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Market research 183
Kraft Foods is following a similar course. Kraft Foods continues to develop single-serve portion choices for some of its popular cheese, chocolate and savoury snack products. They have also introduced Nabisco 100 calorie packs, these are pre-portioned packages of Oreo Thin Crisps, Chips Ahoy! Thin Crisps, Kraft Cheese Nips and Wheat Thins Minis. What makes these products attractive is by being 100 calories, the consumer can easily track their calorie consumption, a challenge for many. Kraft is not the only vendor changing their product mix. McDonald’s has added salads to their menu while Coca-Cola has bulked up their product line by selling water. When cultural trends change direction, business follows.
sociaL facToRs
Psychological models also take into account social factors. Unless a person lives in total isolation, they belong to and are influenced by a number of groups. A group is two or more people who interact together for a common purpose. Because people in a group share a common purpose, it is assumed that their purchasing decisions are influenced by the attitudes and opinions of the most important people in the group. These opinion leaders are sometimes called influencers. Either with charisma, knowledge, special skills or a combination of these and other factors, influencers exert a consider- able amount of sway on the opinions of the group. Marketers of consumer goods woo influencers to adopt their products because they are much more likely to convince imitators to also purchase the item. Athletic clothing manufacturers generously sponsor high-profile athletes because of their ability to influence tastes.
cLass sTRucTuRe
A society’s class structure is another group that influences choices. Though it might not seem apparent in some countries, class divisions exist in every society because the relationship between owners of production and those who actually do the work is inherently different. Different social classes demonstrate distinct preferences when satisfying their needs. Those in the upper classes favour expensive brand name items because they offer an element