Advertising and cultural values

Culture is the most fundamental determent of a person’s wants and behavior. Whereas lower creatures are largely governed by instinct, human behavior is largely learned. External or core cultural values are very difficult to change by advertising. The child growing up in a society learns a basic set of values, perceptions, preferences, and behaviors’ through process of socialization, involving the family and other key institutions. The child growing up in the United States is exposed to the following cultural values: achievement and success, activity, efficiency and practicality, progress, material comfort, individualism, freedom, external comfort, humanitarianism and youthfulness. Culture shapes our attitudes to products. These cultural values distinguish one social group from another. Each culture contains smaller groups of sub-cultures that provide more specific identification and socialization for its members. Four types of sub-cultures can be distinguished – nationality groups, religious groups, racial groups, racial groups, and groups by geographical areas.