Textbook: Chapter 11

Question 1

Two-step flow model of influence:

Answer 1

A small number of people are responsible for spreading information widely because they can change the opinions of many people.

Question 2

Surrogate consumer*:

Answer 2

A person who is paid to provide input into purchase decisions. They look into product information.

Like an interior decorator (the house owner will probably buy when they recommend).

Question 3

Influence network:

Answer 3

Includes people who are easily influenced by communicating a lot about a product/ service which then influences their opinions. And they also interact in a two-way dialogue with the opinion leader.

Question 4

Market maven:

Answer 4

A person who knows a lot about products/ services in general. Doesn’t have an area of expertise. Solid overall knowledge of how and where to get products. Enjoys sharing this information with others.

Question 5

Opinion leaders:

Answer 5

People who are knowledgeable about products and can influence other’s opinions of a product category or categories.

Question 6

Generalized opinion leader:

Answer 6

A person who is sought for all types of purchases.

Question 7

Monomorphic:

Answer 7

People who are experts in one field.

Question 8

Polymorphic:

Answer 8

People who are experts in several fields.

Question 9

Sociometric methods:

Answer 9

Techniques for tracing communication patterns between people to map out interactions that take place among them. Since we’re all connected by 5 to 6 intermediaries.

Question 10

Tie strength:

Answer 10

The degree of the bond between people.

Strong primary (bond with one’s spouse or primary group of friends).

Weak secondary (acquaintance one rarely sees).

Question 11

Word-of-mouth communication:

Answer 11

Information about products is transmitted from individuals to individuals.

Influences ⅔ of consumer goods sales.

Question 12

Buzz marketing:

Answer 12

Activities undertaken by marketers to encourage consumers to spread WOM about the brand.

Question 13

Wisdom of crowds:

Answer 13

The idea that under the right circumstances, groups are smarter than the smartest people in them. This suggests that a large number of people can predict what products will be successful better than the smartest person.

Question 14

Guerrilla marketing:

Answer 14

Promotional strategies that use unconventional locations and intensive word-of-mouth campaigns to push products.

Question 15

Guerrilla marketing:

Answer 15

Promotional strategies that use unconventional locations and intensive word-of-mouth campaigns to push products.

Can be inexpensive and yet get lots of attention for people. UNICEF and dirty water bottle vending machine.

Question 16

Viral marketing:

Answer 16

Getting customers to sell or promote a product on behalf of the company.

Customers sharing about it?

Question 17

Social media:

Answer 17

Online communities that share information, ideas, personal messages and more, and they maintain the site.

Question 18

Online Social Networks

Answer 18

Shows the connection between people on social media.

Nodes: People. A node = one person.

Interactions: Communication between nodes/ people.
Flow of information between nodes.

Media multiplexity: Where information shared in one social media space can enter other social media platforms and even in in-person conversations.

Question 19

Lurkers:

Answer 19

People on social media that only observe content rather than contribute some themselves.

Question 20

Mass connectors:

Answer 20

Highly influential people on social media who are highly social (well-connected), others find them to be credible in one or more specific topics, they post a lot of brand-related content. 6.2% of social media users who account for 80% of the brand mentions on social media.

Question 21

Reference group:

Answer 21

A reference group is a group of people that someone compares themselves to and uses as a standard to evaluate their beliefs, behaviors, and attitudes.

Real or imaginary individual or group that has significant relevance for an individual’s aspirations, behaviours or evaluations. There are 3 types: informational, utilitarian and value-expressive. Any external influence that provides social cues.

Question 22

Reference group: Propinquity

Answer 22

Interpersonal attraction because of “like-attract-like”/ similarities.

When people are physically close or have frequent interactions with members of their reference group (propinquity), it can strengthen their identification with that group. Being close to the reference group makes it easier for individuals to observe, learn from, and potentially adopt the group’s behaviors, beliefs, or attitudes. Thus, propinquity can amplify the influence of a reference group on an individual’s behavior and self-perception.

Question 23

Reference group: Extended self:

Answer 23

Brand becomes an extended part of oneself because one really identifies with the brand.

The concept of the extended self refers to the idea that individuals include external objects, places, and people as part of their self-identity.

Reference groups play a significant role in shaping the extended self. People often incorporate the norms, values, and characteristics of their reference groups into their own self-concept.

Question 24

Reference group: Mere exposure effect:

Answer 24

By seeing things again and again, we tend to like it more.

The mere exposure effect is a psychological phenomenon where people tend to develop a preference for things or people simply because they are familiar with them or have been exposed to them repeatedly.

When individuals are frequently exposed to their reference group, they are more likely to develop a preference for and identify with that group due to the mere exposure effect, influencing their own beliefs and behaviors to align more closely with those of the group.

Question 25

Reference groups: Group cohesiveness:

Answer 25

The degree to which members of a group are attracted to each other and value their group membership.

Group cohesiveness refers to the degree to which members of a group are united and feel a sense of belonging and loyalty to the group.

When a reference group is cohesive (members feel close and loyal to each other), individuals are more likely to identify with and be influenced by that group. The stronger the bond and unity within the reference group, the more attractive and persuasive it becomes to individuals seeking acceptance and belonging. People tend to align their beliefs and behaviors more closely with a cohesive reference group to maintain harmony and connection with its members.

