Chapter 11: Group Influence and Social Media Flashcards
Reference group
an actual or imaginary individual or group conceived of as having significant relevance upon an individual’s evaluations, aspirations, or behaviour
Reference groups influence consumers in three ways
1) Informational
2) Utilitarian
3) Value-expressive
Reference group is also used for:
used a bit more loosely to describe any external influence that provides social cues
Examples: Cultural figure, parents, Small and informal groups (Exert a more powerful influence on individual consumers)
Reference groups that affect consumption can include
parents, fellow motorcycle enthusiasts, the Liberal Party, the Toronto Raptors, or fellow fans of a musical artist such as Drake.
Normative influence
The process in which a reference group helps to set and enforce fundamental standards of conducts
Example: Parent’s forming our values towards marriage, university
Comparative influence
Process whereby a reference group influences decisions about specific brands of activities
Example: Weight watchers group
A reference group can take the form of:
a large, formal organization that has a recognized structure, complete with a charter, regular meeting times, and officers;
or it can be small and informal, such as a group of friends or students living in a student residence
However, as a rule it is _______, _______ groups that exert a more powerful influence on individual consumers
Small
Informal
Brand community
Brand communities
a set of consumers who share a set of social relationships based on usage of or interest in a product
Meet at events called Brandfests
Example: Jeep car rallies, Harley-Davidson get together’s
Typically don’t live near each other and meet for brief periods of time
Brand communities share emotions, moral beliefs, styles of life, and affiliated product
–Brand loyalty
–Brandfests enhance brand loyalty
–Brand missionaries
Brand communities can also form when
consumers come together for a particular activity around a brand (such as running through a Running Room clinic)
or when consumers commiserate about a brand or activity online (such as yoga on Lululemon’s interactive blog site)
Researchers find that people who participate in these types of brand communities feel more positive about the products as a result, which enhances brand loyalty.
They are more forgiving than others of product failures or lapses in service quality and less likely to switch brands even if they learn that competing products are as good or better
Aspirational reference group
A reference group that the consumer aspires to be a part of
Example: high-profile athletes and celebrities
Membership reference groups
Individuals or a group of individuals who belong to consumer’s own in-group (e.g family, peer group, team) and who influence the consumer’s attitudes and behaviours
Examples include our circle of friends, family, classmates, or teammates from our soccer club. We often conform to what those from membership groups are doing because of a sense of similarity and connectedness to them.
The likelihood that people will become part of a consumer’s identified reference group is affected by several factors, including the following:
1) Propinquity (physical nearness)
2) Mere Exposure
3) Group cohesiveness
1) Propinquity (physical nearness)
As physical distance between people decreases and opportunities for interaction increase, relationships are more likely to form. An early study on friendship patterns in a housing complex showed propinquity’s strong effects: Residents were much more likely to be friends with the people next door than with those who lived only two doors away. And people who lived next to a staircase had more friends than those at the ends of a hall (presumably they were more likely to “bump into” people using the stairs). Physical structure has a lot to do with who we get to know and how popular we are.
2) Mere exposure
We come to like people or things simply as a result of seeing them more often, which is known as the mere exposure effect. Greater frequency of contact, even if unintentional, may help to determine a person’s set of local referents. The same effect holds when evaluating works of art or political candidates
3) Group cohesiveness
The degree to which members of a group are attracted to each other and value their group membership is called cohesiveness. As the value of the group to the individual increases, so too does the likelihood that the group will guide consumption decisions. Smaller groups tend to be more cohesive, because it is more difficult to relate to larger groups of people. By the same token, groups often try to restrict membership to a select few, which increases the value of membership to those who are admitted. Exclusivity of membership is a benefit often touted by credit-card companies, book clubs, and so on, even though the actual membership base might be fairly large.
Dissociative reference groups
Groups (or group members) the consumer wants to avoid association with
Example: He or she may carefully study the dress or mannerisms of a disliked group (e.g., “nerds,” “druggies,” “preppies”) and scrupulously avoid buying anything that might identify him or her with that group
The motivation to distance ourselves from a negative reference group can be as or more powerful than the desire to please a positive group
That’s why advertisements occasionally show an undesirable person using a competitor’s product to subtly make the point that the target of the message can avoid winding up like that kind of person by staying away from that product.
Examples of Dissociative reference groups
In one study, males avoided the dissociative associations of a steak called “the ladies’ cut,” opting for the larger “house cut” steak instead. When the same smaller steak was called the “chef’s cut,” no differences in preferences for the small versus the large steak were observed
In another study, students in one student residence began wearing Livestrong bracelets to support a cancer-related charity. However, when students in the dorky, academic dorm down the street were given the same bracelets to wear, students in the first dorm quickly gave them up
Antibrand communities
Groups of consumers who share a common disdain for a celebrity, store, or brand
Example of antibrand communities
The Rachael Ray Sucks community on the blogging and social networking site LiveJournal claims more than 1000 members who don’t hesitate to post their latest thoughts about the various shortcomings, flaws, and disagreeable traits of the (otherwise popular) television food personality.
Many oppose Walmart, Starbucks, McDonald’s and Hummers
What kind of people are antibrand
One team of researchers who study these communities observed that they tend to attract social idealists who advocate non-materialistic lifestyles.
Antibrand communities provide a meeting place for?
provide a meeting place for those who share a moral stance, a support network to achieve common goals, a means for coping with workplace frustrations (many members actually work for the companies they are bashing), and a hub for information, activities, and related resources
3 basic themes of an antibrand community
1) Injustice
2) Identity
3) Agency
1) Injustice
Consumer protestors frequently talk about their fruitless attempts to contact the company.
2) Identity
Posters characterize the violator (often top management) as evil rather than as simply incompetent.
3) Agency
Individual website creators try to create a collective identity for those who share their anger with a company. They evoke themes of crusade and heroism to rally others to believe that they have the power to change a status quo in which companies can wrong consumers without retribution.
Is reference group influence always powerful?
Reference-group influences are not equally powerful for all types of products and consumption activities
For example, the purchase of products that are not very complex, that are low in perceived risk, and that can be tried prior to purchase are less susceptible to personal influence
Two dimensions that influence the degree to which reference groups are important are
1) whether the purchase is to be consumed publicly or privately
2) whether it is a luxury or a necessity
As a rule, reference-group effects are more robust for purchases that are
(1) luxuries (such as sailboats) rather than necessities, because products purchased with discretionary income are subject to individual tastes and preferences and necessities do not offer this range of choice; and
(2) items that are socially conspicuous or visible to others (such as handbags or clothing), because consumers are not swayed as much by the opinions of others if their purchases will never be observed by anyone but themselves
Public Necessities
Influence: weak for product and strong for brand
Examples: Wristwatch, automobile, suit
Public Luxuries
Influence: Strong for product and for brand
Examples: Golf Clubs, snow skis, sailboat
Private Necessities
Influence: weak for product and weak for brand
Example: Mattress, floor lamp, refrigerator
