Basic Marketing: A Global Managerial Approach

Perreault−McCarthy: Basic

Marketing: A

Global−Managerial

Approach, 14/e

14. Promotion −
    Introduction to Integrated
    Marketing
    Communications

Text © The McGraw−Hill

Companies, 2002

412 Chapter 14

Early adoptersare well respected by their peers and often are opinion leaders.

They tend to be younger, more mobile, and more creative than later adopters. But

unlike innovators, they have fewer contacts outside their own social group or com-

munity. Business firms in this category also tend to be specialized.

Of all the groups, this one tends to have the greatest contact with salespeople.

Mass media are important information sources too. Marketers should be very con-

cerned with attracting and selling the early adopter group. Their acceptance is really

important in reaching the next group because the early majority look to the early

adopters for guidance. The early adopters can help the promotion effort by spread-

ing word-of-mouthinformation and advice among other consumers.

Opinion leaders help spread the word

Marketers know the importance of personal conversations and recommen-

dations by opinion leaders. If early groups reject the product, it may never get off

the ground. For example, some moviegoers are the first to see new movies. If they

think a movie is dull, they quickly tell their friends not to waste their time and

money. Consumers are even more likely to talk about a negative experience than

a positive experience.

But if opinion leaders accept a product, what they say about it can be very

important. Such word-of-mouth publicity may do the real selling job—long

before the customer ever walks into the retail store. That’s why some companies

try to target promotion to encourage opinion leadership and word-of-mouth

publicity.

The Internet is also providing companies, even small ones, with a low-cost way

to encourage word of mouth. An interesting web page can attract attention—and

customers can easily e-mail a copy to a friend. For example, a retail shop called Hot

Hot Hot, which carries a very wide variety of hot sauces for food, established a web-

site. Very quickly, largely because of word of mouth, 1,500 people were visiting the

website each day.^16

The early majorityavoid risk and wait to consider a new idea after many early

adopters have tried it—and liked it. Average-sized business firms that are less spe-

cialized often fit in this category. If successful companies in their industry adopt the

new idea, they will too.

Compaq is not targeting people
who are Internet innovators but
rather members of the late
majority group who just want a
hassle-free way to use e-mail as
part of their everyday life. On the
other hand, Toyota’s Prius ad
targets innovators and early
adopters.

Early adopters are
often opinion leaders

Early majority group is
deliberate