Week 9 - Groups and Social Connections Flashcards
What are reference groups?
An actual or imaginary individual or group conceived of having significant relevance upon an individual’s evaluations, aspirations, or behaviour.
Some people are more influential than others in affecting consumers’ product preferences.
A strong reference group influence on brand selected and weak reference group on product purchase is called what?
Public necessities e.g. wristwatch, car
A weak reference group influence on brand selected and weak reference group on product purchase is called what?
Private necessities e.g. mattress, fridge
A strong reference group influence on brand selected and strong reference group on product purchase is called what?
Public luxuries e.g. sailboat
A weak reference group influence on brand selected and weak reference group on product purchase is called what?
Private luxuries e.g. TV game
What is referent power?
When a person admires a person or group and tries to imitate them
What is information power?
Power from merely possessing valuable info that others do not have access to (e.g. editors of trade publications)
What is legitimate power?
Granted to people by virtue of social agreements (e.g. authorities)
What is expert power?
Power based on possessing specific knowledge about a content area
What is reward power?
When a person or group has the means to provide positive reinforcement
What is coercive power?
Influence through social or physical intimidation
What is normative influence?
The reference group helps to set and enforce fundamental standards of conduct (e.g. our family’s influence)
What is comparative influence?
When decisions about specific brands or activities are affected (e.g. a club that you belong to)
What is a brand community?
A set of consumers who share a set of social relationships based upon usage or interest in a product.
What is a consumer tribe?
A group of people who share a lifestyle and who can identify with each other because of a shared allegiance to an activity or product.
Tribal marketing: seeks such groups as target markets
What are aspirational reference groups?
Comprised of idealised figures such as successful business people, athletes or performers
What are membership reference groups?
Ordinary people whose consumption activities provide informational social influence.
Likelihood that people will become part of a consumer’s membership reference group is affected by:
Propinquity: physical nearness.
Frequency of contact: liking persons or things simply as a result of seeing them more often (mere exposure phenomenon).
Group Cohesiveness: degree that members of a group are attracted to each other and value their group membership.
What are avoidance groups?
Groups that consumers purposely try to distance themselves from (e.g., nerds, druggies).
The motivation to distance oneself from a
negative reference group can be as powerful
or more powerful than the desire to please a positive group.
What is deindividuation?
The more people in a group, the less likely that one group member will be singled out for attention. The process in which individual identities become submerged within a group is called deindividuation.
What is social loafing?
When people do not devote as much to a task when their contribution is part of a larger group effort
What is a risky shift effect?
Group members are willing to consider riskier alternatives subsequent to group discussion.
What is diffusion of responsibility? (Risky shift effect)
As more people are involved in a decision, each individual is less accountable for the outcome
What is a value hypothesis? (Risky shift effect)
Riskiness is a culturally valued characteristic to which individuals feel pressure to conform
