MKTG2112 · Consumer Behaviour
Me & the Gang: Groups, Social Power & Word-of-Mouth
Consumers don't decide alone. This topic builds the macro/meso/micro social-influence stack, the types of reference group (membership, aspirational, dissociative) and the three forms of influence they exert (normative, informational, identification), conformity, the bases of social power, the difference between opinion leaders and market mavens, and how word-of-mouth, eWOM and brand communities spread. It is examined as short-answer / essay, so you identify the group type and influence form in a scenario and recommend a word-of-mouth or influencer strategy.
What this chapter covers
- 011. Social influence stack: Macro (culture/subculture) → Meso (networks/platforms) → Micro (people/groups)
- 022. Reference group: an actual or imaginary person/group relevant to a consumer's evaluations and behaviour
- 033. Reference-group types: membership, aspirational (want to join), dissociative (want to avoid)
- 044. Three forms of influence: normative (approval), informational (credible source), identification/value-expressive
- 055. Conformity: matching behaviour to group norms
- 066. Bases of social power (French & Raven): referent, expert, reward, coercive, legitimate (+ information)
- 077. Opinion leaders (category influence) vs market mavens (broad marketplace knowledge) vs surrogate consumers
- 088. WOM, eWOM, viral marketing, brand communities, subcultures, generational cohorts and family decisions
Reference groups, influence forms & social power (short answer, 8 marks)
- 4 marksIdentify groups and forms: the reviewer is an aspirational/external reference exerting informational influence (a credible source the student uses to reduce uncertainty); the study group is a membership group exerting normative influence (fitting in / gaining approval) — and identification influence if the student wants to express belonging.
- 2 marksName the power bases: the reviewer holds expert power (specialist knowledge); the study group holds normative/reward power (social approval and acceptance).
- 2 marksDistinguish the roles: an opinion leader influences within a specific category (laptops/tech), whereas a market maven has broad marketplace knowledge across many categories and enjoys sharing it widely.
Key terms
- Reference group
- An actual or imaginary individual or group with significant relevance to a person's evaluations, aspirations or behaviour. It is the benchmark a consumer uses to judge what to buy and how to act.
- Membership / aspirational / dissociative groups
- The three reference-group types: a membership group is one you belong to; an aspirational group is one you want to join (and may emulate); a dissociative group is one you want to avoid being associated with.
- Normative / informational / identification influence
- Three ways groups influence: normative (conform to gain approval or avoid sanction), informational (use others as a credible information source), and identification/value-expressive (adopt behaviours to express or affirm identity).
- Bases of social power
- French & Raven's sources of influence over others: referent (admiration/identification), expert (knowledge), reward (ability to give benefits), coercive (ability to punish) and legitimate (recognised right), plus informational power.
- Opinion leader vs market maven
- An opinion leader is influential within a specific product category; a market maven holds broad marketplace knowledge across many categories and actively shares it. A surrogate consumer is paid to make or guide decisions on a consumer's behalf.
- Word-of-mouth (WOM) / eWOM
- Informal consumer-to-consumer communication about brands. eWOM is its online form (reviews, posts, shares). It is highly persuasive because it comes from a trusted, non-commercial source, and it underpins viral marketing and brand communities.
Me & the Gang: Groups, Social Power & Word-of-Mouth FAQ
What's the difference between normative and informational influence?
Normative influence is about belonging — you conform to a group's expectations to gain approval or avoid disapproval, even if privately you'd choose otherwise. Informational influence is about accuracy — you treat the group or an expert as a credible source of information to reduce your own uncertainty. The same purchase can involve both: buying a phone your friends approve of (normative) after reading expert reviews (informational).
How do reference-group types relate to the forms of influence?
Membership groups often exert normative influence (you want their approval). Aspirational groups commonly exert identification/value-expressive influence (you emulate them to become like them) and informational influence (you take cues from them). Dissociative groups push you away from certain choices. Strong answers pair the type with the most likely form and justify it with the consumer's motive.
Why is word-of-mouth so powerful, and how do marketers use it?
WOM and eWOM are persuasive because they come from sources consumers trust and perceive as non-commercial. Marketers cultivate it by seeding to opinion leaders and market mavens, building brand communities, designing share-worthy experiences and referral mechanics, and managing reviews. eWOM scales WOM online, where homophily and network effects amplify it across the meso layer of the influence stack.
How is this topic examined?
As short-answer / essay: identify the reference-group type and influence form(s) in a scenario, name the relevant social-power bases, distinguish opinion leaders from market mavens, and recommend a WOM/influencer or brand-community strategy. The MCQ traps here are conformity vs homophily and coercive vs referent power — know the precise definitions.
Exam move
Build the three-layer influence stack in your head (macro culture → meso networks → micro groups) so you can locate any influence at the right level. Then drill two pairings until automatic: reference-group type → likely influence form, and influence form → power base. Keep one-line definitions of the five power bases ready, and a crisp opinion-leader-vs-market-maven contrast. For WOM, prepare a short menu of tactics (seed influencers, build a community, design referral mechanics, manage reviews). In the exam, name the group type, the influence form and the power base explicitly and justify each with the consumer's motive — and watch the conformity/homophily and coercive/referent MCQ traps.
