Marketing
Research by
Jennifer Aaker
General Atlantic Professor of Marketing
Stanford Graduate School
of Business
Donnel Briley
University of Sydney
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Bridging the Culture Chasm: Ensuring Consumers Are Healthy, Wealthy, and Wise
February 2006
STANFORD GRADUATE SCHOOL OF BUSINESS—Eat better. Exercise. Save more. Spend less. Especially upon the advent of the New Year, consumers are full of well-meaning intentions to improve their health or general well-being across a number of dimensions. But how capable are individuals of actually changing their behavior? New research by Donnel Briley of the University of Sydney and Jennifer Aaker of the Stanford Graduate School of Business indicates that the cultural background of individuals dramatically impacts their ability to set goals or make choices that are best for the long term, particularly in the areas of health and finances.
Consider a "wellness" media campaign meant to encourage consumers to eat more healthfully. Whether they respond to a "promotion" message (for example, "be healthy—eat more fresh fruit") versus a "prevention" message ("avoid obesity—cut out fast food"); are willing to explore new, unfamiliar products or approaches (trying vegetarian meals or low-carbohydrate diet plans); or are open to making big life changes (committing to a rigorous daily exercise regime) depends critically on the cultural background of the targeted individual.
Indeed, the particular goals that a consumer pursues are strongly influenced by culture. For example, consumers from certain cultures are more likely to make compromise decisions about their health and finances in order to achieve a sense of "safety"—even when those choices are not necessarily the best ones for their situation. Take the case of an older man diagnosed with prostate cancer who is asked to choose between three treatment options: surgery, radiation therapy, and watchful waiting. Surgery is statistically the best alternative for eliminating the cancer, but it is associated with considerable physical risks. Watchful waiting is the least effective means for treating the cancer, but carries the smallest possible chance of harmful side effects. Radiation, however, can be seen as a "safe" solution because it compromises on both of these key attributes—efficacy and physical risk. Based on his cultural orientation, the patient may thus choose radiation to reduce his anxiety—even though it might not be the best solution for his given medical condition.
These cultural differences have broad-based effects. For example, it has frequently been pointed out that poor individuals often make worse health-related choices than people of higher socioeconomic status, including less-than-ideal eating habits and infrequent testing for disease. This research suggests that these bad decisions are due less to a lack of concern among the poor regarding their health and more to the fact that their culturally influenced goals—and the strategies they use to achieve those goals—all too often result in self-destructive behaviors.
Broadly speaking, consumers are guided by two fundamental drives: the desire to seek pleasure and to avoid pain. These basic motives underlie all choices consumers make. An individual can either anticipate the pleasure that might be derived from meeting a particular goal—for example, the sense of well-being that comes from being in shape—or want to avoid the pain that comes with an undesirable state of being—the health risks that come from being obese, for example. The researchers identified two basic types of strategies that could be used to achieve pleasure or avoid pain: promotion- versus prevention-focused strategies. What strategy a particular consumer uses is frequently based on his or her cultural background.
Promotion-focused strategies offer proactive means for a consumer to achieve a goal. For example, exercising more in order to lose weight is a promotion-focused strategy. On the other hand, prevention-focused strategies are avoidance-oriented. Dieters who decide to forgo sugary snacks are pursuing a prevention-oriented strategy.
Consumers from some cultures—for example, Americans—are likely to hold the belief that each person is an independent whole defined by his or her unique attributes. Since the primary goal of the independent self is to distinguish oneself from others, such individuals are more likely to be promotion-oriented, and to make choices that involve taking a proactive stance. Other cultures (Chinese, for example) tend to foster the view that the self is interdependent with others, and defined by a network of relationships and connections. The primary goal of the interdependent self is to maintain harmony with others—an objective that is more consistent with a prevention-oriented strategy.
Although most prior work has viewed culture as having a consistent, static quality—for example, an American woman is assumed to reflect American cultural values no matter what circumstances she faces—Briley and Aaker take a more dynamic approach that captures the effect that situation might have on an individual's goals and choices. After all, multi-ethnic individuals—of which there are an increasing number—can change their attitude or behavior depending on the situation they're in. Indeed, for any individual consumer, the specific circumstances faced at any given time can override even the most deeply seated cultural beliefs and practices.
For example, people placed in an interdependent or group-oriented situation—such as being asked to visualize themselves with their family when they consider a goal—are more likely to choose a prevention-oriented strategy. The opposite thing occurs when individuals are placed in situations that emphasize their autonomy or independence—for example, addressing consumers as "you" versus "you and your team" makes them more likely to take proactive rather than preventive steps toward a goal.
Such shifts in behavior can be triggered by rather subtle prompts. Asking consumers to think about their hopes for the future, as opposed to concentrating on their fears about what lies ahead, makes them more receptive to promotion-based strategies. Presenting them with reminders of their national or ethnic group—for example, showing a person of Chinese heritage a photo of the Great Wall, or an American a picture of the White House—can likewise focus them on the strategy favored by their cultural group.
A unique aspect of this research is that the researchers dig deep into the notion of culture, focusing on it as something defined not just by nationality but also by subcultures based upon religious affiliation, ethnicity, and even the nature of one's neighborhood. After all, groups defined by such factors often have shared beliefs that are distinct from those of the broader national community in which they live. For example, Native Americans in the United States, Muslims in the predominantly Catholic Philippines, and Sikhs in the Hindu country of India all possess cultural beliefs and behaviors that set them apart from their compatriots.
There are some significant implications derived from this study. In addition to revealing these important cultural patterns in behaviors, the researchers suggest ways in which policy-oriented campaigns might be improved, with a focus on issues involving health and saving/spending.
Related Information
Bridging the Culture Chasm: Ensuring That Consumers Are Healthy, Wealthy, and Wise
Donnel Briley and Jennifer Aaker
Journal of Public Policy and Management, forthcoming