Why Do Consumers Associate Themselves With Reference Groups?

Question

Why Do Consumers Associate Themselves With Reference Groups?

2 Answers

Answer Question

Answer 1

A reference group can be one or more people with whom the consumer wants to identify himself by using the same kind of brands and products as them. Other than brands and products, the people may also associate with their reference group with respect to their performance, attitude, and ambitions.

The main reason behind associating with reference groups is that the consumer may admire the person or is influenced by them and wants to compare with them by using products they use or doing things that they do. For example,
A person might want to buy Nike Air because he likes Michael Jordan.

Answer 2

Reference Group

Reference group is a sociological concept and it is used to evaluate the nature of a given individual with respect to his group characteristics and sociological attributes.

It has a great impact on the consumer behavior and image, therefore, majority of the consumers associate themselves with a reference group. After associating them with a specific reference group they can get an image and can position them very easily. Moreover, they can also satisfy the expectations of others and can also refer the group for the evaluation of their achievements, ambitions, aspirations and role performance.