Born again Christian groups have been instrumental in organizing boycotts of products advertised on shows they find objectionable, especially those that they feel undermine family values. Church leaders can encourage consumption but, more importantly, they can also discourage it-sometimes with powerful effects. The Disney Corporation discovered how effective these movements can be when the Southern Baptist Convention voted to persuade all its members to boycott Disney's operations. The church instituted its anti-Mickey rebellion to protest the "Gay Days" at the theme parks and advocated a view that Disney had a radical homosexual agenda that it promoted through its broadcasts. Soon other organizations joined the cause, including the American Family Association, the General Council of the Assemblies of God, the Congregational Holiness Church, the Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights, and the Free Will Baptists. The fallout from the boycott was significant; Disney was forced to lay off 4,000 employees. Do religious groups have a right or a responsibility to dictate what advertising a network should carry?

Several years ago R. J. Reynolds announced plans to test market a menthol cigarette called Uptown specifically to African American consumers. According to the company, about 70 percent of African American smokers prefer menthol, more than twice the average rate. After market research showed that blacks tend to open cigarette packs from the bottom. the company decided to pack Uptowns with the filters facing down. Reynolds cancelled its plans after private health groups and government officials protested. Does a company have the right to exploit a subculture's special characteristics, especially to increase sales of a harmful product such as cigarettes? What about the argument that virtually every business that follows the marketing concept designs a product to meet the needs and tastes of a preselected segment?

What is the difference between a high-context and a low-context culture? What is an example of this difference?

Should members of a religious group adapt marketing techniques that manufacturers customarily use to increase market share for their secular products? Why or why not?

Is there a point at which a subculture becomes so "mainstream" that unique marketing approaches are no longer appropriate or necessary? Discuss.

Geodemographic techniques assume that people who live in the same neighborhood have other things in common as well. Why do they make this assumption. and how accurate is it?

What are some business categories that stand to benefit most from the increasing affluence and vitality of the senior market?

What are tweens, and why are so many marketers interested in them?

Critics of targeted marketing strategies argue that this practice is discriminatory and unfair, especially if such a strategy encourages a group of people to buy a product that may be injurious to them or that they cannot afford. For example, community leaders in largely minority neighborhoods have staged protests against billboards promoting beer or cigarettes in these areas. However, the Association of National Advertisers argues that banning targeted marketing constitutes censorship and thus is a violation of the First Amendment. What are your views regarding this issue?

How are Gen Yers different from their older brothers and sisters?

What is an age cohort, and why is it of interest to marketers?

What is the FLC, and why is it important to marketers?

What are boomerang kids?

What is a nuclear family, and how is it different from an extended family?