Exam 9: Reference Groups and Word-Of-Mouth

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, if the Stumblers are the first people to go see a new movie, they are considered ________.

Marketers of new brands or brands that are not market leaders may argue against ________, trying to convince consumers not to follow the crowd.

Which of the following is a characteristic of a conformist?

Identify and describe each of the five adopter categories.

What are the activities which characterize fashion innovators?

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

Referral programs, which offer rewards to current members who convince others to join, are an important element of ________.

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.

Which of the following is a characteristic of a conformist?

What is the group's power, the individual's level of expertise with the product, and the conspicuousness of the product called?

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

A lawyer wears conservative clothing at work but wears trendy clothing when she goes out with her friends, which illustrates different reference groups may influence the beliefs, attitudes, and behaviors of individuals under different circumstances.

Identify three of the key findings in research investigating the relationship between the effectiveness of an advertising message and the spokesperson or endorser employed.

Social norm messages are more persuasive when they are never credible and believable.

Consumers with low ________ are more likely to seek the advice or example of others.

Standing in a crowd waiting for a retail shopping experience, shoppers see themselves as making the right buying decision - a concept known as ________.

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

A(n) ________ provides expertise regarding a particular product category, reduces uncertainty related to making an incorrect purchase, or increases consumer confidence because it provides a collective decision.

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

What are four things a reference group must do to influence group members?