Social Influence BUSMKT 1441 Consumer Behavior Exam 3 Study Guide How What He Does and What She Says Influences What You Buy Consumers are influenced by those around them through 1 Direct social influence Interpersonal direct interaction 2 Indirect social influence The Science of Interpersonal Influence Robert Cialdini s 6 Principles of Interpersonal Persuasion 1 Reciprocation 2 Commitment Consistency 3 Social Validation 4 Liking 5 Authority 6 Scarcity Can be used in non interpersonal contexts as well Reciprocation Direct Social Influence Principle people repay what they get in kind returning favors o Social norm golden rule By engaging in reciprocation o More division of labor o Binds people closet together Coke Study participants rated paintings with a fellow participant study confederate responded to the participant s request that they buy raffle tickets Trust evolutionarily adaptive o o o Participants who received a favor were more likely to comply with a subsequent request by the favor provider regardless of how likeable the favor provider was People tend to not default with reciprocation o We feel guilty for it o Are judge by others Reciprocation Applications o Gift before favor technique Freebies promotions pressure consumers to purchase the product o Rejection then retreat technique reciprocated concessions Make a large request which is turned down then make a smaller request which is then more likely to be complied with Because you make a concession other person feels like they made a concession o Eventually come to an agreement Consistency Direct Social Influence Principle once people have made a choice or taken a stand they will tend to behave consistently with that commitment Line study participants were shown series of lines and asked to estimate the length of each line They were then given new info suggesting their original estimate was wrong and given a chance to change their estimate o Condition 1 write original estimate on a piece of paper sign it and return it to the experimenter o Condition 2 write original estimate on a Magic Writing Pad and erase it without showing anyone o Condition 3 think about original estimate without writing it down o The study manipulated how the original estimate was recorded o Commitment should be active public effortful freely chosen to lead to consistency effects Commitments are more effective when active then passive Effort leading to higher commitment Free will it needs to be the person s idea to be effortful Ineffective when forced upon someone Consistency Applications o Foot in the door technique Start with a little request in order to gain eventual compliance with related larger requests Drive Carefully Study people were asked to sign a petition for safe driving and then asked to put a sign in their front lawn 76 who signed agreed to have the lawn sign Shows the tendency for those who actively commit sign will vote for and donate as well o Verbal or written commitment Reservation calls asked to make verbal commitment and the amount of no shows decreased Social Validation Direct Social Influence Principle people follow the lead of similar others Charity Study participants were approached by a confederate and asked to give money to the Heart Association o Short list had an effect over the control Long list made more people donate Long list shows the Anchoring Effect o When donations are higher we are more likely to donate more o Works best under conditions of uncertainty and in the context of similar others Donate amounts relative to others Social Validation Applications o Popularity rankings and market share info Customer favorites o Testimonials from similar others Liking Direct Social Influence Principle people prefer to say yes to those they like o Role of perceived similarity Clothes Study participants were asked to lend a study confederate a dime for a phone call o Other factors that increase liking o Attractiveness compliments familiarity perceived cooperation positive associations Near Exposure Effect familiarity with brand logos leads to upset and bad reactions when they are changed Liking Applications o Attractive salespeople Halo Effect o Friends selling to friends e g jewelry parties o Establishing common ground Salespeople end up getting higher price when finding commonalities with consumer Authority Direct Social Influence Principle people defer to experts Milgram s Electric Shock Studies what is it that makes people comply with orders given by others o Nazis claimed to be just following orders Jaywalking Study when a person dressed in a suit jaywalked other people were likely to follow their lead o Suit is indicative of authority Security Guard Study NYC pedestrians were stopped by a study confederate and given an order o Participants complied more with the order when it was given by the guard relative to the civilian or the milkman We tend to obey people we see as authority figures or experts Authority Applications o Titles uniforms symbols Clinique salespeople wear lab coats Wearing a suit to an interview Crest is recommended by Dental Professionals Scarcity Direct Social Influence Principle people want more of what they can t have o Role of psychological reactance Cookie Study participants were given a chocolate chip cookie from a jar and asked to taste and rate its quality o o Scarcity increased participants liking for the cookie Especially under condition of new scarceness competition Scarcity Applications o Highlight unique benefit Real estate tactic o Emphasize exclusive info and opportunities Indirect Social Influence o Aspirational reference group o Associative reference group o Dissociative reference group Expedia 1 ticket left at this price Only hours left for the sale clock is ticking We automatically perceive the people around us even without interacting We often categorize people into reference groups Groups we aspire to belong Groups which we belong Groups we dislike don t wish to be associated with Others may influence our consumption behaviors even if we don t directly interact with them o Who the others are and who we are matters We look to others for cues on how to act o Underlying need to affiliation o Suggests that others can set an initial anchor for our behavior We want to be like some people aspirational but not others dissociative o Fat Suit Study How does someone else s portion size and body type affect how much you eat Based on the premise that most people do not aspire to be obese