The Famo..

According to Kotler et al family directly influence the decisions that a buyer makes. Therefore, it appears important that marketers target and consider the different types of family that are active consumers. For example, in the UK there is an increase in step- families which could suggest that there is a lot of money being spent on the children in those families to counter-act any hardship faced by them due to joining with another family. Therefore, a product marketed with the concept that the child would love it, or was heavily branded with the likes of the latest fad such as High School Musical would be more likely to be purchased with ''guilt money'' due to the perceived pleasure of the child receiving it.

In the current financial climate, many family's buying behaviour may have changed with the emphasis being on greater value for their money. This could see a greater purchase increase in supermarkets own branded products, for example, a low involvement product such as buying Heinz baked beans could easily subsitituted for an own brand alternative saving a few pennies per tin. The decision to do so may be affected by the role of the individual in the family and their decision making. Field (1969) identified three dimensions which determine the influences of the husband, wife and child in decision making: discernment - technical know how, price- who pays and satisfaction - who uses it. In terms of purchases for children, it will be their satisfaction which is paramount to the parents. Therefore, if a product can be marketed as value for money and of great satisfaction to the child (i.e a brand) it should be able to succeed in a competitive market.

However, it is not only toys that children can influence the decision for. As they are big TV viewers, they are exposed to a variety of ads which can enchance their ability to influence their parents purchase decision.

However some argue its ''the wife'' who makes the decisions...

Generational Marketing and Tweenagers...

A Tween is between 8 to 12 years old, in the UK there are currently around four million tweens. They are a highly media literate group of consumers for whom marketing, advertising and the importance of brands are a part of life. One of the most marked effects of the ‘kids getting older younger’ phenomenon is the increase of interest in appearance at an earlier age. Marketers are able to target this through magazines such as “Cosmo Girl” and “Sugar”. By using pink and other girly images on make up packaging, along with using older models that the Tweens aspire towards they are easily influenced into purchasing the products. E.g. Miss Sporty Make-Up (which is also pocket money friendly).

In terms of advertisement, raunchiness and the rebellion of being a teenager is kept off the scene with more emphasis on how they will look, feel or act better. An important aspect of tween marketing is the viral nature of the school playground with trends and fads such as Pokemon cards or the Tamagotchi flitting in and out of fashion.

Tweens are an important generation to market to as they are becoming increasingly savvier consumers affected by the influence of the media. The female tween market is saturated with brands targeting young girls for make-up, hair straightners, clothes etc. Whereas, the boy tween market has limited branding apart from the likes of Play Station and Xbox. Therefore, if marketed correctly, there is scope for further branding to arise in the boy tween market.

Groups and their implications on marketing...

''Identifying and understanding the groups consumers belong to is a key strategy for marketers. Doing so helps identify target markets, develop new products, and create appealing marketing promotions to which consumers can relate.''

(knowthis.com. [online], 2009)

There are many group types which can influence purchase decision:

Ascribed (born into)

Reference (looked to for lifestyle)

Aquired (join/move into e.g Guides or Brownies)

Aspirational (like to belong)

Disassociation (hate to belong to)

Contrived (formed for a specific purpose)

Associative (realistically belong)

Peer (people of equal standing)

The different group types can impact greatly on purchase decision, for example, as ''chavs'' are associated with the burberry pattern, this may deter a buyer purchasing a genuine burberry item as it could be seen as an association with a group which would not be desirable to be associated with. Furthermore, someone of a lower class could be influenced by careful marketing if a product is shown to be luxurious and something that they would ''aspire'' to be associated with. The glitz and glamour portrayed in the following Chanel advert would give a buyer a product which they could aspire to and also be able to afford.

Maslow's hierachy of needs includes the need to belong, which is a pivot on which marketers and advertisers often advertise their products. The need for belonging is re-iterated in the social comparison theory which states that we look to the behaviour of others to provide a guide to how we chose to behave. The person on which social comparisons are made tends to be a co-oriented peer or someone of equal standing. Hornstein et al (1968) conducted an experiment where they dropped a wallet containing trivial items (such as a letter), a return address and $2 in the middle of Manhattan. they observed what people did when they piccked it up and found that when the person who found the letter felt similar to the letter-writer, they were more inclined to return the wallet. However, when they felt similiar to the letter-writer, but the letter was written in a negative way they ''punished'' them by not returning the wallet. Therefore demonstrating our desire to belong, and feel good about the group that we belong to.

Consequently, we look to our reference group (colleagues/neighbours), for influence on purchase decisions such as luxury items often branded. Therefore if a marketer or advertiser can establish a strong brand, it will be more likely to be suggested by an individual's reference group and therefore have a better chance of succeeding in it's market.

Reference group influence: (Solomon, 2000)