סמינר בשיווק

Edith Shalev from the Technion

Abstract:

The groups and communities to which consumers belong influence their attitudes and purchase decisions. Nowadays, with growing possibilities to form online communities, it is important to understand how groups influence consumers: who is influential? who is most susceptible to influence? Our research focuses on the latter – particularly on the association between centrality and susceptibility to group influence. In a series of studies, we identify two distinct mechanisms via which centrality may shape susceptibility to group influence. On one hand, centrality may increase social status and make the central impervious to influence. On the other hand, centrality may increase identification with the group, and turn the central susceptible to group influence. We test and demonstrate the group identification mechanism and attempt to predict when each of the processes – status enhancement or group identification – will manifest.