Consumer tastes and habits - Essay Example

Consumer tastes and habits are a reflection and a reinforcement of our social class/status Introduction There is no doubt that Pierre Bourdieu talked on many aspects of the society. One salient feature of Pierre Bourdieu’s works was consumer behaviour, in particular the tastes and preferences of consumers and how they demonstrate people’s social class and status in society. According to Pierre Bourdieu choices that people make with regard to consumption as well as habit are demonstration of the class that they want to be associated as well as their status in society. The focus of this paper is to interrogate Pierre Bourdieu’s claim with a target on fashion consumption. Indeed, people have different tastes and preferences in fashion consumption and this is a reflection of social class and status. Theory of consumer taste formation Pierre Bourdieu’ gave an account on what he termed as the consumer preference by refuting the acclaim by others before that fashion and taste was a result of inherent traits that people are borne with and are choices made at individual level. Pierre Bourdieu’s has a contrary view that tastes and preferences are borne out of socially conditioned and that they are choices that people make to march with particular social grouping and class in the broader society. On the same note Pierre Bourdieu viewed such conceptualization of tastes and preference as being a way through which people are able to distinguish themselves from other classes in the broader society. Pierre Bourdieu presented that these choices that relate to tastes and preferences are thus “weapons’ used by people and are used for the purpose of disguising from other groups while at the same time identifying with other groups. Pierre Bourdieu went ahead to give various examples of things that people have different tastes and preference; examples include, the choice of newspaper, food, drinks, fashion , movies , music, art among many other things in the social spheres. It is important to point out that most of Pierre Bourdieu’s focus was on things that have aesthetic component and the manner in which consumption patterns on such things reflected the class and social class that people want or do not want to associate with (Miles 1998). Concept of social class and status Different fashions adorned by different people are attributed to certain degree of social class and status that people want to identify with. Upon recognition of this phenomenon, marketing experts wrote numerous articles on the subjects particularly, in 1950s. Consumer behaviour experts have since recognised the need to pay attention to social classes and status and this is in agreement with numerous research works that have been done on consumer behaviour; there is general agreement that consumer behaviour of different people confirm to their social class (Phillips 1999). To some extent, consumer behaviour overrides the income levels. This, through research is demonstrated by the facts that as people grow older, their income levels increase but in most case they do not change their social class. There is a tendency for people to maintain their social classes they grow older; they remain within the class and this is a clear demonstration that social classes’ overruns income levels with regard to tastes and preferences. In this regard, social class and status are strongly affected by the values and the lifestyles that people have as opposed to the amount of money or income they get periodically (Aldridge 2003). Traditionally, social class was closely associated with that high income in the society and the ability to sustain affluent lifestyle, time has shown that even those in the low social class identity with certain consumer tastes and preferences. Social class and status of individuals are formed as result of the personal values and attitudes of people. This explains why people within a given social classes may have different income levels yet they remain within the same social class. However, it is important to reckon that income levels over a longer period of time have an influence on the social class and status that people have. The important thing is that once people are able to maintain a given level of income over a period of time, they move within the social class or status that matches that level of income (Potter 2005). Historical perspective of social class and fashion Social class, prestige and status are concepts that came with the rise of capitalism. Capitalism saw over production of commodities that subsequently brought about inequalities in many societies in the wold. The rich and the affluent wanted to maintain the high position that they have in society and as such used all means possible to identify themselves and separate from the rest of general communities. In Europe for example display of wealth was done through the clothing that people adorned. In late 13th century it was already possible to tell a person’s class and stature in society by looking at their dress code. People in different class adopted certain ways of dressing that was distinct to that particular culture. The code signified the social, economic and moral standard and made them identify, easily with people within the same status in society. To ensure this, some parts of Europe had sumptuary laws that ensured people maintained certain classes. The dress codes for people of different classes were done through different eights colours and garments materials used(Slater 2001). Class distinction was not unique to Europe since it was seen in other parts of the world as well. For example in the Chinese societies a yellow roe was worn by the empire only as such it was forbidden for any other person to wear that colour. In Africa, particularly among the Hausa tribe the royal war heavy garment that in enhanced their size and look. The same phenomenon applied to many other African communities where it was only the affluent and mighty in the commodity that were allowed to wear gown made from such animals as Lion, cheetah and leopard hides. The rest of the community members were at liberty to wear