Socially Distant Reference Groups and Consumer Aspirations

Several specific effects of various social groups on consumer behavior have been studied. Venkatesan demonstrated experimentally that individuals' product choices may be affected by conformity and reactance in small face-to-face groups [10]. Stafford [9] and Witt [11] found that small primary groups influence certain brand choice decisions, and Bourne suggested that the purchase of certain types and brands of products may be influenced by a person's reference group [1]. However, there is a significant gap in knowledge about the effects on consumer behavior of the socially distant reference group.'