Consumer Behaviour in the Gangster Subculture - Essay Example

Consumer Behaviour in the Gangster Subculture Introduction The topic of consumer behaviour captures a wide array of factors that define the choice and decisions of customers. In the current dispensation of global competition, understanding the factors that influence the customer behaviours plays a pivotal role in giving a company the much-needed competitive advantage. As such, many organizations that choose to venture into the global marketing scene have taken into concern the different cultures that influence the consumer behaviours exhibited by different people in different geographical settings (East, Wright and Vanhuele, 2013). However, in the internal contexts, diversity is a tool that enables organizations to learn more about the tastes and preferences of different cultures. The main objective of this paper, therefore, is to stress the impact of cultures and subcultures in determining the management strategies employed by organizations. Given that the topic of cultural diversity issues a wide array of consumption behaviours, this paper will delve into the gangster sub cultural consumption behaviours, looking at how the cultural and sub cultural factors contribute to this consumption trend. Besides, the paper will give a detailed analysis of the characteristics exhibited by consumers belonging to this segment, hence giving a guide on how to tailor production and management processes of an organization to suit the expectations of these consumers. Indeed, this paper issues designers and innovators an insight on how to assess the viability and potentiality of their projects and ideas, putting into perspective the need for organizations to widen their market share by attracting and retaining more customers. What is the subculture/culture? Culture represents the external part that influences the consumer tendencies or behaviours. In this case, cultures are a representation of the effect of other individuals on a personal consumer choice. Culture is an independent set of factors that are shaped based on the beliefs and knowledge of the society. Despite this, other factors constituting culture are irrelevant in other societies, as they do not reflect the beliefs or knowledge of that society. In understanding the lives of the people within a culture, subcultures play a pivotal role. Therefore, subcultures are a representation of minor groups within a culture (Solomon et al., 2014). Numerous beliefs and knowledge sum up to form a culture. In many cases, subcultures are linked to the youth, as they have various beliefs that aid in the formation of many sub-groups. However, subgroups often take time before they mature into subcultures. The origin of the gangster subculture follows the many resistance movements that have been witnessed globally, especially among people defending their own community. The gangster subculture finds is basic philosophical motivations from the notions of self-determination and sovereignty, which characterises people within this subculture to provide both for themselves, their families and for members of their subculture. Consequently, the gangster subculture draws close reference to the black males within the US social setting. This subculture associates to the growth of Hip Hop music. This subculture borrows its tenets from the gangster lifestyle fuelled by successful black American Hip Hop rappers. The gangster subculture begun in the early 1980s, and has developed gradually over the years. As such, each sub group within the sub culture finds a unique identity based on the city of origin or the musical themes adopted by their idols, as depicted by the existence of West Side and East Side Mafias, or the Blood sub group and the Crips. Primarily, the gangster subculture identifies itself through their dress codes, their symbols and behavioural activities. The violent nature of the music genre behind the existence of the gangster subculture plays a role in the creation of stereotypes surrounding this subculture. Many people not belonging to the subculture feel that these members are an anti-social group made up of uneducated individuals. In addition, they are viewed as people from low-end residential areas, with poor economic status, which reflects in their violent behaviours and constant involvement in unscrupulous business activities such as drug trafficking, prostitution and sale of firearms. The continuous involvement in illicit businesses obligates the members of the subcultures to break the laws, hence making them regular at the correctional and detention facilities. According to this subculture, the behaviours are regulated through the self-determination drive, and the fact that these rules were made by people who do not understand the values of their lifestyles. Beyond, the main theme of the gangster lifestyle is to live the dangerous life and trying to be rich through any means possible. These drivers are responsible for the requirements that obligate the gangsters to “keep it real”. The links to consumption Many important decisions involving market trends borrow attributes from these basic subcultures of entertainment (Blythe, 2013). In the production of Hip Hop music, the producers focus on influencing the behavioural and emotional perceptions of the target audience. Therefore, to establish the impact of the gangster subcultures on the buying behaviours of consumers, it is fundamental to underscore the dominant links that these subcultures have to the consumption. This influences the consumption behaviour in positive and negative ways. To begin with, the loyalty of specific gangster subcultures is based on the dress codes presented by a specific clothing line. This brand loyally relates to consumer retention on the part of fashion designer. These consumers, nonetheless, acquire the desire to purchase products based on the trends that relate across different members of the subculture. Primarily, the subculture draws close links to the consumption patterns exhibited by its members. In the gangster subcultures, consumers purchase based on their emotional attachments to the subculture. In the possession of firearms and