On 15 and 16 March 2017, the Consumer Behaviour students in the Department of Marketing Management were given the unique opportunity to come dressed up for class and partake in a class competition.

The topic of the day considered cultural and sub-cultural influences on consumer behaviour. Some were proud to represent their own culture, while others were somewhat more adventurous and represented a culture different to their own. A number of the students simply adorned themselves with some accessories, while others were determined to impress and donned full cultural dress. Votes were counted and two winners were selected from each of the two sessions.

The purpose of the competition was to encourage the students to immerse themselves in the topic covered in class. Studying cultures is important for marketers from a consumer behaviour point of view, as it has a significant impact on consumer decision-making. The decision-making process impacts whether or not consumers buy or do not buy products/services, and ultimately results in increasing or decreasing overall profits for an organisation.

South African culture is an extremely complex subject, as it is made up of a variety of sub-cultures and communities, each with their own language, traditions, cultural dress, distinct recipes and religions. South African culture is also unique in that it encompasses features from both Afrocentric and Eurocentric cultural values.

The lecturer, Bianca Frost, also took the opportunity to represent a different culture and was dressed in a Muslim abaya. She was so well disguised that students initially thought they were in the wrong classroom! She thanks all those students who made a special effort, contributing to a fun class learning about cultures.

Students: Bonginkosi Shongwe (Swaziland); Mpendulo Mthembu (Nigeria); Nonkululeko Mashiane (Swaziland & 2nd place winner); Ngaletsane Manaswa (Zulu); Jonathan Bartlett (Ireland); Silondile Ndaba (Zulu); Tamsyn van der Merwe (Japan & 1st place winner); Carine van der Merwe (India); Raquel Barradas (India); Bianca Frost (Lecturer – Muslim)

Students: Andrew van Vuuren (Trump revolution); Zandile Mashela (Zulu); Melissa Samuel (Mozambican – winner tied); Patricia Cuamba (Mozambican - winner tied); Lesego Selepe (Sepedi)