Social Influences in Marketing - Essay Example

What are the products that are usually purchased through social influence Oftentimes these are leisure and aesthetic goods which cut into the consumer's disposable income? For car buffs, these include add-ons such as mag wheels, body kits, and engine upgrades. These are often unnecessary and costly expenses, but because of the social influence exerted by being in that said organization they would accede to these costly expenditures to merely "fit in". For instance, if everyone in the club would be buying fancy mag wheels to augment their cars, more often than not the member would be prevailed upon to do likewise, if only to "be one of the boys".

On the same vein, students going to the big sporting events would be subliminally prodded to purchase university paraphernalia, without which they would seem lacking and out of place. Caps, t-shirts, jackets, warmers, bobbleheads - all of these are products people buy in order to fit in within the prevailing social context. Similarly, if all of your buddies went to a football game and wore the team's gear, you feel inadequate if you did not have gear yourself. There are numerous marketing strategies put in place in order to tap this "socially influenced" segment.

A good example would be how companies would tie-up with special interest and hobby organizations that are within their given industry. For instance, it is not too uncommon to see big car shops and car audio suppliers liaise with these clubs for big car shows. These provide a good avenue for them to showcase their products within a very specific target segment, and is an even better alternative to traditional marketing strategies as it allows for greater interaction for potential clients. This works extremely well for a niche market such as a special interest or hobby organization.

In other fields such as online gaming or role-playing card-games, tournaments are held to give these companies greater visibility and reaffirm their status within their market.