ENVIRONMENTAL INFLUENCES

TYPES OF INFLUENCES

VALUES
Values are shared beliefs or group norms
internalised by individuals

NORMS
Norms are beliefs held by consensus of a group
concerning the behaviour rules for individual
members

SOCIALISATION
The process by which people develop their values,
motivation and habitual activity.
Consumer
socialisation
is
the
consumption
related
cognitions,
behaviour

acquisition
of
attitude
and

WHAT IS CULTURE?
A set of values , ideas and other meaningful symbols that

help individuals communicate, interpret and evaluate as

members of society
Provides people with a sense of identity and an

understanding of acceptable behaviour within society.

CULTURAL INFLUENCE

HOW IS CULTURE PROPAGATED?

Culture is learned through imitation or by

observing the process of reward and punishment in a

society of members who adhere to or deviate from
group norms.

Culture is inculcated through family, religion and

schools

Culture rewards socially gratifying responses. When

norms no longer provide gratification in a society,

the norms are extinguished

Culture is adaptive

CULTURE AFFECTS CONSUMER

BEHAVIOUR

IMPACT OF CULTURE ON
CONSUMPTION
A nations culture determines what suppliers can
offer, the way products can be marketed and the
degree to which consumers are allowed to act on
their preferences

HOW CORE VALUES AFFECT

MARKETING?

CHANGING INSTITUTIONS

INTERGENERATIONAL
MOTIVATING FACTORS
Consumers
are
products
of
their
environment. People strive as adults to
achieve what they believe they were
deprived of in early stages of life.
Cohort analysis helps us to understand the
differences between different groups and
their motivations

SOCIAL INFLUENCE
Behaviour
can
also
depending on social class

be

influenced

WHAT IS SOCIAL CLASS?

It is defined as relatively permanent and homogeneous
divisions in a society into which individuals or families
sharing similar values,
lifestyles, interests and
behaviour can be categorised

SOCIAL STRATIFICATION
When a large group of families are approximately equal in

rank to each other and clearly differentiated from other

families, they form a social class
Pecking Order
Determined by class, status and caste

SOCIAL
CLASSES
ARE
STRATIFIED
ACCORDING TO THEIR RELATIONS IN THE
PRODUCTION AND ACQUISITION OF GOODS

Social status groups are stratified according to

the principles of their consumption of goods as
represented by their style of life

WHAT DETERMINES SOCIAL

CLASS?

HOW TO MEASURE SOCIAL

CLASS?

PRETENDERS TO A SOCIAL CLASS ARE

MUCH MORE THAN PEOPLE THAT FALL
IN IT.
Therefore, product usage does not necessarily mean
that people fall in that class

DO SOCIAL CLASSES CHANGE?

Men inherit the class of their father.
Women can change class with marriage. Similarly women

can lose status after divorce

PERSONAL INFLUENCE
Personal influence, direct or indirect is one of the very
best forms of persuasion. This is because the input
from people with whom we can identify and relate can
attain remarkable credibility.

TYPES OF PERSONAL INFLUENCE

Reference group Normative, Comparative
WOM

MODELS OF PERSONAL
INFLUENCE

TYPES OF REFERENCE GROUPS

FORMS OF REFERENCE GROUP

INFLUENCE

WORD OF MOUTH
For WOM to spread it requires an opinion leader
There has to be some motivations for spreading WOM

WHEN WILL WOM BE USEFUL?

IDENTIFYING INFLUENTIALS

MOTIVATIONS FOR WOM

IMPACT OF WOM COMMUNICATION

MARKETING IMPLICATIONS

FAMILY INFLUENCE
Buying decisions of
influenced by other
household

individuals may be heavily

members of the family or

HOUSEHOLD
All persons related or otherwise occupying
the same dwelling unit.
Non-family units would come under this
category eg, singles, elderly people,
POSSLQ, divorcees

FAMILIES CAN COMPRISE OF

HOW DO FAMILIES FUNCTION?

Cohesion
Adaptability
Communication

INDIVIDUAL ROLE IN A BUYING

CENTRE

SPOUSAL BUYING ROLES

BEHAVIOUR CHANGES RELATED TO

FAMILY LIFE CYCLE (FLC)

PARENTING STYLES

SITUATION INFLUENCES
Arising from factors that are particular to a specific
time and place that are independent of consumer and
object characteristics

TYPES OF CONSUMER
SITUATIONS
Communication situations
Purchase situations
Usage situations

COMMUNICATION SITUATIONS
Those settings where the consumer is exposed to either
personal or non personal communications.

PURCHASE SITUATIONS
Those settings in which consumers acquire products and
services
Information environment availability, load, format, form
Retail environment atmospherics, music, layout, colours,
POPs, salespeople, crowding
Time

USAGE SITUATIONS

PERSON-SITUATION INTERACTION

Behaviour can also change depending on the type of

consumers for the same situation

UNEXPECTED SITUATIONAL
INFLUENCE
Product out of stock
Guests dropping in for dinner
Sudden leave being sanctioned
Falling ill

For marketers, it is assumed that the no. of customers lost

due to unexpected situational influences is offset by the
number of customers gained by unexpected situational
influences. While this may be true at an overall level,
losses and
gains could happen at a company/industry level