many segments,
the youth, women, and netizens (YWN) are the most influential.
Others' influence coming from them is often the major driver of purchase.
Despite a brand's effort, it is essentially difficult to manage and control the outcome of
others' influence. The only way for a brand to do so is through community marketing. Companies cannot directly control the conversation within the community, but they may facilitate discussion with the help of loyal customers.
On
the other hand,
own influence comes from within oneself. It is a result of past experience and interaction with several brands, personal judgment and evaluation of the brands, and ultimately individual preference toward the chosen brand(s). Often, personal preference (
own) is swayed toward certain brands by word of mouth (
others') and advertising (
outer). Indeed, the three major sources of influence are always intertwined.
Outer influence often reaches customers first. If a brand successfully
triggers conversation with Outer influence, it is usually followed by
others' influence.
Ultimately, the way these two sources of influence interact will shape customers'
own influence.
Any particular customer is usually
influenced by all three types, albeit with different proportions. Some customers have stronger personal preferences and are not influenced too much by an advertisement or a friend's recommendation. Some rely heavily on the recommendation of others, and some believe in the advertisers. Despite individual variations, today's
customers rely more on others' influence than their
own and
outer influence for reasons we have already discussed. Research by Nielsen in 2015 reveals that 83 percent of respondents in 60 countries rely on friends and family as the most trusted source of “advertising,” and 66 percent pay attention to the opinions of others posted online.
Across the five A's, customers are most open to influence during the
ask and
act stages. In
ask, customers seek advice and absorb as much
information as possible from others' and
outer influence with regard to a short list of brands.
The
ask stage serves as a window of opportunity for marketers to increase brand favorability. In
act, customers shape their
own perception of brands over time. Since they are no longer wary of
outer pressure to buy at this stage, they have an open mindset. Brands that offer stronger customer
experience during consumption and usage will be the preferred brands. (See
Figure 5.4
.)
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