Download mkt348ch10

Chapter 10
Reference Groups, Family Influences
And Social Class
MKT348
Dr. Franck Vigneron
What is a Group?
• Two or more people who interact to
accomplish either individual or
mutual goals
• A membership group is one to
which a person either belongs or
would qualify for membership
• A symbolic group is one in which
an individual is not likely to receive
membership despite acting like a
member
Reference
Group
A person or group that
serves as a point of
comparison (or reference)
for an individual in the
formation of either general
or specific values, attitudes,
or behavior.
Broad Categories of Reference Groups
• Normative Reference
Groups
• Comparative
Reference Groups
Normative
Reference
Group
A group that influences the
general values or behavior of
an individual.
Comparative
Reference
Groups
A group whose norms serve
as a benchmark for highly
specific or narrowly defined
types of behavior.
Indirect
Reference
Groups
Individuals or groups with
whom a person identifies but
does not have direct face-toface contact, such as movie
stars, sports heroes, political
leaders, or TV personalities.
Factors That Affect Reference Group
Influence
• Information and experience
• Credibility, attractiveness, and power o the
reference group
• Conspicuousness of the product
Factors Encouraging Conformity:
A Reference Group Must ...
• Inform or make the individual aware of a specific
product or brand
• Provide the individual with the opportunity to
compare his or her own thinking with the attitudes
and behavior of the group
• Influence the individual to adopt attitudes and
behavior that are consistent with the norms of the
group
• Legitimize the decision to use the same products
as the group
Selected Consumer-Related Reference
Groups
•
•
•
•
Friendship groups
Shopping groups
Work groups
Virtual groups or
communities
• Consumer-action groups
Informal
Groups
A group of people who see
each other frequently on an
informal basis, such as
weekly poker players or
social acquaintances.
Shopping
Group
Two or more people who
shop together.
Reference Group Appeals
•
•
•
•
Celebrities
The expert
The “common man”
The executive and employee
spokesperson
• Trade or spokes-characters
• Other reference group appeals
Family
Two or more persons related
by blood, marriage, or
adoption who reside
together.
Extended
Family
A household consisting of a
husband, wife, offspring, and
at least one other blood
relative.
Single-Parent
Family
Households consisting of
one parent and at least one
child, because of divorce,
separation, and out-ofwedlock births.
Consumer
Socialization
The process by which
children acquire the skills,
knowledge, and attitudes
necessary to function as
consumers.
Other Functions of the Family
• Economic well-being
• Emotional support
• Suitable family lifestyles
Dynamics of Husband-Wife Decision
Making
• Husband-Dominated
• Wife-Dominated
• Joint
– Equal
– Syncratic
• Autonomic
– Solitary
– Unilateral
The Family Life Cycle
• Traditional Family Life Cycle
–
–
–
–
–
Stage I: Bachelorhood
Stage II: Honeymooners
Stage III: Parenthood
Stage IV: Postparenthood
Stage V: Dissolution
• Modifications - the Nontraditional FLC
Social Class
The division of members of
a society into a hierarchy of
distinct status classes, so that
members of each class have
either higher or lower status
than members of other
classes
Social Class and Social Status
• Social status is usually defined in terms of one
or more of the following socioeconomic
variables:
– Family Income
– Occupational Status
– Educational Attainment
The Measurement of Social Class
• Subjective Measures
• Reputational Measures
• Objective Measures
Subjective
Measures
In the subjective approach to
measuring social class,
individuals are asked to
estimate their own socialclass positions.
Reputational
Measures
The reputational approach
requires selected community
informants to make initial
judgments concerning the
social-class membership of
others within the community.
Objective
Measures of
Social Class
A method of measuring
social class whereby
individuals are asked
specific socioeconomic
questions concerning
themselves or their families
On the basis of their
answers, people are placed
within specific social-class
groupings.
Objective Measures
• Single-variable indexes
–
–
–
–
Occupation
Education
Income
Other Variables
• Composite-variable indexes
– Index of Status Characteristics
– Socioeconomic Status Score
SingleVariable
Index
The use of a single
socioeconomic variable
(such as income) to estimate
an individual’s relative
social class.
CompositeVariable
Index
An index that combines a
number of socioeconomic
variables (such as education,
income, occupation) to form
one overall measure of social
class standing.
Consumer Behavior and Social Class
•
•
•
•
Clothing, Fashion, and Shopping
The Pursuit of Leisure
Saving, Spending, and Credit
Social Class and Communication