'Social Class and Redneck Neighbor\r'

'Marketing 542 January 23, 2010 Clash of the Classes: midriff vs. richly Proles What was once categorized by the rich and the poor, it is undoubted that society at once basin non be so easily defined. In the haggle of Jennifer Steinhauer, â€Å"One thing modernity brought with it was wholly kinds of identities, the ability for nation to choose who you urgency to be, how you want to decorate yourself, what kind of life-style you want. ” With this vast amount of â€Å"identities” comes the need for a much structured class grant as well as a process for de-blurring the lines between them.\r\nWhile capital of Minnesota Fussell has recognized nine classes in this coun effort, the focalization of this analysis will rely on devil of them: pose and gritty- toss Proletarian, or spicy Proles. The researched differences between these roots will be examined and then related to the real-world example of cracker populate. Marketing practices and how they laughings tock be utilize to this situation will also be referenced. As noted, Fussel recognizes nine classes and has them separated into lead portions: high brow, askion brow, and low brow. At the top of the high brow segment lays nub class and then High Proles just below it.\r\nWhile the two classes may be adjacent to superstar another, the fact that nerve center is just one class away from the high brows says pass up to(p) for them to generate a completely divergent set of distinguishable attri stilles. It is this â€Å"so close, but not close enough” mind-set of the Middle class that explains their desires and state of mind. concord to Fussel, the Middle class is the most equivocal class and practic eachy obsessed with doing the upright thing. Not only do they try to keep up with the high brows in what they admit, but also by how they make it.\r\nThorstein Veblen says it better with â€Å"Closely related to the prerequisite that the gentleman must consume freely and of the right kind of goods, there is the emergency that he must fill out how to consume them in a seemly manner. ” The Middle class is constantly worried to the highest degree their own style and associate themselves (sometimes imaginably so) with money, actor and taste. Conversely, High Proles ar â€Å"…not consumed with take about choosing the correct status emblems, these people can be remarkably relaxed and unself-conscious.\r\nThey can do, say, wear, and formula the like pretty untold anything they want without undue intents of shame, which belong to their betters, the middle class…” (Fussell, pg. 46). It appears as though the Middle class works very heavy to hide the fact that they aren’t in the high brow segment small-arm High Proles are proud to be who they are and don’t bang what others think. The middle class is petrified of travel wad in ranking and the High Proles aren’t really striving to get ahead. It is this ingest contrast between the classes that makes the cracker bonbon Neighbor story so relevant and house the findings of various researchers.\r\nBased on the preceding(prenominal) information, it is clear that the germ of the website is a division of the Middle class while the neighbor, or John Doe #8 (JD8), is a High Prole. Coinciding with their obsession to look the part and not â€Å"fall bolt down” in class, it makes sense that the author is affright of being associated with his lower classed neighbor. He makes complaints to the law on numerous occasions, tells his friends every mavin detail of his neighbor’s instauration to the point where he feels the need to fuck off his own website documenting it for the hale world to see.\r\nThis is his try to save face and let everyone know that he disagrees with the â€Å"manner of uptake” by his neighbor. This supports Veblen’s quote â€Å"Since the consumption of these more excellent goods is an evidence of wealth, it flexs honorific; and conversely, the chastening to consume in due quantity and quality becomes a mark of low quality and demerit. ” While talking to the detergent builder, the author quotes â€Å"… the builder starts referring to the neighbor in a less-than-amicable formulate †psyche else on my side! perhaps he feels a bit censurable for his privacy invading actions but is able to justify himself by hearing someone with the same demeanor. One of the biggest mistakes the author makes is associating JD8’s social class with money and the motorcar he moves. As Fussel points out, â€Å"It’s not riches alone that defines these classes” (pg. 27). And we know from Steinhauer’s example of entry level opulence cars that in these days, the kind of car you drive cannot be directly related to your value or class. Additionally, Veblen’s idea of consumption in the city versus country comes into play.\r\n Since the residents are in the suburbs (or country), it is pretty much cognize throughout the town the value of severally home/family. This fear is expressed by the author when he says, â€Å"I can see the prop value falling faster than his mailbox post. ” Even with all of the accused faux pas, it does not appear that JD8 is intentionally move to provoke others. blow to the previous statement of High Proles not try to get ahead, it does appear that the neighbor is making an attempt to update his property with the common items found in the nearness: mailbox post, fish pond, herb tend and flagpole.\r\nBut going back to the research findings of Fussell and Veblen, it is not the fact that he is trying to install these items but that he is doing them in the â€Å"wrong” way. And coinciding with the attributes of a High Prole, JD8 is not ashamed and obviously doesn’t care what others think. An interesting aspect of the Redneck Neighbor case was the small hints that the author was a bit of a firecracker himself.\r\nCalling the basketball hoop a â€Å"basketball goal”, telling the practice of law officer â€Å"the next time we have a problem some razz body is going to jail”, and feeling the need to clarify what livestock is, gave the vox populi he was not as high class as he hoped to limn himself. What does all of this mean for marketers? It means that it is get harder to categorize customer segments in which to market. As you can see from Redneck Neighbor, today’s consumers have unpredictable buy patterns. JD8 spends money on a high life brand car, but not on household items. This somewhat spic-and-span phenomenon is not unique to JD8.\r\nMany people riot on higher end items like Godiva, BMW, and Whole Foods yet still go to Costco for their day-to-day needs. According to Steinhauer, â€Å"Where once they pitched advertisements primarily to a core group of customers, now they are increasingly fine-tuning the ir efforts, trying to identify potential customers by interests and tastes as well as income level. ” Author Douglas Holt believes that the best way to capture consumers is to create stories that affect how they think about themselves in the world. This proficiency could be very beneficial for Middle class customers since marketers could play up on the idea of high brow society.\r\nWith High Proles, marketers could take advantage of their independent learning ability and pride in their advertising campaigns. barely anyone can argue that the classification of consumers has become more difficult over the historic period and the population as a whole is harder to reach. Marketers constantly need to think of new ways to get their message crosswise and have it register within consumer minds. It is undecipherable what the future holds for marketers, but it is an exciting repugn to move away from the old teachings and ignore them to the constantly clashing classes of our time. Word cypher: 1,277\r\n'