I Told You So

Review by Mike Gange

The Influentials
by Ed Keller and Jon Berry
The Free Press, $41.00, 353 pages

For more than a decade, individuals have been gaining more clout on the political front and, as consumers, gaining more power in the marketplace. The transfer of power has seen governments losing power and traditional marketing and media influence eroding. Increasingly, many North Americans say they get their best ideas and information about products and services from word of mouth – delivered by their trusted friends.

Ed Keller and Jon Berry are researchers who examine marketing and consumer trends. They say about 10 % of the population influences most of the others in what to buy, where to eat and how to vote. Keller and Berry and their research firm, RoperASW, have found that this small group are not only leaders in their communities, but pioneer consumers, leading the way in acquiring such items as video cassette recorders (VCRs), home computers and cell phones.

In a 1973 study by RoperASW, a trend identified these influential individuals who stood out from the mainstream of the population for being forward thinking on social and political issues. Although they are not the most affluent of the population, Keller and Berry say this segment of society is found to be the most willing to take chances on new opportunities as they are presented. For example, in a three month period in 1988, 46% of these influential citizens made purchases through a catalog, while only 29% of the general public did so.

In The Influentials, Keller and Berry detail how these individuals who influential the rest of us share certain characteristics: they generally have an activist approach to life that extends from the community to the workplace to leisure time; a network of contacts broader than the norm for the rest of society; restless minds that seem to be constantly engaged; and a tendency to be looked to by others for advice or opinion. There are also a few other common characteristics: college educated, mid-life, child rearing, upper-middle income and are in positions of responsibility. And these influentials are just as likely to be women as men.

Keller and Berry have written what turns out to be not only an enlightening and engrossing adventure, but also a marketing manual on how to reach the segment of the population most likely to respond and make others respond too. The Influentials is well researched and the authors make a compelling argument. Only time will tell how marketers and promoters use this kind of research to woo a powerful group of consumers.

 

Mike Gange teaches media studies and journalism at Fredericton High.