Rooted in colonialism, Anthropology as a human science has now evolved into an applied science that can be integral in many fields. The insights gleaned from the discipline paired with the business of marketing can help companies stay ahead of the curve in terms of branding and production.
Anthropology as a science seeks to understand the diversity and complexity of human beings in their cultures across time and space. Anthropology is a broad field of study and hence is often branched into various sub fields. Many anthropologists now assist in several fields such as in corporate spaces, archaeology, biological anthropology, social anthropology, legal spaces amongst others.
Since Anthropology focuses on studying cultures and societies, these insights would present to the marketers a deeper understanding of the cultural context in which their products will be marketed. Marketing has changed from its traditional sense. It is no longer a process of delivering products and posting information about it to larger media, the business of marketing is dynamic and advancing with newer technologies around us.
Business anthropologists can help with various elements within the company, for e.g., getting a handle on workplace culture, understanding how well their consumers interact with their products, connecting with target consumers etc. Business anthropologists are an important addition to the workforce as they are equipped with insights into the scientific discipline and apply them to their business to bring out the best outcome for the company.
How do we combine a discipline that studies human cultures with a business that is constantly revisiting and repackaging their ways to market? Or maybe we need to ask how does an anthropologist fits into the process of marketing?
Here are some ways a business anthropologist might help in marketing:
1. Product design and innovation:
Anthropologists use ethnography tools to understand how consumers interact with their favorite products. For e.g., play dough was initially invented in 1930 to clean wallpaper but a schoolteacher soon realized that her students could use play dough instead of clay for their activities, which was much easier to use. By 1955, the product transitioned to being children’s play dough. An anthropologist can identify through holistic methods and ethnographical research how consumers use a particular brand/product and helping create innovative products.
2.Consumer insights:
Rise of awareness around sustainability and climate change, many consumers are now adopting products/brands that fit into their sustainable lifestyle. This saw a rise of industries from fashion to food shifting their brand strategies towards sustainability. Business anthropologists can predict the trends like rise in consumption of sustainable products and help determine which demographic is more likely to shift to greener lifestyles compared to which is going to be more resistant to such changes.
3.Cultural intelligence:
With globalization, when venturing into foreign markets it is important to keep in mind the cultural codes companies are expanding into. Business anthropologists will help in imparting valuable insights so that brands can understand values, behaviors, and preferences of diverse populations around the world. For e.g., when McDonald’s stepped into the Indian market, they started with the aloo tikki line in their burgers because the traditional beef burgers prevalent in the US market would not work in this setting. Hence, business anthropologists can help in creating culturally relevant and sensitive campaigns in cross cultural markets.
4.Building an interactive consumer base:
An interactive consumer base is very important for a brand’s success. For e.g. Laptop brands using Indian festivals in their visual advertisements Anthropologists can help marketing products to demographics by including cultural symbols in the marketing media. Brands, especially successful brands, are rated on their approachability and capability. Business anthropologists can use the participant- observant technique to analyse how their brands perform in the wider consumer market. This helps the company build competitive advantage.
In conclusion, Anthropology brings a holistic perspective to marketing, going beyond the traditional approach in marketing. The combination of a scientific discipline with marketing brings a fresh perspective to the table. With globalisation, the interplay of culture and branding is complex to tackle. The insights from a seasoned cultural scientist on board in these processes will help mitigate problems that could otherwise be overlooked.
