Reference Groups, Family Influences

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Chapter 10

• Reference Groups, Family Influences
• And Social Class
• MKT348
• Dr. Franck Vigneron

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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

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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.
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Broad Categories of Reference Groups

• Normative Reference Groups
• Comparative Reference Groups

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Normative Reference Group
A group that influences the general values or
behavior of an individual.
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Comparative Reference Groups
A group whose norms serve as a benchmark for
highly specific or narrowly defined types of
behavior.
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Indirect Reference Groups
Individuals or groups with whom a person
identifies but does not have direct face-to-face
contact, such as movie stars, sports heroes,
political leaders, or TV personalities.
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Factors That Affect Reference Group Influence

• Information and experience
• Credibility, attractiveness, and power o the
  reference group
• Conspicuousness of the product

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Factors Encouraging ConformityA 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

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Selected Consumer-Related Reference Groups

• Friendship groups
• Shopping groups
• Work groups
• Virtual groups or communities
• Consumer-action groups

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Informal Groups
A group of people who see each other frequently
on an informal basis, such as weekly poker
players or social acquaintances.
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Shopping Group
Two or more people who shop together.
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Reference Group Appeals

• Celebrities
• The expert
• The common man
• The executive and employee spokesperson
• Trade or spokes-characters
• Other reference group appeals

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Family
Two or more persons related by blood, marriage,
or adoption who reside together.
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Extended Family
A household consisting of a husband, wife,
offspring, and at least one other blood relative.
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Single-Parent Family
Households consisting of one parent and at least
one child, because of divorce, separation, and
out-of-wedlock births.
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Consumer Socialization
The process by which children acquire the skills,
knowledge, and attitudes necessary to function as
consumers.
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Other Functions of the Family

• Economic well-being
• Emotional support
• Suitable family lifestyles

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Dynamics of Husband-Wife Decision Making

• Husband-Dominated
• Wife-Dominated
• Joint
• Equal
• Syncratic
• Autonomic
• Solitary
• Unilateral

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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

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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
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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

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The Measurement of Social Class

• Subjective Measures
• Reputational Measures
• Objective Measures

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Subjective Measures
In the subjective approach to measuring social
class, individuals are asked to estimate their
own social-class positions.
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Reputational Measures
The reputational approach requires selected
community informants to make initial judgments
concerning the social-class membership of others
within the community.
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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.
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Objective Measures

• Single-variable indexes
• Occupation
• Education
• Income
• Other Variables
• Composite-variable indexes
• Index of Status Characteristics
• Socioeconomic Status Score

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Single-Variable Index
The use of a single socioeconomic variable (such
as income) to estimate an individuals relative
social class.
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Composite-Variable Index
An index that combines a number of socioeconomic
variables (such as education, income, occupation)
to form one overall measure of social class
standing.
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Consumer Behavior and Social Class

• Clothing, Fashion, and Shopping
• The Pursuit of Leisure
• Saving, Spending, and Credit
• Social Class and Communication