Question 26

Reference groups: Group cohesiveness: How to increase

Answer 26

• Making it a smaller group.
• Membership restriction/ Exclusivity
• Symbols for the group
• Defined limited between who’s in the group and who’s out.

Question 27

Reference group: Need for belonging/ Need for affiliation:

Answer 27

The need for belonging or affiliation motivates individuals to conform to the norms and behaviors of their reference group to gain acceptance and maintain social connections.

People often look to a specific group (reference group) to figure out how to fit in and be accepted (need for belonging/affiliation). They might adopt the group’s behaviors, beliefs, or attitudes to feel like they belong and are part of that group.

Question 28

Normative influence:

Answer 28

A type of influence where a group will influence fundamental standards of conduct, like parents. Influence our values or standards for certain things (like marriage).

Question 29

Comparative influence:

Answer 29

A type of influence where an individual (like Weight Watchers) will influence decisions for specific brands or activities. Product-specific, activity-specific.

Question 30

Brand community:

Answer 30

A set of consumers who have social relationships because of an enthusiasm for the same brand.

Ex: They meet up at brandfests which brands like Harley organize.

Question 31

Aspirational reference groups:

Answer 31

A group of idealized people (successful business people, performers, athletes).

Question 32

Membership reference groups:

Answer 32

A group that the person is part of (their family, peer group, team) and that influences their consuming attitudes and behaviours.

Question 33

Membership reference groups: The likelihood that people will part of a consumer’s identified reference group is based on these factors:

Answer 33

• Propinquity (physical nearness): Relationships are more likely to form when physical distance decreases and opportunities for interactions increase.
• Mere exposure (mere exposure effect): Seeing people or things more, makes us like them more.
• Group cohesiveness: As a person values the group more, the more likely the group will influence their consumption decisions. The degree that members are attracted to rach other (have similar values) and value their group membership.

Question 34

Dissociative reference group:

Answer 34

Groups or group members that a consumer wants to avoid associations with. Avoid buying things that would identify that consumer with the disliked group. (Ex: “nerds”).

Question 35

Anti-brand communities:

Answer 35

Groups of consumers who share a dislike for a celebrity, store or brand.

Question 36

Anti-brand communities: 3 common themes from complaint websites:

Answer 36

• Injustice: Frequently talking about their fruitless attempts to contact the company.
• Identity: Characterizing the violator (usually top management) was evil rather than incompetent.
• Agency: Rally others to believe that they have the power to change the status-quo where companies can’t wrong customers without punishment.

Question 37

Social power:

Answer 37

Capacity to alter the actions of others. There are different kinds of power.

Question 38

Social power: Referent power:

Answer 38

When a person admires the qualities of an individual or group, they will try to imitate those qualities by copying the referent’s (the person they admire) behaviour (choice of clothing etc).

Question 39

Social power: Information power:

Answer 39

A person knows what others would like to know and their “truth” influences consumer’s opinions.

Question 40

Social power: Legitimate power:

Answer 40

Power of authorities in society (policemen, doctors).
Used in ads (a person using a white coat to add an aura of legitimacy or authority).

Question 41

Social power: Expert power:

Answer 41

People being able to influence the opinions of consumers based they are expats in some way (assumed to be objective, informed).

Question 42

Social power: Reward power:

Answer 42

Receiving positive reinforcement for a behaviour, influences one’s future purchases. Or getting social acceptance and approval.

Question 43

Social power: Coercive power:

Answer 43

Change in beliefs or actions as a rection to real or imaged group pressure (like social norms).

Question 44

Conformity:

Answer 44

A change in beliefs or actions as a reaction to a real or imagined group pressure.

Question 45

Norms:

Answer 45

Informal rules that govern behaviour.

Question 46

Norms: Cultural pressures:

Answer 46

Some cultures encourage conformity while some encourage independence.

Question 47

Norms: Fear of evidence:

Answer 47

A person may conform if they believe that they’ll be punished for being different.

Question 48

Norms: Commitment:

Answer 48

The more a person values a group, the more motivated they are to follow the leaders of the group/ conform to the group.

Question 49

Norms: Commitment: Principle of least interest:

Answer 49

The person that is least committed to staying a relationship has the most power, because the party won’t be susceptible to threatened rejection.

Question 50

Norms: Group unanimity, size, and expertise:

Answer 50

The more people in the group, the more conformity increases because it is usually harder to resist the demands of a large number of people than those of a few people.

Question 51

Norms: Susceptibility to interpersonal influence:

Answer 51

A person’s need to enhance their image for the opinion of significant others.

Question 52

Norms: Environmental cues:

Answer 52

One’s external environment can affect the degree of their conformity. For example, people are more likely to conform when they are in a warm room, because they feel “closer” to others.

Question 53

Social comparison theory:

Answer 53

Suggests that individuals compare themselves to others who are similar to them to determine their own social and personal worth. People tend to choose a co-oriented peer (a person of equivalent standing) for their comparison.

Question 54

Deindividuation:

Answer 54

Deindividuation is when people lose their sense of individuality and feel less accountable for their actions in a group.

Question 55

Risky shift:

Answer 55

Risky shift is the tendency for people to make riskier decisions in a group than they would make individually.

Question 56

Decision polarization:

Answer 56

Decision polarization is when a group discussion leads to more extreme decisions than the group members initially favored.

Question 57

Reactance:

Answer 57

Reactance is when people feel the urge to do the opposite of what someone tells them to do, especially if they feel their freedom is being threatened or restricted.