The document discusses different types of groups that can influence consumer behavior and serve as reference groups, including membership groups, symbolic groups, normative reference groups, and comparative reference groups. It also describes several specific reference groups marketers may appeal to, such as friendship groups, work groups, virtual groups, brand communities, consumer action groups, and celebrities. Reference groups can influence consumers through informational, normative, and identification influence.

2.  A Group may be defined as two or more people who
interact to accomplish either individual or mutual
goals.
Classification of Groups by membership status
 Membership Group: A group to which a person either
belongs or would qualify for membership in.
 Symbolic Group: A group in which an individual is not likely
to receive membership, despite acting like a member by
adopting the group’s values, attitudes and behavior.

3.  A Reference Group is any person or group that serves as point of
comparison (or reference) for an individual in forming either general or
specific values, attitudes, or a specific guide for behavior.
 From a marketing perspective, reference groups are groups that serve as
frames of reference for individuals in their purchase or consumption
decisions.
 These groups place no restriction on group size or membership nor does it
require that consumers identify with a tangible group.
 Reference groups that influence general or broadly defined values or
behavior are called Normative Reference Groups (e.g. A child’s
Normative Reference Group is the immediate family) .
 Reference Groups that serve as benchmarks for specific or narrowly
defined attitudes or behavior are called Comparative Reference Groups
(A Comparative Reference Groups might be neighboring family whose
lifestyle appears to be admirable and worthy of imitation).

4.  Classified by:
◦ Membership
 Symbolic
◦ Extent of Interaction
 Direct versus Indirect
◦ Nature of Attraction
 Aspirational versus Dissociative
◦ Degree of Formality
 Formal versus informal

5.  Informational Influence
◦ When a member of reference group provides information used
to make purchase decisions
 Normative Influence
◦ When we conform to group norms in order to belong to that
group
 Identification Influence
◦ When we identify with, and internalize, a group’s values and
behaviours

6.  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

7.  Friendship Groups
 Shopping Groups
 Work Groups
 Virtual Groups or Communities
 Brand Communities
 Consumer-action Groups
 Celebrities

8.  Friendship groups are typically classified as informal groups because they
are usually unstructured and lack specific authority levels.
 In terms of relative influence, after an individual’s family, his or her friends
are most likely to influence the individual’s purchase decisions.
 Seeking and maintaining friendships is a basic drive of most people.
 Friends fill a wide range of needs: They provide companionship, security,
and opportunities to discuss problems that an individual may be reluctant to
discuss with family members.
 Marketers of products such as brand-name clothing, fine jewelry,
snack foods, and alcoholic beverages recognize the power of peer
group influence and frequently depict friendship situations in their
advertisements.

9.  Two or more people who shop together, whether for food, for clothing, or
simply to pass the time, can be called a shopping group.
 Such groups are often offshoots of family or friendship groups and
therefore, they function as what has been referred to as purchase pal.
 The motivation for shopping with a purchase pal range from a primarily
social motive to helping reduce the risk when making an important
decision.
 A special type of shopping group is the in-home shopping party, which
typically consists of a group that gathers together in the same home of a
friend to attend a “party” devoted to demonstrating and evaluating a
specific line of products.

10.  The sheer amount of time people spend at their jobs, frequently more than
35 hours per week, provide ample opportunity for work groups to serve as
a major influence on the consumption behavior of the members.
 Formal Work Group: it consists of individuals who work together as part
of a team, and thus have a sustained opportunity to influence each other’s
consumption related attitudes and actions.
 Informal Work Group: it consists of people who have become friends as
a result of working for the same firm, whether or not they work together as
a team, and they can influence the consumption behavior of other members
during coffee or lunch breaks or at after-work meetings.

11.  A virtual team (also known as a geographically dispersed
team or distributed team) is a group of individuals who work across time,
space and organizational boundaries with links strengthened by webs
of communication technology.
 Powell, Piccoli and Ives define virtual teams in their literature review
article "as groups of geographically, organizationally and/or time dispersed
workers brought together by information and telecommunication
technologies to accomplish one or more organizational tasks.”
 Ale Ebrahim, N., Ahmed, S. & Taha, Z. in their recent (2009) literature
review paper, added two key issues to definition of a virtual team “as small
temporary groups of geographically, organizationally and/ or time
dispersed knowledge workers who coordinate their work predominantly
with electronic information and communication technologies in order to
accomplish one or more organization tasks”.

