Chapter 11: Group and Social Media
digital word-of-mouth
Viral marketing Haul videos Unboxing videos Megaphone effect Disperferred Marker Effect
social power
capacity to alter the actions of others
types of reference groups
cultural figure; parents/family; a large and formal organization; small and informal groups
why we conform
cultural pressure; fear of deviance; commitment; group unanimity; interpersonal influence
risky shift
diffusion of responsibility, value hypothesis; do things because you think you don't be caught in the big group; do things when your in groups than you would I you were by yourself
power users
digital opinion leader; strong communication network that gives them the ability to affect purchase decisions for a number of other consumers, directly and indirectly
social identity
each of us have several "selves" that relate to groups; important that we think of ourselves not just as "I" but as "we"; we favor others who we feel share the same
small and informal groups
exert a more powerful influence on individual consumers; a part of our day-to-day live; normative influences
monomorphic
expert in a limited field
polymorphic
expert in several fields
brand communities
group of consumers who share a set of social relationships based upon usage or interest in a product; brandfests celebrated by community; very specific brand (Harvey Davidson)
product related conversation factors
high involvement with product; knowledgeable about product; genuine concern for others
market maven overall knowledge
how and where to procure products: -"I like introducing new brands/products to friends" -"People ask me for information about products, places to shop, or sales" -"My friends think of me as a good source of information when it comes to new products or sales"
group cohesiveness
how tight that group is
knowledgeable about product
impressing others
mass connectors
influence impressions primarily delivered by power users
opinion leader
influence other's attitudes/behaviors; we don't usually ask just anyone for advice about purchases, we most likely seek advice from someone who knows a lot about a product
normative influences
informal rules govern behavior; without these we would have chaos; such as "always stop for a red traffic light" didn't exist
power of rumors
information distortion; assimilation, leveling, and sharpening
innovative communicators
it is rare to find a generalized opinion leader
key informant method
key informants identify opinion leaders
word of mouth
product information transmitted by individuals to individuals
propinquity
proximity to a group; closeness to the group
generalize opinion leader
recommendations we seek for all types of purchases
social power sources
referent power, information power, legitimate power, expert power, reward power, coercive power
network analysis
referral behavior/network, tie strength; bridging function, strength of weak ties
consumer tribes
share emotions, moral beliefs, styles of life, and affiliated product; ComCon Events (not a specific brand, certain interest)
minimal group paradigm
show that even when they arbitrarily assign subjects to one group or another, people favor those who wind up in the same group
self designating method
simply ask individuals whether they consider themselves to be opinion leaders; easy to apply to large group of potential opinion leaders; inflation or unawareness of own importance/influence
successful online social networks and communities
standards of behavior; member contributions; degree of connectedness
large and formal organizations
tend to be more product-or activity-specific; comparative influence (rollex watch)
sociometry method
trace communication patterns among group members; systematic map of group interactions; most precise method of identifying product-information sources, but is very difficult/expensive to implement
social loafing
we tend to tip less when eating in groups
social networking
web sites letting members post information about themselves and make contact with similar others; share interests, opinions, business contacts
negative WOM
weighted more heavily than the opposite; easy to spread, especially online; more people share this type
virtual communities types
-Multi-user dungeons (MUD) -Rooms (IRC), rings, and lists -Boards -Blogs/blogosphere
virtual communities
a collection of people who share their love of a product in online interactions; great potential for abuse via untrustworthy members
surrogate consumer
a marketing intermediary who is hired to provide input into purchase decisions; (interior decorators, stockbrokers, professional shoppers, college consultants); consumer relinquishes control over decision-making functions
market maven
actively involved in transmitting marketplace information of all types; just into shopping and staying on top of what's happening in the marketplace
reference groups
an actual or imaginary individual/group conceived of having significant relevance upon an individual's evaluations, aspirations, or behavior; any external influence that provides social cues
genuine concern for others
avoid wasting money
deindividuation
binge drinking at college parties
comparative influences
marketers often advertise an undesirable person who uses competitors product
mere exposure
more exposed
opinion seekers
more likely to talk about products with others and solicit others' opinions; casual interaction prompted by situation
word of mouth attributes
more reliable/trustworthy form of marketing; backed up by social pressure to conform; influences 50 percent of all sales of consumer goods; we rely upon WOM in later stages of evaluation and adoption; WOM is powerful when we are unfamiliar with product category
identifying opinion leaders
most are everyday consumers rather than celebrities so they are harder to find
conformity
most people tend to follow society's expectations regarding how to look/act; change in beliefs/actions toward societal norms; appropriate clothing/personal items, gift-giving, sex roles, and personal hygiene
avoidance groups
motivation to distance oneself from other people/groups
positive and negative
motivation to distance yourself from a negative reference group can be as powerful or more powerful than you desire to please a positive group
viral marketing
organization motivates visitors to forward online content to their friends; takes off when content is entertaining or just weird; digital word of mouth
membership reference
people the consumer actually knows
aspirational reference
people the consumer doesn't know but admires
high involvement with product
pleasure
digital opinion leaders
power users; influence impressions; mass connectors