Group Influence and Brand Choice Congruence

Purchase decisions are made in and influenced by their social environment 1, 2, 4, 6, 7, 8. In our recent study 9, for example, it was found that group influence affects brand choice differently for different products and that brand choice congruence within groups varies significantly among test products. For products high in social involvement (e.g., cigarettes, beer), the power of group cohesiveness in predicting brand choice was greater than for products low in social involvement (e.g., deodorant). Thus, the study indicated that differences in the explanatory power of group cohesiveness are rooted symbolically in the nature of the product and the interpersonal situation in which it is used. These findings, with respect to the effect of symbolic product involvement in interpersonal interaction, suggest that investigations of group influence on brand choice should focus on both the symbolic nature of the product and group structure and decision processes. This exploratory study sought an explanation of group influence through a consideration of both. Correlates of group influence were examined in seven product contexts.