12.  Members of virtual teams communicate electronically and may
never meet face-to-face.
 Virtual teams are made possible by a proliferation of fiber
optic technology that has significantly increased the scope of off-
site communication.
 Virtual teams allow companies to procure the best talent without
geographical restrictions.
 According to Hambley, O’Neil, & Kline (2007), "virtual teams
require new ways of working across boundaries through systems,
processes, technology, and people, which requires effective
leadership...despite the widespread increase in virtual teamwork,
there has been relatively little focus on the role of virtual team
leaders."

13.  A brand community is a community formed on the basis of attachment to
a product or marquee.
 Recent developments in marketing and in research in consumer
behavior result in stressing the connection
between brand, individual identity and culture. Among the concepts
developed to explain the behavior of consumers, the concept of a brand
community focuses on the connections between consumers.
 A brand community can be defined as an enduring self-selected group of
actors sharing a system of values, standards and representations (a culture)
and recognizing bonds of membership with each other and with the whole.
 Brand communities are characterized in shared consciousness, rituals and
traditions, and a sense of moral responsibility.

14.  The term "brand community" was first presented by Albert Muniz Jr. and
Thomas C. O'Guinn in a 1995 paper for the Association for Consumer
Research Annual Conference in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
 In a 2001 article titled "Brand community", published in the Journal of
Consumer Research (SSCI), they defined the concept as "a specialized, non-
geographically bound community, based on a structured set of social relations
among admirers of a brand." This 2001 paper has been acknowledged
by Thomson Scientific & Healthcare to be one of the most cited papers in the
field of economics and business.
 Many brands provide examples of brand communities. In computers and
electronics: Apple Inc. (Macintosh, iPod, iPhone), Holga and LOMO cameras,
and Palm and Pocket PC Ultra-Mobile PCs.
 In vehicles: Ford Bronco, Jeep, automobiles, and
 Royal Enfield and Harley-Davidson motorcycles.
 In toys: Barbie and Lego.

15.  A particular kind of consumer group-A Consumer Action Group-has emerged
in response to the consumerist movement. Today there are a large number of
such groups that are dedicated to providing consumer products in a healthy and
responsible manner, and to generally add to the overall quality.
 For example, a diverse range of consumer concerns being addressed by private
and public consumer-action groups: neighborhood crime watch, youth
development, forest and wildlife concerns, children and advertising, race and
ethnicity, community volunteerism, legal assistance, public health, disaster
relief, energy conservation, education, smoking, the environment, access to
telecommunications, science in the public interest, credit counseling, privacy
issues, and children and internet.
Two broad categories of Consumer Action Groups:
 Those that organize to correct a specific consumer abuse and then disband
(Agitation against liquor shop in a community) .
 Those that organize to address broader, more persuasive problem areas and
operate over an extended or indefinite period of time (Group against drunk
driving).

16.  A celebrity is a person who has a prominent profile and commands a great
degree of public fascination and influence in day-to-day media. The term is
often synonymous with wealth (commonly denoted as a person with fame and
fortune), implied with great popular appeal, prominence in a particular field,
and is easily recognized by the general public.

17.  A second type of reference group appeals used by
marketers is the expert, a person who, because of his or
her occupation, special training, or experience, is in a
unique position to help the prospective consumer
evaluate the product that the advertisement promotes.
 e.g. An ad for a quality frying pan may feature the
endorsement of a chef.

18.  A reference group appeal that uses the testimonials of satisfied
customers is known as the common-man approach.
 The advantage is that it demonstrates to prospective customers
that someone just like them uses and is satisfied with the good
or service being advertised.
 The common man appeal is especially effective in public
health announcement (such as antismoking or high B.P.
messages), for most people seem to identify with people like
themselves when it comes to such messages.

19.  The popularity of this type of advt. probably is due to the
success and publicity received by a number of executive
spokespersons.
 Like celebrity spokespersons, executive spokespersons seem
to be admired by the general population because of their
achievements and the status implicitly conferred on business
leaders.
 e.g. Ratan Tata, K. Birla, Mukesh Ambani etc.

20.  These are often employed as attention grabbers, acting
as spokespersons to promote children’ products.
 Trade characters are intended to bond a child to a brand
so that the child’s brand awareness might form the
basis of brand preference either immediately or later in
life.
 e.g. Animated characters used by marketers in
advertisements for children products

21.  A variety of other promotional strategies can function
creatively as frames of reference for consumers.
 Respected retailers and the editorial content of selected
special interest magazines can also function as frames
of reference that influence consumer attitudes and
behavior.
 e.g. Indian Dental Association’s seal of approval for
toothpaste.