In the culture

What will be the next big behavior, trend and brand preference? Without deep understanding of contemporary culture companies and organizations are living in constant uncertainty surrounding these issues. By understanding culture and cultural change one can also understand consumers on a more fundamental level.

In this contemporary ever-changing time where consumers convert and interpret brands to create affiliation and identity, is the understanding of human ideas, feelings and sense the key in branding and product development. The companies who hope to create relevant and sought-after products have to act proactively in tune with ideas, feelings and activities that are the basis of consumers´ lives.  A culture-oriented approach makes it possible to process large amounts of data and sort the potentiality from a murmur of information – that is to predict the future and how to create increased value for shareholders, control product development in the right direction and how to improve the outcome when one understands “what´s hidden under the surface”. Anthropology within consumer research seeks to understand consumption in a broader context, to analyze the consumer – based on his everyday life. The focus area for the anthropologist is to understand the cultural meanings and values which different brands and products have, and the cultural practices that surrounds them, even the small choices like fridge magnet that some families have to create a feeling of homeliness…

Katarina Graffman will answer the following questions in a lecture at Handels School of Business, Economics and Law in Gothenburg today.

What exactly is culture from an anthropological perspective?

How can we learn about culture and cultural change?

What is the significance of such knowledge in brand development?