A product typology based on ethnicity and acculturation

Abstract

A product typology is developed based on two ethnicity facets. Ethnic origin, the reflective ethnicity facet, is not subject to the volition of a person and is hardly changed by continuous contact with another ethnic group. On the other hand, language of chosen mass media is at least partly determined by a person's extent of acculturation, and is therefore labeled as the formative ethnicity facet. Using the data obtained from a survey of French-Canadians and English-Canadians residing in the metropolitan Toronto area, this paper examines various ethnicity indicators, lifestyles and consumption behaviors as a function of the two ethnicity facets. Implications for future researchers and marketing practitioners will also be discussed