11-1
Chapter 11
Group Influence and
Opinion Leadership
11-2
Asch’s Classic Conformity Study
Test Line
A
B
C
Which line equals the test line?
11-3
Drivers of Group Dynamics
• Conformity (Asch’s Conformity
Study)
• Authority (Milgram’s Study About
Pain)
11-4
Reference Groups
A Reference Group is an Actual or Imaginary
Individual or Group Conceived of Having Significant
Relevance Upon an Individual’s Evaluations,
Aspirations, or Behavior.
Reference Groups Influence Consumers in Three
Ways:
Informational
Utilitarian
Value-Expressive
Influence and Types of
Reference Groups
11-5
• Normative Influence
– The social power of reward and punishment that
produces behavioral compliance but may not produce
any private acceptance of the position advocated.
• Comparative Influence
– The group does not attempt to set, or enforce, rules for
your behavior, but only serves as a standard you choose
for comparison.
• Formal Versus Informal Groups
– Small, informal groups are more common and important
to us because of their high Normative Influence.
– Larger, formal groups tend to be higher in Comparative
Influence.
Membership Versus Aspirational
Reference Groups
11-6
The Likelihood That People Will Become Part of a
Consumer’s Identificational Reference Group is
Affected By:
Propinquity
Mere
Exposure
Group
Cohesiveness
When Reference Groups Are
Important
11-7
The Power of Reference Groups
Coercive
Power
Reward
Power
Social
Power
Types of
Reference
Group
Power
Expert
Power
Referent
Power
Information
Power
Legitimate
Power
11-8
11-9
Conformity
Conformity Refers to a Change in Beliefs or Actions
as a Reaction to Real or Imagined Group Pressure.
Norms Refer to Informal Rules That Governs
Behavior
Types of Social Influence
Normative
Informational
Person Conforms to Meet
the Expectations of a
Person or Group.
Conformity That Occurs Because
the Group’s Behavior is Taken
as Evidence About Reality.
Factors Affecting the Likelihood
of Conformity
Cultural Pressures
Fear of Deviance
Commitment
Group Dynamics
Susceptibility to
Interpersonal Influences
11-10
Social Comparison Theory
• Three fundamental propositions:
–people have a drive to evaluate their
opinions and abilities
–in the absence of “objective” bases for
comparison, this need can be satisfied by
“social” comparison with other people
–such social comparisons will, when
possible, be made with similar others.
11-11
Social Comparison
• Social Comparison Theory asserts that we
look to the behavior of others to provide a
yardstick about reality as a way to increase
the stability of one’s self-evaluation.
• Consumers are selective about whom they
use for benchmarks.
• In general, people tend to choose a CoOriented Peer, or a person of equivalent
standing when performing social
comparisons.
11-12
Compliance and Obedience
11-13
The Way a Request for Compliance is Phrased or
Structured Can Make a Difference in Acceptance.
Foot-in-the-Door
Low-Ball Technique
Door-in-the-Face
Make a Small Request First, Then
Make a Larger One Later.
Person is Asked for a Small Favor
That Turns Out to Be Costly.
Make an Extreme Request First,
Then a Reasonable Request Later.
11-14
Selling, Buying, and Giving
• Automatic Responding
• Social behavior is learned according to principles
of social learning theory.
• Much of what is learned involves informal rules of
social exchange.
• We over-learn to such a degree that it becomes
automatic.
• Marketers take advantage of this over-learning to
produce immediate compliance, rather than
thoughtful consideration of the requests that are
being made.
11-15
Six Weapons of Influence
• Reciprocation
– “free sample” - we believe that exchanges are
equitable if each person’s outcomes are
proportional to his or her inputs. We restore equity
by giving away enough of our own assets to make
the situation “fair.” Ex: Hare Krishna Society.
• Authority
– Milgram’s study on pain.
• Liking
– we comply more readily with those who like us than
with those who do not. Ex: salesperson saying the
suit looks nice on you.
11-16
Six Weapons of Influence
• Consistency
– get you to make a public commitment to
attitudes, it will be simpler to sell you a product
consistent with that commitment
• Social Proof
– large numbers of people cannot be wrong!
• Scarcity
– your “last opportunity’ to buy before being
discontinued.
Group Effects on Individual
Behavior
Deindividualism
Social
Loafing
Risky
Shift
11-17
Decision
Polarization
Group
Effects
Shopping
Behavior
Bandwagon
Effect
Resistance to Influence
11-18
Anticomformity
Independence
Defiance of the
Group is the
Object of Behavior
Deep-Seated Need
to Preserve
Freedom of
Choice
Vs.
Reactance
People try to
Overcome a Loss
of Freedom
Word-of-Mouth Communication
11-19
Much Information About Products and Services is
Actually Conveyed by Individuals on an Informal
Basis called Word-of-Mouth Communication (WOM).
Factors That Encourage WOM Are:
Person is Highly Involved With the Product
Person is Highly Knowledgeable About the Product
Person Has a Genuine Concern for Someone Else
Person May be Uncertain About a Recent Purchase
11-20
The Dominance of WOM
• Guerilla Marketing
• Viral Marketing
Negative Word-of-Mouth
• Negative Word-of-Mouth:
– Is weighted more heavily by consumers than
positive comments.
– Has been shown to reduce the credibility of a
firm’s advertising.
– May influence consumers’ attitudes toward a
product as well as their intention to buy it.
• Rumors are the chief form of negative WOM.
– Rumors often result in Boycotts of products,
companies, or services.
11-21
11-22
Opinion Leaders
An Opinion Leader is Someone Who is
Knowledgeable About Products and Whose Advice
is Taken Seriously By Others.
Are Technically
Competent and
Have Expert
Power
Are Often Among
the First to Buy
New Products
Are Similar to
the Consumer in
Values and
Beliefs
Opinion
Leaders
Are Socially
Active in
Their Community
Have Prescreened,
Evaluated, and
Synthesized
Product Information
Extent of An Opinion Leader’s
Influence
• Very few people are Generalized Opinion
Leaders, someone whose recommendations
are sought for all types of purchases.
• More likely, opinion leaders are either:
– Monomorphic, or an expert in a limited field.
– Polymorphic, or an expert in several fields.
• Even opinion leaders who are Polymorphic,
tend to concentrate on one broad domain,
such as electronics or fashion.
11-23
11-24
Characteristics of Opinion
Leaders
Innovators
Are Opinion
Seekers
Key
Characteristics
of
Opinion
Leaders
Innovative
Communicators
Market
Maven
11-25
Opinion Leadership Scale
Identifying Opinion Leaders
Self-Designating Method
11-26
11-27
Identifying Opinion Leaders
• Sociometric Method
–
–
–
–
–
Referral Behavior
Network Analysis
Referral Network
Tie Strength
Bridging Function