These are office workers, teachers, small business people and the like who typically hold
strong American values. They are family-oriented, hard-working individuals . The
lower class is made up of blue-collar workers such as production line workers and
people. Many have incomes that exceed those of the lower-middle class, but their
are often very different. They tend to adopt a short-run, live-for-the-present philosophy. They
are less future-oriented than the middle classes. The lower-lower class consists of unskilled
workers with low incomes. They are more concerned with necessities than with status or
fulfillment.
People in the same social class tend to have similar attitudes, live in similar neigh-
borhoods, dress alike, and shop at the same type stores. If a marketer wishes to target efforts
toward the upper classes, then the market offering must be designed to meet their expec-
tations in terms of quality, service, and atmosphere. For example, differences in leisure-
concerts are favored by members of the middle and upper classes, while fishing, bowling,
pool, and drive-in movies are more likely to involve members of the lower social classes.
Reference Groups
Do you ever wonder why Pepsi used Shaquille O'Neal in their
advertisements? The teen market consumes a considerable amount of soft drinks . Pepsi has
made a strong effort to capture a larger share of this market, and felt that Shaquille repre-
sented the spirit of today 's teens. Pepsi is promoted as "the choice of a new generation"
and Shaquille is viewed as a role model by much of that generation. Pepsi has thus employed
the concept of reference groups .
A referen ce group helps shape a person's attitudes and behaviors. Such groups can
be either formal or informal. Churches, clubs, schools, notable individuals, and fri ends can
all be reference groups for a particular consumer. Reference groups are characterized as
having individuals who are opinion leaders for the group. Opinion leaders are people who influence others. They are not necessarily higher-income or better educated, but perhaps
are seen as having greater expertise or knowledge related to some specific topic. For exam-
ple, a local high school teacher may be an opinion leader for parents in selecting college:;
for their children. These people set the trend and others conform to the expressed behav-
ior. If a marketer can identify the opinion leaders for a group in the target market, then
can be directed toward attracting these individuals. For example, if an ice cream parlor is
attempting to attract the local high school trade, opinion leaders at the school may be very
important to
success.
The reference group can influence an individual in several ways:6
1. Role expectations: The role assumed by a person is nothing more than a prescribed
way of behaving based on the situation and the person's position in the situation.
Your reference group determines much about how th is role is to be performed.
As a student, you are expected to behave in a certain basic way under certain con-
di tions.
2. Conformity: Conformity is related to our roles in that we modify our behavior in
order to coincide with group norms. Norms are behavioral expectations that are
considered appropri ate regardless of the position we hold.
3. Group communications through opinion leaders: We, as consumers, are constantly
seeking out the advice of knowledgeable friends or acquaintances who can pro-
vide information, give advice, or actually make the decision. For some product
categories, there are professional opinion leaders who are qu ite easy to identify-
e. g., auto mechanics, beauticians, stock brokers, and physicians.
BUYER BEHAVIOR AS PROBLEM SOLVING
81
Family
One of the most important reference groups for an individual is the fam-
ily. A consumer's family has a major impact on attitude and behavior. The interaction between
husband and wife and
number and ages of children in the family can have a significant
effect on buying behavior.
One facet in understanding the family's impact on consumer behavior is identifying
the decision maker for the purchase in question. In some cases, the husband is typically dom-
inant, in others the wife or children, and still others, ajoint decision is made. The store choice for food and household items is most often the wife's. With purchases that involve a larger
sum of money, such as a refrigerator, a joint decision is usually made. The decision on cloth-
ing purchases for teenagers may be greatly influenced by the teenagers themselves. Thus,
marketers need to identify the key family decision maker for the product or service in question.
Another aspect of understanding the impact of the family on buying behavior is the
family lifecycle . Most families pass through an orderly sequence of stages. These stages can be defined by a combination of factors such as age, marital status, and parenthood. The
typical stages are:
1. The bachelor state; young, single people.
2. Newly married couples; young, no children.
3. The full nest I and II; young married couples with dependent children:
a. Youngest child under six (Full nest I)
b. Youngest child over six (Full nest II)
4. The full nest III; older married couples with dependent children.
5. The empty nest I and II; older married couples with no children living with them:
a. Adults in labor force (Empty nest I)
b. Adults retired (Empty nest II)
6. The solitary survivors; older single people:
a. In labor force
b. Retired
Each of these stages is characterized by different buying behaviors. For example, a chil-
dren's clothing manufacturer would target its efforts primarily at the full nest I families.
Thus, the family cycle can be helpful in defining the target customers.
Internal In fluences
Each customer is to some degree a unique problem solving unit. Although they can be grouped
into meaningful segments. in order to fully appreciate the totality of the buying process, a
marketer needs to examine the internal forces that influence consumers. They are learn-
ing/socialization, motivation and personality, and lifestyle.
Learning and Socialization
As a factor influencing a person's perceptions, learn-
ing may be defined as changes in behavior resulting from previous experiences. However, learning does not include behavior changes attributable to instinctive responses, growth, or
temporary states of the organism, such as hunger, fatigue, or sleep. It is clear that learning IS an ongoing process that is dynamic, adaptive, and subject to change. Also, learning is an
experience and practice that actually brings about changes in behavior. For example, in order to learn how to play tennis, you might participate in it to gain experience, be exposed to
the different skills required, the rules, and so forth. However, the experience does not have
to be an
physical one. It could be a conceptualization of a potential experience. In
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