Opinion Leadership - Strategic Advertising Applications

Practitioners of marketing and advertising are interested in the opinion leadership concept as it provides them with a way to influence consumer product purchase decisions. We know from the previously reviewed research studies, personal influence changes opinions and impacts consumer behavior. "Even in this era of mass communications and mass advertising, it has been estimated that as much as 80% of all buying decisions are influenced by someone's direct recommendation" (19, p. 32).

Marketers attempt to influence word-of-mouth communication among consumers in various ways, including both direct and indirect approaches (1, p. 434). Five strategies are reviewed below:

Portraying Opinion Leaders

Advertisers can opt to portray opinion leaders giving testimonials for a particular product or service. It is important to establish credibility by selecting an opinion leader who has some association with the product or service (1, p. 435).

Examples:

Rafer Johnson was effectively used as an opinion leader for advice on exercise since he was a former Olympic star (1, p. 374, 435). View Ad.
Advil and Anacin over-the-counter drugs emphasized endorsements from doctors and pharmacists (1, p. 435-436). View Ad.
Schering used influentials to discourage or discredit certain sources of information. The advertisement encourages consumers to rely on their pharmacist, rather than friends or neighbors, for medication information (1, p. 436). View Ad.

Identifying Opinion Leaders Directly

Marketers can locate actual opinion leaders, rather than just portraying them in their advertising (1, p. 435). Prior studies have shown that successful campaigns seem to aim their messages at opinion leaders (12, p. 289). Identifying such opinion leaders can be accomplished by reviewing company purchase records for new product adoption habits, or through consumer contests or ads offering additional product information. Respondents are more likely to have high interest in the product and be opinion leaders (1, p. 435).

Examples:

Direct mail or free samples sent directly to identifiable opinion leaders may "stimulate a social multiplier effect, since these individuals would disseminate information and exert a disproportionate amount of influence on friends and relatives" (1, p. 436).
Lincoln Continental dealers recruited opinion leaders to drive the car during the introduction of the model (1, p. 436).

Creating Opinion Leaders

The possibility of creating opinion leaders for a particular product exists when marketers can identify a group of socially active consumers (1, p. 436).

Examples:

Canada Dry created an advisory board of socially prominent women to "serve Canada Dry Club Soda at their elegant dinner parties, talk it up to their socially prominent friends and maneuver it into such upscale - and much publicized - events as the Boston Marathon" (1, p. 436-437).
An attempt to transform an unknown pop record into a hit was successful using high school opinion leaders, including class presidents, class secretaries, sports captains, and cheerleaders. These opinion leaders were asked to evaluate rock records in exchange for free records. They were encouraged to discuss their choices with friends. Several records reviewed by this group became "top 10" hits within the trial cities (1, p. 437).

Simulating Word-of-Mouth Communication

By portraying conversations among typical customers, advertising can simulate word-of-mouth communication. Such ads seek to replace an individual's need for direct personal influence from family or friends (1, p. 437).

Example:

Dove soap uses the typical consumer for referent power. Referent power is "based on the identification of the individual with members of the group. The greater the similarity of the individual's beliefs and attitudes with those of group members, the greater the referent power of the group" (1, p. 374-375, 678). View Ad.

Stimulating Word-of-mouth Communication

Advertisers may try to encourage consumers to talk about a product by suggesting to consumers to "tell your friends" or "ask your friends." Another approach is to organize social situations in which consumers will communicate about products.

Examples:

Acme Supermarket Chain uses "Tell a friend. Save at Acme." in its advertisements (1, p. 437).
Fabergé Organics shampoo urged users to tell two friends, so they will tell two friends, and so on, to encourage the spread of word-of-mouth. The advertisement visually displayed faces on the screen multiplying in number as friends told friends about the product (1, p. 437).
Tupperware parties capitalize on the consumer's desire to communicate about products (1, p. 437).

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