Final Thoughts

Taking Consumer Behavior has drastically changed the way I look and analyze advertisements. Since taking my first marketing class, Marketing Principles with Prof. Ben Carr, I have been reading deeper into advertisements and marketing techniques that are used to influence consumers. However, this semester while taking Consumer Behavior, I have found myself over-analyzing commercial advertisements, store advertisements, and being more conscious of myself as a consumer. The concept that intrigued me the most was the study of rituals used to influence consumers. After learning about this chapter, I instantly became more conscious of advertisements that utilize rituals to influence consumers. As a whole this class has taught me a lot of new ideas and theories about the behaviors of consumers. I know look at the world in a new, analytical way, breaking down the deeper meaning of almost every advertisement I see.

Reference Group Influence Ad: Justin Bieber for Proactiv

Justin Bieber Proactiv Commercial

Above is the link for a Proactiv acne treatment commercial featuring Justin Bieber, a famous teeny-bopper singer. In this commercial, Bieber discusses the aspects of growing up and becoming a teenager, aspects like your feet growing and sometimes getting acne. Pre-teens (mostly girls) are part of Justin Bieber's reference group, being a fan of Bieber as an idol. Therefore when they see him on TV promoting a product, they are more apt to buy the product. Bieber uses referent power, because his followers are willing to copy the behaviors of someone they admire, which in this case is him. As a teen idol, Bieber is a great addition to the Proactiv commercial series. Proactiv is known to use celebrity testimonials in their advertisements, starring celebrities like Jessica Simpson, and Katy Perry. Overall, this commercial shows a great example of reference group influence, who's group leader uses referent power to influence his followers.