the purchase of drugs, the subculture influences individuals to acquire these products, giving examples of prominent and successful gangsters who claim to attribute their success to violence and use of drugs. On the other hand, loyalty to the gangster subculture often evokes Veblen consumption among members of rival gangster subcultures. Therefore, the theory that obligates the members of the subcultures to protect their values influences the consumers to buying expensive commodities, to act as proof for competition against the other subcultures. The culture of “pimping” cars, and installing hydraulics for the gangster “rides” explain the link that the culture maintains with the consumption. Link to consumption theories Symbolic Consumption Theory Symbolic consumption theory distinguishes itself using symbols that influence the emotions of consumers belonging to certain subcultures. Symbolic consumption in the gangster subculture is evident through the chains, the fashion uniforms that separate gangs according to their themes, or locations. To begin with, the neck chains, often referred to as ‘blings’, represent the symbols and values of the subcultures. Most of these chains are made up of platinum, silver and gold, and have a symbolic meaning for the owners. Therefore, members of the subculture find having a neck chain as an identity of the community, hence obligating members of the subcultures to purchase the chains in a bid to feel the satisfaction accrued from being symbolic to the codes of the subculture. The gangster subculture is characterised through the dress code. These dress codes represent mainly the symbols of cities and the genre of music behind this subculture. As evident in the Hip Hop rap music videos, people have jeans and t-shirts. However, these dress codes are emulated all over the American society, but the subculture is unique through making the jeans baggy, larger and sagged. On the other hand, the t-shirts fit well into the descriptions of the jeans, with many African American men preferring baggy t-shirts to the fitting shirts. In addition, the subcultures have jackets they call the ‘hoodies’. Nonetheless, these baggy hooded jackets identify a member of the subculture. For this reason, the subculture finds its taste and preference from established members of the subcultures who have gone ahead to introduce fashion lines that reflect the gangster subculture lifestyle (Balaji, 2009). Such clothing lines as Roca wear and FUBU attract majority of the members of the subculture due to their symbolism of the gangster subculture, in a bid to assert their commitment to the subculture. Sacred Consumption Theory Sacred consumption theory in the gangster subculture is evident from the idolization of the influential figures that have succeeded in the public eye. The subcultures follow the tastes and preferences of the iconic stars, mostly rappers. In other areas, the original gangsters, known as “O.G” play a central role in influencing the consumption behaviors of the subculture. According to this culture, hierarchy plays a critical role in defining the nature of each subculture. Given that the subculture bases its origin from rap music, the highest ranking in the subculture represent the rappers and music writers (Harkness, 2013). These people within the subculture attract respect and play a pivotal role in determining the fashionable trends within the subculture. Conspicuous Consumption Theory Primarily, the subculture believes that the possession of expensive commodities that reflect the identity of the subculture translates to loyalty, which is a recipe for respect and rank within the hierarchy of the subcultures. This consumption theory relates to the consumption behaviour, which tailors the personality of a sub cultural member to depend on the originality and expense of their identity. This notion influences the consumers to spend their money on the most expensive commodities in a bid to attain the desired status within the subculture. Moreover, these consumers are influenced by this theory, as they perceive such items to be suitable representation of their personality within the subculture. Besides, the consumers tend to exhibit desire for items that have the potential of providing them with the image and reputation that they desire. In relation to Hip Hop music, the satisfaction of consumers depends majorly on the ability to acquire their desired products. These consumers purchase products not because they need them or because they cannot survive without them but because they experience fun when in possession of these products (Blythe, 2013). Experiential Consumption Theory The experiential consumption theory illustrates that the attachment to subcultures can often be influenced by vivid explanation of the relationship that a product has with the consumer’s tastes and preferences. In the gangster subculture, members do their shopping based on their desire to gain experience. Such people shop for fun and persuasion can lead them to buy a product due to its relation to their fantasies. For instance, gigs or parties are a common practice in the gangster sub cultural lifestyles. The society often throws lavish parties or celebrations held within their territories to assert the element of loyalty among the members. Many members attend such occssions to get the experience of being members of the subculture, and to reassert their gangster status.  