ABSTRACT
This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts covered in the subsequent chapters of this book. This book introduces the concept of culture, and explains how marketing depends on cultural meanings and social dynamics to effectively connect with consumers. Cultural understanding can enrich the activity of marketers in significant ways. Culture can be associated with a community, an organization, with art and with other collective mechanisms that encompass a number of people conditioned by the same life experiences. The differentiation between objective and subjective or intangible and intangible culture is parallel to the contrast between denotation and connotation. Denotation is generally a more public and agreed-upon type of significance, while connotation is generally the more profound and often hidden meaning of an object or symbol. Beliefs about the nature of the world are particularly relevant in differentiating cultures. The intent of the chapter is to orient the reader to the philosophy that motivates the book.
