Exam 9: Reference Groups and Word-of-Mouth

Identify the three dimensions underlying consumers' engagement in e-wom.

When Joe wanted to get a new outboard motor for his sailboat, he consulted a forum for British Seagull motors and connected with Jim. Jim gave him information about the outboard motor he was considering. Jim, the individual Joe met and respected online who gave him product information and advice, is an example of a(n)_________________________.

The members of the ________ category of adopters are the very last consumers to purchase a new product. They are generally high risk-perceivers and the last ones to recognize the value of innovative products.

Which of the following is a characteristic of an opinion leader?

The image of Vogue magazine adds status to the products advertised within the magazine. This is an example of ______________________.

Conformists often pick up slang expressions from others and start using them.

Which of the following is a characteristic of a conformist?

A ___________________ is when celebrities appear on behalf of products with which they may or may not have any direct experience or familiarity, for extended periods of time.

People who are compliant, have a tendency to conform, have a high need for affiliation, are other-directed and less likely to look for guidance from reference groups.

_____________________ is the believability of the endorser, spokesperson, or individual in an advertisement.

A ___________________, or a person who is knowledgeable about the nature of the social communications among members of a specific group, can identify individuals in the group who are opinion leaders.

Consumer innovators are not as interested as late adopters or nonadopters in the product categories that they are among the first to purchase.

________ are considered expert informal sources of information.

__________________ consists of promoting a company's image without referring to any of its offerings.

Bill is an avid coin collector and belongs to a coin collectors' club, receiving a monthly magazine and invitations to exclusive events. This coin collectors' club is an example of a(n)________ group.

Past performance and reputation of the brand, and the image and attractiveness of the spokesperson used are all factors on which ________ is judged.

$\text{STUMBLEUPON MINI CASE:}$ StumbleUpon calls itself a "discovery engine" because, at one time, 50.27% of all traffic from a top 10 list of social sites came from StumbleUpon. Their relatively small group of users (15 million) often out-refers the larger user base from Facebook (over 1.15 billion). In fact, the influential users of StumbleUpon generate 1 billion page referrals per month. Their users, called "Stumblers", introduce other Stumblers and non-users to web content, providing a "map to an adventure you wouldn't otherwise have found out about." The influence of these Stumblers was deemed valuable by film marketers, who worked with StumbleUpon to promote films like Jurassic Park 3D and Evil Dead. Stumblers are young and highly engaged, so studios see the personalized search engine, which "learns" the preferences of its Stumblers, as a way to reach early influencers. -In the STUMBLEUPON MINI CASE, the Stumblers are engaged in _________ when they advocate on behalf of products, like films, in social networks, brand communities, and blogs.

Which of the following is NOT something a reference group must do to influence its members?

When Damon filled out a survey for the sporting goods store he favors, it asked him to respond to items that asked for his agreement on items about his influence on his friends. These items were attempting to measure his opinion leadership using the __________________ method.

_____________________________ are groups that serve as sources of comparison, influence and norms for people's opinions, values and behaviors.