Buzz marketing involves enlisting or even creating

 Buzz marketing – involves enlisting or even creating opinion leaders to serve as “brand ambassadors” who spread word about
company’s products. Marketers of brands subjected to strong group influence must figure out how to reach opinion leaders
(influentials/leading adopters) —people within reference group who, because of special skills, knowledge, personality or other
characteristics, exert social influence on others.
b) Online Social Networks – online communities where people socialize or exchange information and opinions. Social networking media
range from blogs and message boards to social networking Web sites and virtual worlds. This new form of consumer-to-consumer and
business-to-consumer dialog has big implications for marketers. Using Internet and social networks to interact with consumers.
c) Family – most important consumer buying organization in society and it has been researched extensively. Husband-wife involvement
varies widely by product category and by stage in buying process. Buying roles change with evolving consumer lifestyles. Marketers in
industries that have sold their products to only men or only women are now courting opposite sex. Children significantly influence
family decisions about everything from where they take vacations to what cars and cell phones they buy.
d) Roles and Status – person belongs to many groups: family, clubs, organizations, online communities. Person’s position in each group
can be defined in terms of both role and status. Role – consists of activities people are expected to perform according to people
around them. Each role carries status – general esteem given to it by society. People usually choose products appropriate to their roles
& status.
3. PERSONAL FACTORS
1. Age & life-cycle stage – people change goods and services they buy over lifetimes. Tastes in food, clothes, furniture and recreation are
often age related. Life-stage changes usually result from demographics and life-changing events – marriage, having children,
purchasing home, divorce, children going to college, changes in personal income, moving out of house and retirement.
2. Occupation – affects goods and services bought. Marketers try to identify occupational groups that have above-average interest in
their products and services. Company can even specialize in making products needed by given occupational group.
3. Economic situation – affects his/her store and product choices. Marketers watch personal income, savings and interest rates. Following
recent recession, most companies have taken steps to redesign, reposition and reprice their products.
4. Lifestyle – person's pattern of living as expressed in his/her psychographics. It involves measuring consumers' major AIO dimensions:
Activities (work, hobbies, shopping, sports and social events), Interest (food, fashion, family and recreation) and Opinions (about
themselves, social issues, business and products). Lifestyle profiles person's whole pattern of acting and interacting in world.