G R E E KL I F E

A subcu l ture  of  UNCG

Joseph KiddMadison LandersKathleen Mantz

SUBCULTURE?A DEFINITION

WHAT IS A

A group that shares certain beliefs, values, and customs, stemmingfrom ethnicity, religion, geographic location, age, or gender, while

also being a part of a larger society.

ARE YOU IN?HOW MANY SUBCULTURES

Nationality

Ethnicity

Religion

Geographic Region

Gender

Age

SUBCULTURES:SOME FACTS ABOUT

Most Americans belong to more than one cultural group.Each different subculture provides its set of specific beliefs, values,attitudes, and customs.Subcultural analysis enables marketers to identify the sizeable andsubcultural segments.Subcultures are dynamic.

Culture vs. SubcultureAn example from UNCG.

Traits of

UNCG

students.

Traits of

UNCG

student

athletes.

Traits of

UNCG

students

involved in

Greek life.

WHYBOTHER?

BUT

Subcultures can act as a basis for market segmentation.Subcultures can dictate different patterns of usage, different brandpreferences, and different needs or desires.Media usage patterns may be different leading to a need to choosedifferent communication channels for different subcultures.The tendency of many subcultures to gravitate towards those also intheir subculture can aid marketers in geographically targetingspecific groups.

NORMSUNCG GREEK

Fraternal behaviors.

Specific ways of dressing.

Promoting achievement and personal excellence.

Hazing.

Alcohol abuse.

Sexual assault.

VALUESUNCG GREEK

Brother/sisterhod.

Academic achievement.

Service and volunteerism.

High priority on social connections and networking.

Legacy.

Leadership.

Unity.

BEHAVIORSUNCG GREEK

Attending meetings.

Putting members ahead of others.

Participating in Greek life events.

Drinking.

Hazing.

CREDIT CARDSHOW DO THE GREEKS FEEL?

SUBCULTURE & BEHAVIORS

CREDIT CARDSTHE QUESTIONAIRE

The survey was administered by

group members to 7 individuals

involved in Greek life at UNCG.

WHAT DID WE FIND?

WHAT DID WE FIND?

WHAT DID WE FIND?

WHAT DID WE FIND?

MARKETINGIMPLICATIONS?

AND THE

A large percentage of Greek individuals do have one credit card.As there are no American Express holders in the group, it could be assumed that the highinterest rates are a deterrent to college students. More information would be needed toverify this.Marketers should focus on credit card use for purchases that can typically be paid off eachmonth as this is how the majority of individuals attempt to utilize credit cards.Most individuals surveyed used credit cards for purchasing essentials, so programs offeringcash back on these purchases could be particularly attractive to this subgroup.Visa is the most common card held by this subgroup--this could indicate that other cardcompanies have an opportunity for growth in this market, or that Visa has too high amarket share for other companies to bother focusing on this subgroup.

SUBCULTURESAND COMMUNICATION CHANNELS

This chart examinessubcultures based onage. You can see thatin both time periods,

those aged 25-35 werethe heaviest users of

social networking sites. What does this meanto you as a marketer?

With which ethnic group would you communicate via social networkingsites?

THE TAKE AWAY?

Different consumer subgroups must be targeted in different ways and via different media.TV Viewing: African Americans spend more time viewing TV than other ethnic subculturesin the US.News Information: Those 67+ consumer more news via TV than other groups, while thosein Generation Y (ages 18-35) tend to get their news from computers online. Matureconsumers, 67+, are also the heaviest users of print news.Smartphone Usage: Those with higher household income are more likely to usesmartphones regardless of their age. The highest usage of smartphones is in those aged25-34. 40% of those 65+ do use smartphones.Clearly some media are better suited to some groups, and savvy marketers take note ofthis.

REFERENCES

Hampton, K., Goulet, L.S., Rainie, L., & Purcell, K. (2011, June 16). Part two: Who are social networking site users? Retrieved from http://www.pewresearch.org

Schiffman, L.G., & Wisenblit, J. (2015). Consumer Behavior. Boston: Pearson.