skill: Application
Objective: 14-2
AACSB: Analytic skills

80) Explain the idea of an antifestival and describe an example of an antifestival.

Answer: An antifestival is an event that distorts the symbols associated with other holidays. For
example, Mardi Gras is a three-day festival held just before Lent. Lent is a religious and pious
time, a period of self-sacrifice and meditation leading up to Easter. During Mardi Gras, people
adorn themselves in clothing that they would not normally wear and engage in behavior that they
normally would avoid.
Diff: 2
Learning Outcome: Describe the relationship between modern-day rituals and consumption.
Skill: Application
Objective: 14-3
AACSB: Analytic skills

81) Define rites of passage and indicate the various stages of role transition that can occur. Give
at least two examples of rites of passage.
Answer: Rites of passage are special times in an individual's life marked by a change in social
status. Both primitive and modern societies set aside times when such changes occur. Some of
these changes may occur as a natural part of life cycles (e.g., puberty or death), while others are
more individual in nature (e.g., a birthday or graduation).

Rites of passage consist of three phases or stages of role transition:

∙ Separation stage, which occurs when the individual is detached from his or her original group
or status, e.g., the college freshman leaves home.
∙ Liminality stage, in which the person is literally in between statuses, e.g., the new arrival on
campus tries to figure out what is happening during orientation week.
∙ Aggregation stage, which takes place when the person reenters society after the rite of
passage is complete, e.g., the student returns home for winter vacation as a college "veteran."
Examples of rites of passage include: a divorce, getting a raise, a birthday, a marriage, a military
recruit going to boot camp, an internship completed and a medical practice begun, a novitiate
becoming a nun, retirement from a job, and so on. The final rite of passage is death.
Diff: 3
Learning Outcome: Describe the relationship between modern-day rituals and consumption.
Skill: Application
Objective: 14-4
AACSB: Analytic skills
23
Copyright © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Prentice Hall
82) Compare and contrast sacred and profane consumption.
Answer: Sacred consumption involves objects and events that are "set apart" from normal
activities and are treated with some degree of respect or awe. They may or may not be associated
with religion, but most religious items and events tend to be regarded as sacred. On the other
hand, profane consumption involves consumer objects and events that are ordinary and
everyday; they do not share the "specialness" of sacred ones. (Profane does not mean vulgar or
obscene in this context.)
Diff: 2
Learning Outcome: Describe the relationship between modern-day rituals and consumption.
Skill: Application
Objective: 14-4
AACSB: Analytic skills

83) Identify what the term cooptation means. Give an illustration of the concept and demonstrate
how it applies to the movement of meaning as shown in the text.
Answer: Cooptation occurs when cultural products undergo a transformation. Original meanings
are transformed by outsiders.

According to the text, instruments of movement (such as advertising and fashion systems)
connect to cultural values and symbols; these cultural values and symbols change consumer
goods over time. As the consumer performs consumer rituals, individual consumers are affected.

As an example of the change, the text explains how the influence of hip-hop has gone beyond its
urban, African-American roots to the American mainstream.
Diff: 2
Learning Outcome: Explain how membership in ethnic, religious, and racial subcultures
influences consumer behavior.
Skill: Application
Objective: 14-5
AACSB: Analytic skills

84) Compare and contrast the trickle-down, trickle-up, and trickle-across theories.
Answer: The trickle-down theory states that subordinate groups try to adopt the status symbols
of the groups above them (fashion trickles down) as they attempt to climb the social ladder.
The trickle-across effect says that fashions diffuse horizontally among members of the same
social group.
The trickle-up theory inverts the trickle-down theory, saying that fashions originate with lower
classes and trickle up to higher social classes.
Diff: 2
Learning Outcome: Explain how membership in ethnic, religious, and racial subcultures
influences consumer behavior.
Skill: Application
Objective: 14-9
AACSB: Analytic skills

24
Copyright © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Prentice Hall
85) How can a myth be true and false at the same time?
Answer: A myth is a story containing symbolic elements that represent the shared emotions and
ideals of a culture. A myth is true in that the story contains some metaphysical, cosmological,
sociological, or psychological aspect that expresses a truth to a particular culture. However, the
actual occurrences in the story do not have to be historically, or even logically, true.
Diff: 3
Learning Outcome: Explain the influence of the needs and cultural values of consumers.
Skill: Critical Thinking
Objective: 14-2
AACSB: Reflective thinking skills

86) Some people have been offended when marketers refer to an event such as the Super Bowl as
a sacred event. They believe that business people are being disrespectful. Explain how the
concept of sacred in consumer behavior is both the same and different from the concept of sacred
in a traditional religious context.
Answer: In marketing, an event, place, or person becomes sacred because it is "set apart" from
normal activities and begins to be treated with some degree of respect or awe. There are
numerous reasons why this may happen, religion being only one of many. There is nothing in the
definition that refers to specific or historical religious events, places, or persons.

The term as utilized, however, does have similarities with religious feelings. A "sacred" object in
religion is treated as very special. It is handled with care and given special packaging
considerations. This is also true of sacred objects in marketing. Religious people would be
offended if a sacred object was treated casually, or if someone made light of it. The same is
generally true with a sacred object in marketing. The manner in which society reacts to Elvis
Presley or to Princess Diana is quite similar to how a saint would be treated by a religious
person.

