Chapter 15 Interpersonal Influence

Learning Objectives After completing this chapter, you should be able to: Describe the characteristics of interpersonal influence and how interpersonal influence relates to persuasion. Explain the importance of interpersonal influence for consumer preferences and choices. Recognize how particular social contexts shape consumers’ preferences and choices and how the nature of interpersonal influence varies across cultures.

Learning Objectives (continued) Identify different types of interpersonal influence and give examples of how they are used in marketing strategies. Recognize commonly used influence tactics and how and why they work and give marketing examples. Discuss the importance of reference groups to individuals’ perspectives, attitudes, and behaviors and recognize the characteristics of reference groups that help to explain different levels of influence. Identify how different types of product choices and other characteristics of individuals and situations affect reliance on interpersonal influence.

Overview Rhetorical communication Interpersonal influence is the altered thinking or behavior that results from others’ accidental, expressive, or rhetorical communications. Rhetorical communication assumes individual is trying to achieve a goal by stimulating a specific meaning in another person’s mind. Interpersonal influence is pervasive Persuasion is a conscious intent to change thinking or behavior.

Personal and Social Influence People rely on the following sources of information for social and personal influence: cultural truisms observation feedback from others about their own behavior moral values and standards that have been instilled in them by their family and society’s institutions their specific training or education what they see and hear in the mass media history, religion, literature, law and behavioral sciences

Personal and Social Influence Three behavioral sciences that have obvious and direct relevance to influence and persuasion processes: Anthropology investigates various cultural and cross-cultural dimensions. Sociology focuses on processes existing in society, in institutions, and within groups. Psychologist focuses on the individual human being. Illusion of personal invulnerability The tendency to assume a “not me” orientation.

Social Context of Personal Consumption Behavior People like to think of themselves as making their own consumption choices. In truth, such decisions are very much shaped by the individual’s particular social context. Studies suggest that buyers name interpersonal sources more frequently than any other source in describing their external search efforts. The power of word-of-mouth communication to motivate attitudes and behaviors is well known. Recommendations from someone who knows something about the individual is often more useful than what experts or critics have to say. People tend to define their social context locally rather than globally.

Tools of Influence Three forms of Influence: Normative (utilitarian) Value-Expressive (identification) Informational Social

Normative Influence Normative Influence occurs when an individual fulfills others’ expectations to gain a direct reward or to avoid a sanction. The general theory states that groups in a favored social position seek out new products as a means of establishing and communicating social differentiation. Coolhunting involves heading for the street, the happening streets, collecting observations and comments from the cool people, and making predictions on that basis.

Value-Expressive Influence Value-Expressive Influence occurs when individuals use others’ norms, values, and behaviors as a guide for their own attitudes, values and behaviors. Desire for psychological association or social affiliation with others mentorship as a conduit for values and beliefs

Informational Social Influence Informational Social Influence occurs when an individual uses the values, norms, and behaviors of others as credible and needed evidence about reality. Influence of a shopping companion or purchase pal Social proof NOTE: In most purchase and consumption circumstances influence of friends and acquaintances is not easily separated into normative, value-expressive, and informational forms of influence.

Commonly used Influence Tactics Reciprocity – the norm that people should try to repay what another person or group has provided them. Different from economic exchange as it involves unspecified obligations. Door in the face technique: following up a large request with a much smaller request.

Commonly used Influence Tactics Commitment and Consistency – related more generally to attribution theory, which suggests that people try to understand why things happen. The influence tools of commitment and consistency are related specifically to people’s desire to explain their own behavior—attribute causation—in a consistent way. Self-perception theory, an aspect of attribution theory, proposes that attitudes develop as consumers look at and make judgments about their own behavior. Foot in the door technique: compliance with a critical request is increased if an individual first agrees to an initial small request.

Commonly used Influence Tactics Scarcity – something in short supply is more attractive than something that is plentiful. Psychological reactance – anytime the freedom to select a product or service is impeded, consumers respond by reacting against the threat.

Influencer Characteristics Determining communicator credibility or overall believability of the source Source similarity Expertise Attractiveness Liking Trustworthiness

Reference Groups Membership Attraction Degree of contact A reference group, or comparison group, is a group whose presumed perspectives, attitudes, or behaviors are used by an individual as the basis for his or her perspectives, attitudes, or behaviors. Types of Reference Groups Membership Formal and informal Attraction The level and direction of affect (or emotional response) that the group holds for an individual Degree of contact Primary and secondary

Exhibit 15.1 Types of Reference Groups

Exhibit 15.2 Consumption Situations and Degree of Reference Group Influence

Product Type and Reference Group Influence Three types of product choices: Search goods Products for which it is possible to observe the quality of the product from observation. Experience goods Require experience before it’s possible to ascertain product quality. Importance of “Surrogate experience” – the reported experience of someone else. Credence goods one for which even after purchase and consumption it’s difficult to evaluate quality.

Key Terms aspirational reference group attraction attractiveness attribution theory avoidance reference group commitment & consistency communicator credibility consistency contactual reference group coolhunting interpersonal influence liking market mavens model of meaning transfer normative (utilitarian) influence opinion leaders psychological reactance purchase pal norm of reciprocity

Key Terms (continued) door in the face differentiation disclaimant reference group experience goods expertise foot in the door guanxi illusion of personal invulnerability informational social influence innovators rhetorical communication scarcity principle search goods self-perception theory social comparison social proof source similarity surrogate experience value-expressive (identification) influence word-of-mouth