Word of Mouth Essay

Submitted By danidhs
Words: 799
Pages: 4

Grazian (2010) states that word of mouth is one of the most influential ways that an object becomes a pop culture sensation (pg. 75). 67 percent of all sales of an object or viewing of a movie is based on word of mouth communication between friends, family, co-workers, or with people waiting in line to make a purchase (Grazian, 2010). With the internet being so readily available and all of the product reviews and information at our fingertips, consumers can research a product before buying or viewing to hopefully ensure satisfaction. There are three types of people that Grazian describes whose opinions are valued for knowledge of an object (pg. 77). They are opinion leaders, early adopters, and market mavens. Opinion leaders are considered to be experts on certain objects and are called upon to give their expert opinions on these objects. Opinion leader’s expertise generally includes objects that are involved within the field of their employment or hobbies. I will call a specific co-worker if I have a work question because I know that he is very knowledgeable with our line of work and that his advice and opinions are valuable. One of my main hobbies is scrapbooking. If I ever get stumped on an idea for a page or if I need a little extra creative help, I drive over to the local scrapbook store and seek the advice of one of their employees that has never failed me in the past. I feel that she is knowledgeable in the subject of scrapbooking and can give me suggestions based on this knowledge that someone else would not be able to. The second type of individual that Grazian (2010) believes influence the decision of others are early adopters (pg. 78). An early adopter is a person who is the first to purchase all of the newest gadgets. They tend to boost to everyone that they come into contact with about how great their newly acquired gadget is. Early adopters post reviews on every website possible to inform the public about this awesome gadget that is a must-have or a do not purchase. It is the early adopters that influence what product my husband and I purchase. We read all reviews possible and put a lot of research into the purchase of a new product. There is nothing worse than thinking you are getting a great deal only to find out that the great deal has more issues than imaginable and costs twice as much, in the end, as would have if you spent a little time researching the product. Opinion leaders are experts on a few subjects that relate to their lives. Early adopters are experts in a certain category such as electronics, movies, or wines but the third type of influential person is different. Market mavens have extensive knowledge in many categories and have an even greater level of influence over people than the other two types of individuals have. A market maven is a person is thought to be in the know of all subjects and has the