Group Influence and Social Media Flashcards
Reference group
Actual or imaginary individual/group conceived of having significant relevance upon an individual’s evaluations, aspirations, or behaviour
-Influences consumers in three ways:
Informational
Utilitarian
Value-expressive
Types of Reference Groups
Any external influence that provides social clues
Cultural figure
Parents
A large, formal organization
Small and informal groups
Types of Reference Group Influence
Normative influence-Helps to set and enforce fundamental standards of conduct
Comparative influence-Decisions about specific brands or activities are affected
Formal vs. Informal Reference Groups
Reference group can be large and formal with a standard, recognized structure.
Or
The reference group can be small and informal, just a group of friends
However
As a rule, small informal groups can exert powerful influence on individual consumers
Brand Communities
-A group of consumers who share a set of social relationships based upon usage or interest in a product.
-Brand communities share emotions, moral beliefs, styles of life, and affiliated product.
-Brand loyalty
-Brandfests enhance brand loyalty
-Brand missionaries
Membership Versus Aspirational Reference Groups
-Aspirational reference group-Comprise idealized figures, such as successful businesspeople, athletes, or performers.
Membership reference groups-involve other consumers who belong to the same groups as us.
-Aspirational strategies concentrate on highly visible, widely admired figures (athletes or performers)
-Membership strategies focus on “ordinary” people whose consumption provides informational social influence
propinquity
mere exposure
group cohesiveness
Positive Versus Negative Reference Groups
-Reference groups may exert either a positive or negative influence on consumption behaviours
-Dissociative reference groups = motivation to distance oneself from other people/groups
-Marketers show ads with undesirable people using competitor’s product
Antibrand Communities
-Antibrand communities: Coalesce around a celebrity, store, or brand—but in this case they’re united by their disdain for it
-Social Idealists who advocate non-materialistic lifestyles
-Many oppose Walmart, Starbucks, McDonald’s and Hummers
When Reference Groups are Important
Impact of reference groups vary based on whether the product is complex or, a product with little perceived risk (less susceptible)
Two dimensions of influence:
-Purchases to be consumed privately or publicly
-Whether a luxury or a necessity
Reference groups are most robust for purchases:
Luxuries
Socially conspicuous products
-Reference group influences stronger for purchases that are:
Luxuries rather than necessities
Socially conspicuous/visible to others
Power of Reference Groups
Social power-capacity to alter the actions of others.
types of social power:
-referent power
-legitimate power
-reward power
-information power
-expert power
-coercive power
Conformity
-Conformity refers to a change in beliefs or actions as a reaction to real or imagined group pressure.
-Factors influencing conformity:
Cultural pressures
Fear of deviance
Commitment to group
Group unanimity, size, expertise
Susceptibility to interpersonal influence
Environmental cues
Social Comparison
Social Comparison Theory-Consumers will often compare themselves to others in ways that increase the stability of one’s self-evaluation
-Occurs as a way to increase stability of one’s self-evaluation (without physical evidence)
Tastes in music and art
-We tend to choose co-oriented peer when performing social comparison
Group Effects on Individual Behaviour
With more people in a group, it becomes less likely that any one member will be singled out for attention.
People sometimes behave more wildly at costume parties or on Halloween night than they do normally:
-Informational and normative social influence
-Deindividuation
-Risky shift
*diffusion of responsibility
*value hypothesis
-Decision polarization
Group Decision Making
Different roles for different members:
*Initiator – identifies need
*Gatekeeper – searches and controls information
*Influencer – uses power to sway the decision
*Buyer – the purchaser (not necessarily the user)
*User – the consumer/user of the product
Opinion leaders
Influence others’ attitudes and behaviours
Hard to identify but are:
Technically competent
Possess knowledge power
Socially active, highly interconnected
Possess referent power
Are often the first to buy
*Hands-on experience
