Question

Marketing/Consumer Behavior Question

3. What is an "Opinion Leader” and why are opinion leaders important in marketing? Explain how marketers can use this concept of opinion leadership to more efficiently and effectively market products and services. How is the concept of opinion leaders/influencers related to concepts of diffusion of innovation and reference groups? What characteristics should opinion leaders/influencers have to be effective? (25 points 300-400 words).

Answer 1

An opinion leader is a well known individual or organisation that has a ability to influence the public opinion on the subject at which opinion leader is known.

Opinions leaders can be business leaders, educators, politicians, celebrities.

Opinion leaders are very famous and has ability to influence other people, marketers often see opinion leaders for collaborations, advertising campaigns to sell there products.

They help marketers to create a brand value for there product.

Marketers use the concept of the opinion leaders to create brand for there products and services.

Opinion leaders are the most influencing persons and organisation. People trust them and have full faith on what they say about the product and service.

Marketers join hands with opinion leaders to market there products at a huge scale.

It helps the markets to sell there products and services in a more effective and efficient manner.

The opinion leaders generally have more experience and more information on the product/service category, have greater involvement with it, and display a more exploratory and innovative behavior. Thus, we can see the importance of opinion leaders, whose main features are innovative behavior, the knowledge of a given category of products/services, and their power to influence others.

The characteristics opinion leader should have:-

• They are knowledgeable in their field.
• They are respected and trusted by their followers.
• Their views carry weight and significance.
• They interpret the media messages and put them into context for the wider population.