Reference Group & Types of Influence

 

 

 

 

Reference Group

 

An actual or imaginary individual or group conceived of having significant relevance upon an individual’s evaluations, aspirations, or behaviors^[1]

 

 

 

 

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Normative Influence vs Comparative influence

 

 

Normative influence means that the reference group helps to set and enforce fundamental standards of conduct.

In contrast, Comparative influence affects reference group members' buying decisions^[2]

 

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The Three Ways Reference Groups Influence Us 

 

1. Informational Influence

 

The individual seeks information, brand-related knowledge, and experience from reference group^[3]

 

 

 

2. Utilitarian Influence

 

The desire to satisfy the expectations that others have of him or her has an impact on the individual’s brand choice^[4]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

3. Value Expressive Influence

 

The individual feels that the purchase of a particular brand would help show others

what he or she is or would like to be

(such as an athlete, successful business person, good parents, etc.)^[5]

 

^[6]

 

 

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Why are reference group so persuasive?

 

Social Power is the capacity to alter the actions of others^[7]

 

 

 

Types of Social Power	Explains
Referent Power	If a person admires the qualities of a person or a group, he tries to copy the referent’s behavior
Information Power	A person can have power simply because she knows something others would like to know
Legitimate power	Sometimes we grant power by virtue of social agreements, such as the authority we give to police officers, soldiers, and sometimes even professors
Expert Power	People trust Experts’ opinions. This trust creates power
Reward Power	A person or group with the means to provide positive reinforcement has reward power
Coercive Power	We exert coercive power when we influence someone because of social or physical intimidation

 

 

 

Because we tend to compare ourselves to similar other, many promotional strategies include “ordinary” people

whose consumption activities provide informational social influence^[8]

 

 

 

^[9]

 

 

 

 

 

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Types of Reference Group

 

 

Brand communities 

 

A group of consumers who share a set of social relationships based on usage or interest in a product^[10]

 

 

 

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^[11]

 

^[12]

 

 

 

Membership vs Aspirational Reference Groups

 

A membership reference group consists of people we actually know,

whereas we don’t know those in an aspirational reference group, but we admire them anyway^[13] 

 

 

^[14]

 

 

Positive vs Negative Reference Groups

 

Reference groups impact our buying decisions both positively and negatively

Your motivation to distance yourself from a negative reference group can be as or more powerful

than your desire to please a positive group^[15]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Reference

 

Solomon, I. R. (2010). Consumer Behavior, Buying, Having, and Being. (9th ed.). Prentice Hall.

 

 

Movie "Bend It Like Beckham"