Groups Groups and more Groups

Not to sound big headed or anything but I kind of knew that there would be different types of customers out there that have different needs form others. This lecture looked at putting these different types of customers into groups and how marketers such as myself can target them in the not too distant, fast approaching future. So basically a group is a number of people who share the same interests, norms, social surrounding and experience interdependant behaviour.

As you all can see I have posted a picture of a group they everybody loves. Yes the general nuisance of the UK today.....THE CHAV! They are a group as they do all of the listed above, deindividuation also comes into this and groups generally, people seem to loose sense of identity and social inhibitions when in a group. Football hooliganism is a prime example, these guys maybe normal when they are alone but once in a crowd they are completely different people. I know it happens to me when I'm in a group!

One prime example of groups affecting the market and businesses could be Burberry and the good old chavs.

"Quite a lot of people thought that Burberry would be worn by the person who mugged them." I thought this one was funny

Their distinctive beige check, once associated with A-listers, has now become the uniform of a rather different social group: the so-called Chav. With UK sales falling, Burberry cannot afford to become a laughing stock in their own backyard.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/4381140.stm

This was in the past but it just goes to show how much groups can affect a business and how much a wrong kind of group can nearly destroy it!

If your in a group you obviously want to belong or need something. This is where we looked at Maslows hierarchy of needs. I have used this before in business A-Level and I think it makes perfect sense, but I reckon if you dont have some of the levels in the pyramid you cannot reach Self Actualisation.

Example an of hand group - The Stanford Prison Experiment