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