Anthropology and Marketing: KFC Company Case Study

Anthropology of Consumption

Marketing is a social practice that involves gathering and exchange of information to reflect and reinforce social structures and products. Marketing is also known as the anthropology of consumption and turns out to be a key aspect of critical thinking regarding the economy, globalization, human behaviors, and cultural needs of consumers.¹ Consumption is a key component of an economic system. It is developed in terms of what people have to use and buy and how much money people can spend. Consumption determines marketing considerably because it touches upon the cultural preferences of potential buyers, the personal interests of clients, and other aspects that can influence a decision-making process.

Marketing Goods

Marketing goods are all things that can be touched and observed by consumers. As soon as goods are introduced to a customer, they can be bought to meet personal needs and wants. From the anthropological point of view, the recognition of consumers’ needs and wants is integral for marketing because people are ready to buy not ordinary products but the products that can satisfy them.² It is not enough to introduce a thing and be sure that a person can buy it. It is necessary to investigate a potential customer, pay attention to local traditions and cultures, and analyze if a product or a service is appropriate.

Anthropology of Business

Many people believe that anthropology is the field that does not have a direct impact on human lives.³ However, its impact is crucial in different fields, and the area of business is in this list. The business includes the development of marketing plans. In marketing, research on consumer behavior and the adoption of new products/services are two main tasks. To comprehend how to promote effective changes for society, individual cultures (ethnographies) and cultural backgrounds can be recognized.⁴ Anthropology of business promotes the successful incorporation of social media, history, and personal preferences.

Case Study

There is a case when KFC opens several stores in India. The peculiar feature of this situation is that India is the country where not all citizens eat chicken. Not much attention is paid to the fact that such marketing move has to be supported by anthropological research in terms of which it is possible to investigate the cultural background of the area, customers’ preferences, and their choices. Marketers have to get to the root of their potential consumers’ actions, and an anthropological perspective is an option.⁵

Past attempts of KFC to open its stores for Indian citizens show its appropriateness only in case vegetarian options are available.⁶It is not the most effective solution that can be made by an organization. Anthropology-driven marketing is a helpful tool in understanding the audience and the demographic peculiarities. Today, consumers become active participants in market dynamics.⁷Their opinions and attitudes cannot be neglected. On the one hand, the company can offer chicken products to Indians and observe their attitudes and reactions. On the other hand, KFC may develop new options with the help of which chicken products are not offered to Indians with respect to their culture and traditions.

Works Cited

Benson, Peter. “Teaching the Experience and Ethics of Consumption and Food Supply.” Teaching Food and Culture, edited by Candice Lowe Swift, and Richard R. Wilk, Routledge, 2016, pp. 99-111.

Boone, Louise E., and David L. Kurtz. Contemporary Marketing. Cengage Learning, 2015.

Klepic, Jure. “Applying Anthropology Concepts to Business Models.” Huffpost. 2014. Web.

Martin, Diane M., and John W. Schouten. “Consumption-Driven Market Emergence.” Journal of Consumer Research, vol. 9, no. 40, pp. 855-870.

Osak, Mitchell. “3 Things Marketer Could (and Should) Learn from Anthropologists. Financial Post. 2014. Web.

Footnotes

1. Benson, Peter. “Teaching the Experience and Ethics of Consumption and Food Supply.” Teaching Food and Culture, edited by Candice Lowe Swift, and Richard R. Wilk (2016, Routledge): 99.
2. Boone, Louise E., and David L. Kurtz. Contemporary Marketing (Cengage Learning, 2015): 376.
3. Klepic, Jure. (2014). “Applying Anthropology Concepts to Business Models.” HuffPost. Web.
4. Osak, Mitchell. (2014). “3 Things Marketers Could (and Should) Learn from Anthropologists.” Financial Post. Web.
5. Martin, Diane M., and John W. Schouten. “Consumption-Driven Market Emergence.” Journal of Consumer Research 9(40): 855.