hides from cows and less prestigious animals. In course of time it is apparent that to suit the affluent and people of various classes, it is important to have ceremonies that highlight the commodities that fit within the status and this explains why other venture like the New York fashion event was introduced. People go to the event to see the new things in the market that market various social classes and status in life. Fashion has the ability to denote certain cultural association because it is used to for different categories of people such as gender, class and identity of people. For in the early 19th century piecing the left ear was associated with gay people. Whether that was true is not yet confirmed even though today, such kinds of piecing are no longer associated with gay men. Fashion thus tells the story of a person even before they tell other people about them. It is easy to tell a priest from dress code; this is the significance of fashion. The same explain why men do not wear dresses; dresses are associated with femininity. Any person seen wearing a dress in the contemporary times will be classified under the female gender because dresses denotes that gender (Storey 1998). Fashion historically has been considered to communicate in non-verbal terms. It’s possible to get the picture and know the status level of the person. People are not all the tie interest, for example, high quality leather handbag but what the handbag, they carry reflect and tell people about them. With regard to high status in society the fashion is used to demonstrate the class. There is no much emphasis on quality. Vogue makes numerous materials that are of quality similar to other brands renowned internationally. However, the products of Vogue are associated to class and high status in the society. In this light, many people in the high life prefer these products not necessarily because of the quality but because of the perception. Due to attachment of high quality products, most product developers who targeted the rich and affluent in society use the same rich, famous and affluent people to market the products. There are many celebrities that have lines of products that may have similar quality or even lower quality compared to others in the market yet they are expensively purchased by the high end status people in the society. David Beckham an English football star is well known to market for many brands of all over the world. He has been used by many brands all over the world including Mark and Spencer, Pepsi, Vodafone among others. Just like Beckham represents a certain social status so does the commodities that he market and which are associated with him (Phillips 1999). Historical development of fashion and its relationship with social class and is effectively demonstrated by fashion designer in clothing and textile industry. Such designers have fetched a lot of money and reputation as result of the ability to make lasting impression with designs that are adopted by people of certain calibres. Burberry trench is a good example of how fashion is associated with class. These materials were originally made for officers who fought in the World War I. Burberry the designer later created the trench coat which was not significantly different from those used in the World War. The coasts were made for Hollywood lady stars. Beneath the coats were straps where the star ladies would hold ammunition used to hunt and kill their praise. As result of that those types of coats were associated with high social class for many years (Storey 1998). Today, Burberry is still in the market because it has learnt the art of perfecting the brand and makes them fashionable so that the people that associate with these products remain fashionable. The same concept is said of German car maker Mercedes Benz and Jaguar. The target market for these car manufacturers are the affluent. Despite changing times, they remain at the helm of production because they are able to keep with changing times that call for improvements in fashion with passage of each day. Fashion consumption and social class/ status Advent of time has shown a strong correlation between certain brands and a certain classes or status. In this respect, there are certain brands of fashion that are highly associated to a given class and status in societies .marketers have recognised this relationship and have since used it as a tool to sell certain brands to different classes of people. Globalization has seen the rise in competition and subsequent differentiation of products to ensure that they get a market segment that is often divided into different social classes that eventually impute different status in the society(Slater 2001). Fashion is seen from the outside and it communicates to the society about an individual [‘s preferences. By extension, it determines style of the person and different styles are associated with different classes. Choices in fashion show status because people have the opportunity to showcase their choices to other and by so doing are identified with a given class (Phillips 1999). There are certain brands in the fashion industry that are exclusively for a certain class and this is as a result of the perception that is built a peddled for a long time. But even with this recognition, the manufacturers and marketers within the fashion recognise that the social status that the fashion portray is not only limited to the affluent but also to the modest in the society. In essence, it turns out that every social class has an urge to maintain particular fashion that is synonymous with the class (Slater 2001). Fashion consumption is usually for the purpose of meeting a consumer’s satisfaction with respect to social status. Fashion eventually creates a certain culture and the cultures created are broadly divided into noble and the common fashions. Generally many consumers of different products are divided into those who consume luxurious goods and these are usually people with a lot of money; they belong to or want to be associated with the high social class. The other category is general category. Prior to industrialization