OPINION LEADERSHIP MADAM NOREEN NOOR ABD.AZIZ

Chapter 10
CHAPTER 10
Opinion Leadership
Shamshul Anaz Kassim
Senior Lecturer
Faculty of Business Management
UiTM Perlis

The process by which one person (the opinion
leader) informally influences the actions or
attitudes of others, who may be opinion
seekers or opinion recipients.
Opinion leaders are highly effective at
influencing consumers in the product related
decisions because of the following reasons:
a) Expert Power
b) Knowledge Power
c) Credibility
d) Referent Power
e) Legitimate Power

EXPERT
POWER
• Opinion leaders often specialize in certain product categories
which thus make them technically competent and convincing.
• They are able to prescreen, evaluate and synthesize product
information in an unbiased way
KNOWLEDGE
POWER
• Opinion leader are often the first to buy new products, so they
absorb much of the risk.
CREDIBILITY • They often base their product advice on first hand experience .
REFERENT
POWER
• They share similar values and beliefs as their
customers
• Opinion leaders are socially active and highly
interconnected in their community
LEGITIMATE • They are likely to hold an office in community groups
and clubs in order to be active outside their homes.
POWER
1) Knowledge and interest
He has high level of interest in the product or
service category in providing advice or
information.
2)Consumer Innovators
They are more innovative in their purchases
than their consumers. Since they are very
interested in a product, they are likely to try the
full range of the product as soon as they are
introduced.
3) Personality Traits
Opinion leaders are more self-confident,
gregarious and socially active than their
followers.
4) Social Status Characteristics
Although they belong to the same peer
group, they seem to have a greater social
status than followers
5) Media Habits
Opinion leaders have greater exposure to
media specifically to their areas of interest.
They also read special-interest magazines
and are knowledgeable about the specific
topic or product category in which they
specialize.
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Programs designed to stimulate opinion
leadership
Advertisement that stimulate opinion
leadership
Creation of opinion leaders
Product sampling

Please read page 282 (text book) and explain
why communication link to the opinion
leader in the transmission of information and
influence?