Acculturation is common in the modern world and refers to how people in one culture understands and adapts to values, beliefs, behaviors, rituals, lifestyles and language of a new subculture. It becomes a process for a multicultural consumer to acquire the ability and knowledge to be a skilled consumer in a different cultural environment.

At IM, we understand the process because we have lived it and that alone gave us the ability to deepen our skills of interpretation at each step that the consumer goes through in the acculturation process. So, what’s our value proposition? We call it, “idea generation.’ This is something we share with your brand managers.

The Acculturation Process
Stage 1: The Honeymoon

• Fascinated by new subculture
• Cultural interpretation is shallow and superficial

Stage 2: Rejection

• Established behaviors and meanings are now inadequate in the new subculture
• Development of antagonistic attitudes toward the new subculture
• Reject key values and meanings in new subculture
• Cultural conflicts are high
• Language conflict is high

Stage 3: Tolerance

• Cultural interpretation deepens
• Understand more cultural meanings and behaviors
• Start appreciating the new subculture
• Cultural conflict decreases
• Language proficiency begins

Stage 4: Integration

• Adjustment to the new subculture is achieved
• Subculture is valued for its good qualities
• Bilingual skills are developed