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Amity Business School: MBA Class of 2014, Semester II
Amity Business School: MBA Class of 2014, Semester II
Opinion Opinion
Leader Receiver
Opinion
Seeker
Amity Business School
• Credibility
• Positive and Negative Product Information
• Information and Advice
• Opinion Leadership Is Category-Specific
• Opinion Leadership Is a Two-way Street
Amity Business School
Many not-for-
profit
organizations
that hope to
change
behavior, count
on opinion
leaders.
Amity Business School
OPINION LEADER
1. Informal relationship with end users
2. Information exchange occurs in the context of a casual interaction
3. Homophilous (to a certain extent) to end users
4. Does not get paid for advice
5. Usually socially more active than end users
6. Accountability limited regarding the outcome of advice
7. As accountability limited, rigor in search and screening of alternatives
low
8. Likely to have used the product personally
9. More than one can be consulted before making a final decision
10. Same person can be an opinion leader for a variety of related product
categories
Key Differences Between Opinion Leaders and
Surrogate Buyers Amity Business School
Part II: Surrogate Buyers
SURROGATE BUYER
1. Formal relationship; occupation-related status
2. Information exchange in the form of formal instructions/advice
3. Heterophilus to end users (that is, is the source of power)
4. Usually hired, therefore gets paid
5. Not necessarily socially more active than end-users
6. High level of accountability
7. Search and screening of alternatives more rigorous
8. May not have used the product for personal consumption
9. Second opinion taken on rare occasions
10. Usually specializes for a specific product/service category
Amity Business School
• Self-Designating Method
• Sociometric Method
• Key Informant Method
• Objective Method
Measuring Opinion Leadership
Amity Business School
OPINION LEADERSHIP
SAMPLE
MEASUREMENT DESCRIPTION OF METHOD
QUESTIONS ASKED
METHOD
OPINION
SAMPLE
LEADERSHIP
DESCRIPTION OF METHOD QUESTIONS
MEASUREMENT
ASKED
METHOD
KEY INFORMANT Carefully selected key informants in “Who are the most
METHOD a social system are asked to influential people in
designate opinion leaders. the group?”
Individuals whose
influence stems from a
general knowledge or
Market
market expertise that
Maven
leads to an early
awareness of new
products and services.
Amity Business School
• Two-Step Flow
– A communication model that portrays opinion
leaders as direct receivers of information from
mass media sources who, in turn, interpret
and transmit this information
• Multistep Flow
– A revision of the traditional two-step theory
that shows multiple communication flows
Amity Business School
Multistep Flow of
Communication Theory
Amity Business School