Emic and etic

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Emic and etic are terms used by some in the social sciences and the behavioral sciences to refer to two different kinds of data concerning human behavior.

• An "emic" account is a description of behavior or a belief in terms meaningful (consciously or unconsciously) to the actor; that is, an emic account is culture-specific.
• An "etic" account is a description of a behavior or belief by an observer, in terms that can be applied to other cultures; that is, an etic account is '"culturally neutral".

Scientists interested in the local construction of meaning, and local rules for behavior, will rely on emic accounts; scientists interested in facilitating comparative research and making universal claims will rely on etic accounts.

The terms were first introduced by linguist Kenneth Pike, who argued that the tools developed for describing linguistic behaviors could be adapted to the description of any human social behavior. Emic and etic are derived from the linguistic terms phonemic and phonetic respectively. The possibility of a true culturally neutral etic perspective is debated, and was even discounted by Pike himself in his original work.

The terms were also championed by anthropologists Ward Goodenough and Marvin Harris with slightly different definitions (Goodenough was primarily interested in understanding the culturally specific meaning of specific beliefs and practices; Harris was primarily interested in explaining human behavior). In political theory an act viewed etically has been called an "operation," but when viewed emically, it has been called a "practice."

[edit] Etic and Emic (Consumer Behavior)^[1]

Emic approach refers to being culturally relevant and specific with the product advertising. This is a difficult task because generally products cross continents because there is demand based on their current positioning. Changing the product positioning when advertising internationally might make the product lose the reason it gained demand in the foreign market in the first place. Balance between the historical image of the product and its new market is vital. McDonald’s is a great example of emic product positioning. McDonalds Corporation has introduced market specific products internationally like lamb BigMac in India, serving beer in Germany, avocado sauce in Chile etc. The advertising implemented continues to use Ronald McDonald only he now enjoys different foods, plays different sports (curling, cricket, soccer.)

Etic approach refers to keeping the advertising culturally neutral in all parts of the world. This is again a very daunting task. The etic approach requires that the marketing strategy be so basic that it does not matter which part of the world it is implemented. Keeping a marketing strategy basic but still appealing is difficult but when it’s done well can save the company millions in costs giving it a competitive edge and of course larger profits. There have been some famous mishaps when it comes to etic approach most notable one being Euro Disney which tried to imitate its American counterparts and failed. Success has come to coffee giant Starbucks which has successfully implemented the same store structure of comfortable couches, soft lighting and strong coffee in various parts of the world. They continue to advertise based on their coffee expertise and atmosphere globally.

[edit] References

• Cresswell, J. W. (1998) Qualitative Enquiry and Research Design: Choosing among five traditions. London. Sage
• Goodenough, Ward (1970) “Describing a Culture” in Description and Comparison in Cultural Anthropology Cambridge: Cambridge University Press pp 104-119. ISBN 978-0-202-30861-6
• Harris, Marvin (1980) “Chapter Two: The Epistemology of Cultural Materialism,” in Cultural Materialism: The Struggle for a Science of Culture. New York: Random House. pp. 29-45 ISBN 978-0-7591-0134-0
• Nattiez, Jean-Jacques (1987). Music and Discourse: Toward a Semiology of Music (Musicologie générale et sémiologue, 1987). Translated by Carolyn Abbate (1990). ISBN 978-0-691-02714-2.
• Pike, Kenneth Lee (1967). Language in relation to a unified theory of structure of human behavior 2nd ed. The Hague: Mouton
• Shinobu Kitayama, Dov Cohen(2007). Handbook of cultural psychology. New York: The Guilford Press.
• Solomon, Consumer Behavior (Buying, having, and being) 7th edition. ISBN 0-13-218694-2