Why is it difficult to identify consumers in terms of their ethnic subculture membership?

The chapter describes efforts by some mainstream marketers to appeal to Muslim consumers by making halal products. Given the political attitudes some Americans hold regarding Muslims, is this a dangerous strategy or a courageous one? What are the potential pitfalls of this approach, and how would you handle it?

Religious symbolism appears in advertising, even though some people object to this practice. For example, a French Volkswagen ad for the relaunch of the Golf showed a modern version of The Last Supper with the tagline, "Let us rejoice, my friends, for a new Golf has been born." 105 A group of clergy in France sued the company and the ad was removed from 10,000 billboards. One of the bishops involved in the suit said, "Advertising experts have told us that ads aim for the sacred in order to shock, because using sex does not work anymore." Do you agree? Should religion be used to market products? Do you find this strategy effective or offensive? When and where is this appropriate, if at all?

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?

When they identify and target newly divorced couples, do you think marketers exploit these couples' situations? Are there instances in which you think marketers may actually be helpful to them? Support your answers with examples.

Discuss the pros and cons of the voluntarily childless movement.

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?

Describe the progressive learning model and discuss why this perspective is important when we market to subcultures.

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?

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

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?