Major American Social Classes
Membership Groups
Groups with direct influence and to which a person belongs
Aspirational Groups
Groups an individual wishes to belong to
Reference Groups
Groups that form a comparison or reference in forming attitudes or behavior
Word-of-mouth influence and buzz marketing
Opinion leaders are people within a reference group who exert social influence on others
Also called influentials or leading adopters
Marketers identify them to use as brand ambassadors
Online Social Networks are online communities where people socialize or exchange information and opinions
Include blogs, social networking sites (facebook), virtual worlds (second life)
Social Factors
Family is the most important consumer-buying organization in society
Social roles and status are the groups, family, clubs, and organizations that a person belongs to that can define role and social status