Hedonic Consumption Theory Under the hedonic consumption theory, consumers use different products to fulfil their fantasies, and to quell their emotional attachments. The hedonic consumption draws its basis from the pleasurable experiences that result from a consumer adopting a brand for purposes of fulfilling their fantasies. To begin with, under the hedonic consumption theory, consumers’ shops for adventure with the main aim of feeling excited and stimulated (Adomaviciute, 2014). As illustrated, the gangster subculture influences the manner in which the consumers react to their favourite or idolised gangster rappers. Upon admiring the trends exhibited by these characters, consumers tend to incline their buying behaviours to suit these trends. According to this theory, nonetheless, the consumer attaches extraordinary value to the products. Under the gangster subcultures, different people attach varied levels of value to their desired identity preferences. Many features under each gangster subculture affect the pleasures exhibited by the consumers, as they find psychological and physiological contentment in listening to certain kind of dressing, behaviour, mentality and the sub cultural mode of decoding. The thought, care and the style envisaged in the gangster subcultures gives the consumer certain perceptions of authenticity and purity in relation to choosing a product to buy (Shah et al., 2013). How does the consumption link to cultural theory? Therefore, the cultural theory of hierarchy in the gangster subculture explains the social factors that influence the sacred consumer behaviour. In this subculture, the opinions from family and friends are not as valuable as that of the gang leaders in relation to purchase of items that reflect the gangster subculture. The fashion trends in clothing and jewellery adopted by many African American men draw close relation to the gangster cultural theory of hierarchy and idolisation. In determining the effect of these subcultures on fashion, many men emulate the dressing styles that they observe from their idolized members of subculture. Over the recent years, many celebrities have launched their trademark fashion lines, with the aim of capitalizing on the psychological and physiological attachments that develop into emotional arousal exhibited among many members of a certain subculture. Success in the gangster subculture is attained when one gains fame and money through spreading the values, lifestyles and beliefs of the subculture. The attainment of the success mantel leads to idolisation in the gangster subculture. Being that music if the legitimate identity of this subculture, many successful gangster rappers are idolised by their societies, and they influence the manner in which these people consume. Many rappers, for that matter have added the footwear as identity of the subculture. They prefer sneakers or boots that represent the sleek and violent sides of the subculture respectively. In line with these, the timberland range of boots and the Nike, Adidas and FUBU footwear resonate in this subculture for the identity they share with the subculture (Balaji, 2009). Consequently, the cultural theory responsible for the sacred consumption behaviour illustrates the loyal nature of the gangster subculture. The fight for supremacy in the view of neutrals who love Hip Hop music has historically contributed to the growth of cults and groups that perpetrate violence, hate and murder. Some rap artists, furthermore, have contributed to this by releasing tracks that instigate incitement against members of different subgroups under the same gangster subculture. In the late 1980s and early 1990s, a verbal war pitting East Side gangster subgroup led by Biggie Smalls against the West Side group under Tupac Shakur translated to a series of murders that left the two sub cultural icons dead (Oware, 2010). Cultural theories in the gangster subculture influence the consumer behaviour towards the loyal gangsters who protect the values and beliefs of the subculture at all costs. These cultural theories illustrate the observation behind certain people adopting consumption behaviours that reflect their subcultures. The bottom-line, however, is that the consumers retrieve pleasure and satisfaction from the gangster subculture, which contributes to the growth of fantasies that influence the consumer buying behaviours. Conclusion The discussions envisaged in this paper illustrate the consumer behaviour in relation to the culture of entertainment. As depicted in the above arguments, consumer theories find their roots from consumption behaviours by consumers who exhibit overwhelming fantasies for their desired entertainment styles. The above discussion suggests that manufacturers and marketers have to focus on the functional requirements and the benefits that consumers can attain from buying a product. Considering the fact that the requirements by consumers in the variant consumption theories often change with the developments in their subcultures, it is necessary to employ a blend of innovative and flexible measures that enable the consumers to have acquire their desired quality, based on their fantasy-driven purchasing motives. However, the main relevance of this discussion is the striking balance between the gangster subculture and the consumption behaviours exhibited by people subscribed to this subculture. While consumers are presented with a market that has a variety of substitutes, it is vital to understand that if all factors are kept constant, consumers tend to purchase along their cultural and sub cultural orientations (Blythe, 2013). In conclusion, the discussions enshrined in this paper aim at influencing the marketing decisions adopted by manufacturers and suppliers, especially in the fashion industry, where consumers develop fantasies based on their desired consumption tendencies. Bibliography Adomaviciute, K. (2014). RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN UTILITARIAN AND HEDONIC CONSUMER BEHAVIOR AND SOCIALLY RESPONSIBLE CONSUMPTION. ecoman, 18(4). Balaji, M. (2009). Black Masculinity and the U.S. South: From Uncle Tom to Gangsta. African American Review, 43(1), pp.181-182. Blythe, J. (2008). Consumer behaviour. London: Thomson Learning. East, R., Wright, M. and Vanhuele, M. (2013). Consumer behaviour. 2nd ed. Los Angeles: Sage Publications. Harkness, G. (2013). Gangs and gangsta rap in Chicago: A microscenes perspective. Poetics, 41(2), pp.151-176. Oware, M. (2010). Brotherly Love: Homosociality and Black Masculinity in Gangsta Rap Music. Journal of African American Studies, 15(1), pp.22-39. Shah, D., Friedland, L., McLeod, D. and Nelson, M. (2013). Communication, Consumers, and Citizens: Revisiting the Politics of Consumption. 3rd ed. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications. Solomon, M., Bamossy, G., Askegaard, S. and Hogg, M. (2014). Consumer behaviour. New York: Pearson Education. Read More