Consumer socialization

It attempts to understand how factors such as peers, mass media, family, gender, race, and culture play an influence in developing customer behavior.

[2] George Moschis and Gilbert A. Churchill Jr posit that mass media, parents, school and peers are all agents of consumer socialization.

According to this theory children and young adults learn the rational aspects of consumption from their parents while the mass media teaches them to give social meaning to products; schools teach the importance of economic wisdom and finally peers exercise varying social pressures.

[1][3] Systematic academic research in this area was triggered by charges of various consumer advocacy groups which were concerned with the effects of marketing, especially TV advertising on children.

[1] Adolescents tend to rely more on peers, such as friends and classmates, to develop their consumer behavior compared to television and family.

Parent-child socialization is an adult initiated process by which developing children, through insight, training, and imitation acquire the habits and values congruent with adaptation to their culture.

[6] Parents who have negative attitudes toward television advertising tend to have children who request fewer purchases and are more consumer educated.