Opinion Leadership - Traits of Opinion Leaders

The previous studies clearly indicate the existence of opinion leaders and their ability to influence consumer behavior. However, "an individual's tendency to accept a conclusion advocated by a given communicator will depend in part upon how well informed and intelligent he believes the communicator to be." To be credible, and thus affect opinion change, a communicator must be perceived as an expert and be considered a trustworthy source (8, p. 21).

In general, trustworthiness of a given communicator decreases if he/she is perceived as having a definite intention to persuade (i.e. the communicator appears to have something to gain). Thus, "casual and nonpurposive conversations probably derive part of their effectiveness from the fact that the recipient of a remark does not have the critical and defensive mental set that he typically carries into situations where he knows others are out to influence him" (8, p. 23). Research evidence indicates that the communicator has significant impact on the reaction to a communication. His/her perceived intentions, expertness, and trustworthiness all play a key role in how a communication is received (8, p. 35).

Despite the research available surrounding Opinion Leadership theory, the identification of appropriate opinion leaders for practical purposes continues to be a challenge. There has been lengthy debate as to the existence of "generalized opinion leaders" (somebody whose recommendations are sought for all types of purchases) since the publication of Katz and Lazarsfeld's Personal Influence (16, p. 628). Although rare, generalized opinion leaders are thought to exist. In 1970, Charles King and John Summers analyzed the overlap of opinion leadership across six broad product categories. They reported substantial overlap across categories, particularly across those product categories of similar interest (11, p. 43).

The current presumption, however, is that very few people are capable of being expert in a number of fields. Sociologists typically classify opinion leaders as being monomorphic (expert in a limited field) or polymorphic (expert in several fields). Research further indicates that polymorphic opinion leaders have expertise which overlaps similar categories. For example, "a fashion opinion leader whose primary influence is on clothing choices may also be consulted for recommendations on cosmetics purchases but not necessarily on microwave ovens" (24, p. 355).

Because the majority of opinion leaders are everyday consumers, they are often hard to locate, unlike a celebrity or an influential industry executive. Such opinion leaders operate on a local level, and may only influence a handful of consumers, rather than a large market segment. For practical purposes, most researchers "focus on exploratory studies through which the characteristics of representative opinion leaders can be identified and then generalized to the larger market. This knowledge helps marketers target their product-related information to appropriate settings and media" (24, p. 358).

For example, The General Electric Company conducted quarterly telephone interviews with national samples of adults to alert management of changes in public opinion. This information provided an early indication of new influences that may affect the company. In 1972, additional questions were added to the interview to identify respondents whose opinions might be expected to change earlier than the total sample (3, p. 169). They concluded it was possible to identify individuals whose opinions change earlier than others in the population as a whole (3, p. 175).

The following link provides additional information regarding self-designation, key informants and sociometry, all of which are methods of identifying opinion leaders (24, pp. 358-359).

Methods of Identifying Opinion Leaders

Although identification of opinion leaders themselves is a difficult task, research has been successful in identifying some general traits (or characteristics) of opinion leaders (1, p.433).