the high social class was evident in fine art that was made for the rich and those in the high cadre of social stratification. Luxurious spending on those arts and other goods was for the rich and famous such as monarch and politicians. Industrialisation came and perpetuated the norm by introducing goods of particular class. For example, Ford, the manufactures of the very first vehicles made rare and extravagant products that were meant for people in the highest social class. To achieve the high class, Ford made goods that were expensive and the cost acted as a barrier that meant only people of the highest cadre in social life could afford (Bourdieu 1996). The middle class was borne out of capitalism which saw an avenue where the general fashion industry could thrive because most people belonged to the modest category. However, there were further subdivisions in the modest category which meant subdivision of different classes. In course of time high end products are made of the affluent and are unique in that they are characterised with high degree of comfort and aesthetic value (Ash 1992). There are certain companies that target only the affluent while other has a mixture; meaning that some target the affluent and modest class. For example, Aston Martin a British company founded in 1910’s has stood out as manufactures of luxurious and sports cars that target. The cars manufactured by that company are tailor-made to depict class and good reputation. In that regard, the customers of the company are high end business, moguls, celebrities, politicians and Monarch. Moreover, they target the youth but with ties to the named category. The reality is that the cars have capacity as those of other brands and may have just slight higher performance but they have, for many years, been associated with luxury and affluence. Traditionally consumers have two ways of behaving with regard to fashion consumption. They can choose to adopt or not adopt. Those who choose to adopt new fashions are considered as youth adventures and outgoing while those who are reluctant to adopt are considered relatively conservative. Most consumers have a different beliefs in price ranges and this means that one particular price on some good may have different meanings of different people. In the long run, people have a different ways even though the intention behind purchase of the good could have a serious impact. When going to purchase different things by people have different price range that is associated with the class and social status they have. If they go beyond the range they consider that as waste. When they purchase beyond the price range, they may get a feeling that the commodity is inferior. Rolex watch maker have different goods that may have same quality but sold for different prices in different parts of the location. Mark and Spencer, equally employs the same concept of classes and taste since they may have same calibre and quality shirts that are sold differently in different continents. This company fetches more money in Europe compared to Asian and Africa countries because of the location where they take the products. Paris is one of the most expensive cities in the World. It is frequented by high end people who want shopping and tourism ventures. The quality of cosmetics, jewellery and clothing are the same as those in London, Hong Kong, Los Angeles and many other cities in the world. Nonetheless, Paris is frequented by visitors of the high end because it is a city associated with top class. Rich and affluent people from many parts of the world come for shopping in Paris because of the perception and reputation it has earned over the years. Those who come for occasionally shopping there could only shop in other high end places like London or Dubai which have the same stature as Paris. Essentially, quality is not the real motivation but the perception that the places come with. The perception applies to both the individual feeling as well as the societal feeling (Phillips 1999). Development of technology has seen rise in high profile commodities. But as the technical improvements take place, meaning better quality and sophisticated goods, the rich and affluent want to be the first to have the high quality commodities. When Mobile phones were first introduced in the market, it was considered as things for those in the top classes. They were luxurious items that were used by the rich not as a means on necessity but as a way of showcasing their class and prestige. At the introduction of mobile phones it was unimaginable that they would one day become necessary tools to daily trade as they are used to today (Potter 2005). The high class and those of the highest status in society are always the first to test and enjoy nee technological development because when the new innovation comes, they are usually expensive and can only be afforded by few. Several months ago, technological advancement enabled some American companies to manufacture special airplanes that can be used for space tourism. Without a doubt the marketing strategy recognises that that it is only for a chosen few(Slater 2001). In conclusion, it is self-evident that Pierre Bourdieu assertion that consumers tastes and habits is a manifestation of the social class and status that they identify with. The concept of fashion and class has a historical connotation. Fashion, as demonstrated depicts how people are viewed from the outside and as such people have the inclination to associate with certain fashions that depict what they want the outside world to think of them. Numerous manufactures of commodities perpetuate the philosophy held by Pierre Bourdieu by making commodities that are associated with certain lifestyles, class and status. It has been demonstrated that some consumers may prefers certain commodities not because of the quality but because of the status that they represent. All over the world, there are numerous examples of brands that have traditionally reflected certain class and status in societies and as such created a culture for people of different niche. 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