The two concepts are different in that a sacred object need not have religious connections of any
kind. Even those who react to an event like the Super Bowl as a sacred occasion may be
offended if the suggestion is made that the event has religious overtones for the person.
Diff: 3
Learning Outcome: Describe the relationship between modern-day rituals and consumption.
Skill: Critical Thinking
Objective: 14-4
AACSB: Reflective thinking skills

25
Copyright © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Prentice Hall
87) Use cultural ideas about food and eating as examples to explain the differences between the
three types of crescive norms discussed in the book.
Answer: A crescive norm is one that is embedded so deeply inside a culture that it is discovered
through interaction with other members of that culture rather than through memory or study.
A custom is a crescive norm that controls basic behavior. For example, custom would dictate at
what times and how much people eat.
A more is a custom with a strong moral overtone. Mores would dictate what kind of food is
acceptable to eat. For example, dog meat is taboo in the United States, but not necessarily in
other countries.
A convention is a crescive norm that regulates how we conduct our everyday lives. Conventions
would dictate what utensils we use to eat a meal or what to wear at dinnertime.

Student answers will vary but may draw upon examples used in the text.
Diff: 3
Learning Outcome: Explain the influence of the needs and cultural values of consumers.
Skill: Synthesis
Objective: 14-1
AACSB: Reflective thinking skills

88) A female writer looks at a common myth of the Western culture and writes a novel applying
that myth to fictional modern characters. Using the concept of a cultural production process,
explain how this writer will market her ideas to her readers.
Answer: The writer produces the novel. She is part of the creative subsystem. She takes her idea
from a myth or a story containing the symbolic elements that represent the shared emotions and
ideals she shares with her customers.

Her novel must be accepted for publication by a managerial subsystem, which makes her ideas
tangible in the form of a book, and then mass-produces and distributes her novel.

After her novel is published, it must be promoted. The promotion gives meaning to the story and
provides it with a set of attributes that are communicated to consumers. This is a communication
subsystem.

The novel may still remain unnoticed by the general public until the gatekeepers either allow it
through to the consumers or begin to promote the book. If the book is given notice by Oprah
Winfrey, media people give positive reviews, or if friends, spouses, and associates begin to talk
about the novel, then it is much more likely that the symbol pool used by the writer will be
communicated to the final consumer.

Culture modifies this entire procedure. The creation most likely came from the symbols of the
culture. What is accepted and promoted is driven by cultural values and images. Whether the
ideas are acceptable to gatekeepers is largely a matter of culture.
Diff: 3
Learning Outcome: Explain the influence of the needs and cultural values of consumers.
Skill: Synthesis
Objective: 14-5
AACSB: Reflective thinking skills
26
Copyright © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Prentice Hall
89) Use the example of a political campaign to discuss the relationship between various cultural
formulas and reality engineering.
Answer: The idea behind the cultural formula is that a culture will tell stories in which certain
roles and props are utilized in a consistent manner. Certain images and symbols are recycled by
being used repeatedly, or by being applied to new situations. Communication and meaning is
facilitated because everyone is on "the same page" and understands the meanings and context in
which the story unfolds.

Reality engineering occurs when marketers appropriate elements of popular culture and use them
as promotional vehicles.

During a political campaign, the candidate will try to tie him- or herself into as many positive
cultural formulas as possible. The candidate, for example, may take off his coat and roll up his
sleeves (symbolic of the working man) to demonstrate that the candidate is willing to work for
the common person. The flag will be shown as a backdrop. At the same time, the candidate will
attempt to manipulate the voters' concept of reality by tying himself or herself to positive cultural
images and symbols, while attempting to connect his or her opponent to negative images.

Student answers will vary, but should reflect an understanding of the two terms.
Diff: 3
Learning Outcome: Discuss the techniques marketers use to change consumers' attitudes.
Skill: Synthesis
Objective: 14-7
AACSB: Reflective thinking skills

27
Copyright © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Prentice Hall
90) Suppose that it became fashionable to be overweight. How would the four models of fashion
(derived from the behavioral science perspective of fashion) explain how the fashion norm
would change from being underweight to being overweight?
Answer:
∙ The psychological model explains fashions by personal motivations driven by conformity,
variety seeking, personal creativity, and sexual attraction. Because thinness has been in fashion
for a long period of time, variety seeking and creativity may lead to a change of perception about
certain aspects of the human body seen as sexually appealing. Because being thin is no longer
found to be attractive, the opposite of thinness would become more attractive.
∙ The economic model approaches fashion from the perspective of supply and demand. This
model would suggest that if being overweight were to become fashionable, the society is
probably suffering from a lack of adequate nutrition. This has, in fact, been suggested as a
historical trend.
∙ The sociological model suggests that fashion is adopted first by a subculture and then
diffuses through the entire culture. This model would suggest that if the very rich were to adopt a
standard of robustness in fashion, then by trickle-down, the rest of the culture would follow. Or
conversely, the lower classes may become heavier, and through trickle-up, the new fashion could
emerge in the culture as a whole.
∙ The "medical" model proposes that an idea or product enters the consciousness of people
over time. At some point, the number of people carrying this idea or using this product reaches a
critical mass called a tipping point, and it is then adopted by the larger culture. In this model, a
certain percent of the population begins to accept being overweight not only as OK, but as an
attractive attribute. The idea begins to spread, and once it is accepted by a certain proportion of
the culture, it then becomes fashionable in the culture to be overweight.

Students may create their own illustrations to explore the differences between the various
fashion models. Identifying the four models correctly is, however, central to answering the
question correctly.
Diff: 3
Learning Outcome: Discuss the techniques marketers use to change consumers' attitudes.
Skill: Synthesis
Objective: 14-9
AACSB: Reflective thinking skills

28
Copyright © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Prentice Hall