Chapter 7 - Group Influences
opinion leader
'go-to person' for specific types of information in group; actively filter, interpret, or provide product and brand-relevant information; especially relevant for new products
reference group
a group whose presumed perspectives or values are being used by an individual as the basis for his/her current behavior
Individuals frequently purchase products thought to be used by a desired group in order to achieve actual or symbolic membership in the group. This type of group is referred to as a(n) _____.
aspiration reference group
early majority
cautious about innovations, weigh pros/cons; adopt sooner than most of their social group, but after proven successful; somewhat older, less well educated, and less mobile; middle-class
community
characterized by consciousness of kind, shared rituals and traditions, and a sense of moral responsibility
strength of social tie (reference group)
closeness and intimacy of the group linkages
evaluation (adoption process)
consumer considers trying new product; evaluation of alternatives
adoption (adoption process)
consumer decides to make regular use of product; post-purchase processes
awareness (adoption process)
consumer is aware of product but lacks info; problem recognition
interest (adoption process)
consumer seeks info about new product; information search
trial (adoption process)
consumer tries new product on a small scale; purchase
membership (reference group)
criteria of either one is a member of the group or not
attraction (reference group)
desirability of membership in a given group by individual;
type of contact (reference group)
direct/indirect contact; direct contact = face-to-face; indirect contact = NO face-to-face, online has increased it
consumption subculture
distinctive subgroup of society that self-selects on the basis of a shared commitment to a particular product class, brand, or consumption activity; ex. Star Trek fan known as 'Trekkies'
primary group (social tie)
family/friends; strong ties and frequent interaction; considerable influence wielded
asch phenomenon
in expirements, the power of groups to influence an individual to agree with the incorrect judgment of the others
word of mouth (WOM)
individuals sharing information with other individuals verbally; includes face-to-face, phone, and over the internet
reference group influence
informational, normative, and indentification
multistep flow
involves opinion leaders for a particular product area who activelhy seek revelant infomation from the mass media/other sources; opinion leaders transmit
opinion leader characteristics
knowledgeable, involved, and socially active knowledge/involvement = influence high/high = moderate influence low/high = high influence high/low = low influence low/low = moderate
laggards
locally oriented and engage in limited social interaction; dogmatic and oriented toward past; adopt only with reluctance; adopt when absolete,luddites
discontinuous innovation
major changes in behavior of significant importance to the individual/group; high degree of new learning/patterns
diffusion process
manner in which innovations spread throughout a market
types of reference groups
membership, strength of social tie, attraction, and type of contact
dynamically continuous innovation
moderate change in an important behavior/major change in a behavior of low/moderate importance to the individual; total new learning/patterns NOT required
brand community
nongeographically bound community, based on a structured set of social relationships among owners of a brand and the psychological relationship they have with the brand itself, product in use, and firm
group/consumer socialization (how do we learn from reference groups?)
observing, participating, word of mouth (WOM)
secondary group (social tie)
professional/neighborhood associations; weaker ties and less-frequent interaction
continuous (radical) innovation
relatively minor changes in behavior/behaviors that are unimportant to the consumer; no new learning/patterns
adoption process
series of distinct steps/stages when purchasing an innovation
late majority
skeptical about innovations; adopt in respose to social pressures/decrease availability of previous product; older, less social status/mobility; most of their friend have it
early adopters
tend to be opinion leaders in local reference groups; key target for new product developers; sucessful, well educated, and somewhat younger than peers; calculated risk
group
two or more individuals who shate a set of norms, values, or beliefs
direct flow
two-step flow; process of mass media/other sources passing information to individual
normative influence
utilitarian; when individual fulfills group expectations to gain a direct reward/to avoid a sanction; reward/coercive power (ex. boss giving you money/bully)
identification influence
value-expressive; when individuals have internalized the group's values/norms; referent power (ex. celebrity)
innovators
venturesome risk takers, eager to try new ideas; first to buy; younger, better educated, and more socially mobile that peers
situational determinants
visible/'public' usage, 'high'/low relevance of product to group, high/'low' individual purchase confidence, 'strong'/weak individual commitment to group, and necessary/'non-necessary' item *'( )' = higher degree of reference group influence
groupthink
when all think alike; phenomenon where people tend to agree with group decisions to avoid feeling outcast, leading errors in decision making
informational influence
when individual uses the behaviors and opinions of reference group members as potentially useful bits of information; expert power (ex. doctor)
In which of the following consumption situations will a reference group's influence be strongest?
when the use of the product or brand is visible to the group