Exam 10: The Family and Its Social Class Standing

Which of the following is NOT one of the variables that is combined to make the family life cycle composite variable?

Socialization is described as ________.

Conspicuous possessions serve as markers or indicators of one's own status and the status of others.

Social-class membership serves consumers as a framework or reference for the development of their attitudes and behavior and provides a natural basis for market segmentation for many products and services.

Identify and describe the three supportive roles a family plays in the socialization process and consumer behavior.

What is social comparison theory? How might marketers use this theory in advertising?

A ________ is a ranking reflecting one's relative prestige within a social system and reflects the three components of social status - income, education, and occupation - as well as related facets such as home value and area of residence, possessions, interests, and recreation.

Kim wants a candy bar and tries to convince her father to purchase one for her by threatening to throw a fit in the crowded grocery store if he does not. This is an example of which of the following tactics used by children to influence their parents?

Why do many researchers maintain that America's middle class has been shrinking?

Derek was the primary decision maker when it came to automotive purchases in his household, but asked for and considered feedback from his wife and children when they went to purchase a new car. Derek's approach makes the car purchase an example of a(n) ________.

Socialization begins in early childhood and culminates in early adulthood.

The ________ look, consisting of practical, comfortable, and timeless (vs. trendy) clothing, is often identified with the upper social class and emulated by lower classes.

Fathers are stronger consumer socialization agents than their wives.

The ________ states that members of lower classes adopt the fashions of the upper class and maintain them even after the upper class has abandoned these fashions.

________ responsibilities have been expanding because attaining good jobs as adults has become harder and parents feel that children must be ahead of other children from a young age.

Affluent households have large disposable incomes.

How do the lower classes and upper classes differ in terms of saving, spending, and credit?

SMITH MINI CASE: Nathan Smith is single and lives in Detroit, where he works on the assembly line at the local automobile manufacturing plant and is a member of the Automobile Workers Union. He views work as a means to buy things to enhance his leisure time and recently purchased a new television so that he could better watch his favorite team, the Detroit Lions, play football. Nathan has always followed the Lions, largely because his dad was a big Lions fan. -In the SMITH MINI CASE, Nathan is most likely considered to be in the ________ stage of the traditional family life cycle.

WATCH MINI CASE: Bob is interviewing for high-level managerial jobs in the Boston area. He decides that, in order to make himself more appealing for the job, he should wear expensive suits and carry expensive business accessories. To this end, he has decided to purchase an Icon watch, because Bob perceives that Icon watches are expensive and typically worn by people with high social status. In fact, Icon specifically targets its wristwatches to image-conscious business executives and has its best results focusing its marketing efforts on men between the ages of 35 and 50 living in affluent zip codes of New York City and its surrounding suburbs. -In the WATCH MINI CASE, Icon's focus on men of a given age in specific zip codes is an example of ________.

Which PRIZM® segment should marketers of very expensive vacations and conspicuous luxury goods study and/or target?