These groups play an important part in the socialization process, helping to shape attitudes and beliefs. Diffusion is a process that rogers described as a series of innovation decision stages. Aug 29, 20 amity business school opinion leadership the process by which one person the opinion leader informally influences the consumption actions or attitudes of others who may be opinion seekers or opinion recipients. Opinion leadership is leadership by an active media user who interprets the meaning of media messages or content for lowerend media users. Recognizing the role that opinion leaders can play in facilitating knowledge transfer and practice change, there has been growing interest in the formalization of opinion leader roles and their recruitment for particular initiatives. Results indicate that the impact of an opinion leader is greatest when the leader is sociodemographically similar to recipients, actively involved in the subject matter, and attentive to mass.
Opinion leaders article about opinion leaders by the free. Opinion leaders may be educated and highly skilled individuals, such as doctors, pastors or local politicians, and they can also be individuals who know their communities well and whose opinions are respected by members, such as barbers or daycare center operators. Opinion leader definition in the cambridge english. Antecedents of opinion leadership in social networks ofer arazy. John kotter in his book leading change defines management and leadership thusly. Opinion leaders are individuals who are active voices in their communities and influence the decisions of community members. The authors describe the opinion leader as the agent who is an active media user, and who interprets the meaning of media messages or content for ordinary. Kol management gives a 360degree view of kol influence and activity, alongwith the ability to see what kols are saying about their products and their competitor products.
This set of opinion leaders are often ordinary people, with or without professional experience in a given industry, who have a wide following on social networks and the skill to stay on top of social media trends. Opinion leaders communicate messages to a primary group, influencing the attitudes and behavior change of their followers. An opinion leader ol is an individual capable to repeatedly persuade and influence other peoples behaviors according to herhis own preferences an opinion leader, also known as influential, is someone who has the power to informally manipulate attitudes and behaviors of other individuals. Opinion leader meaning in the cambridge english dictionary. Discriminant analysis revealed that, in addition to personal involvement and product familiarity, public individuation was the only other variable which was important in distinguishing opinion leaders from nonleaders. Leadership is a set of processes that creates organizations in the first place. The role of opinion leaders in influencing consumer. Jul 07, 2018 this makes you the opinion leader in terms of food. Key opinion leader development what defines a key opinion leader kol. A classic example of using opinion leaders to engage the public on a political issue was the use of opinion leaders by al gore to raise awareness about climate change in his climate project. Apr 07, 20 psychology definition of opinion leader. Opinion leaders on these social media platforms can have a significant impact on shaping what the public knows about topics based on how the opinion leaders. In the peoples choice they analyzed voter decisionmaking during president franklin d.
Our approach in this writing will consist in first of all, pointing out the two major theories related to media influence on people, secondly talking about. Analysis of attributes to identify opinion leadership in communities. Opinion leaders are a vital element of the diffusion process or twostep flow decisionmaking process that is based on a 1944 study by sociologists paul lazarsfeld, bernard berelson and hazel gaudet. Opinion leadership definition of opinion leadership by.
Another extremely valuable and insightful way to examine this question is to have a crosssection of practitioners from a particular therapeutic area, e. A person who influences the diagnostic and therapeutic decisions of other doctors who respect his or her opinion. But for anybody with an interest in engaging key opinion leaders in todays digital era, further consideration of the online behaviour of healthcare professionals is essential. Social media has expanded the definition of what an opinion leader is by facilitating the rise of internet influencers. Littlejohn and foss 2008 have also argued that research studies that were done after the theory was established in the 1940s have. Amity business school opinion leadership the process by which one person the opinion leader informally influences the consumption actions or attitudes of others who may be opinion seekers or opinion recipients. Opinion leaders an opinion leader is an individual whose ideas and behavior serve as a model to other people.
It is a type of informal leadership where the persuasion is indirect and. In marketing goods and services, businesses try to identify opinion leaders and get them to try, use and endorse their product. An opinion leader is an individual who is very influential on people around himher katz and lazarsfeld 1955. The study also found that selfreported opinion leaders were more effective than others at getting their friends and acquaintances to try rock bottom brewerybut only if they were loyal customers. Opinion leader is a key person to the wordofmouth strategy in. Oct 28, 2019 social media has expanded the definition of what an opinion leader is by facilitating the rise of internet influencers. Leadership is a process by which a person influences others to accomplish an objective and directs the organization in a way that makes it more cohesive and coherent. The opinion leader model presented here provides a basic structure for continued model development, ongoing verification, and the establishment of validation procedures, including empirical data. They usually have deeper expertise in a certain area, and are.
In essence, the study wanted to prove the veracity of the two step. They offer informal advice about the product or service. How is social media playing the role of an opinion leader. Opinion leaders are generally people who have the ability to influence others. Pdf the role of opinion leaders in the dissemination of media. Athens journal of mass media and communications january 2015 47 shown that there are more than just two steps in the communication process. Opinion leaders are the influencers of their respective niches. The role of opinion leaders in influencing consumer behaviors. This theory is one of several models that try to explain the diffusion of innovations, ideas, or commercial products the opinion leader is the agent who is an active media user and who interprets the meaning of media messages or content for lower. Thought leaders are the informed opinion leaders and the goto people in their field of expertise. Pdf with the rise of nontraditional mass media techniques, the. A group consisting of members sharing common social characteristics. It is a type of informal leadership where the persuasion is indirect and frequent in time. Opinion leaders are informal leaders who have the ability to influence others decisions about adopting new products, practices or.
An integrative definition of leadership a leader is one or more people who selects, equips, trains, and influences one or more followers who have diverse gifts. Opinion leadership was once a concept used by social scientists to designate people who were so respected by the public that their opinions on various public issues were attended to and to a certain extent followed in the opinions of less wellkno. Kols are the experts in their field through their experience, seniority, position and reputation individuals who take an active role in the thinking, discussion and shaping of clinical practice at a local, national andor global level. Management is a set of processes that can keep a complicated system of people and technology running smoothly. Opinion leaders financial definition of opinion leaders. Similarly, when masses idolize well known public figures, they also become their opinion receivers. The influence theory in communication opinion leaders. Opinion leadership is defined as the process in which one person influences the attitudes or actions of other person informally, who may be identified as opinion leader.
As such, opinion leaders can shape how a product is viewed boundless, 2016. In this instance, the interactive communication with an opinion leader creates meaning for the consumer to explore diverse expertise in the form of innovative. Opinion receivers perceive the opinion leader as a highly credible, objective source of product information who can help reduce their search and analysis time and. Opinion leadership is achieved and sustained through a leaders technical competence, social skills and compliance with values and norms of his current social system.
Opinion leader definition in the cambridge english dictionary. A major issue is how best to recognize such willing opinion givers. Relevance of this new psychological dimension, and. Typically the opinion leader is held in high esteem by those who accept their opinions. Because personal, expert and wordofmouth recommendations are important to the vast majority of consumers, key opinion leaders are vital to brands because they. For the less loyal customers, being categorized as an opinion leader had. Opinion leadership is a concept that arises out of the theory of twostep flow of communication propounded by paul lazarsfeld and elihu katz 1. Mar 12, 2017 typically, opinion leadership is viewed as a monomorphic, domainspecific measure of individual differences, that is, a person that is an opinion leader in one field may be a follower in another. Therefore, in certain marketing instances, it may be advantageous to direct the communications to the opinion leader alone to speed the acceptance of an advertising message.
This theory is one of several models that try to explain the diffusion of innovations, ideas, or commercial products. Opinion leaders on these social media platforms can have a significant impact on shaping what the public knows about topics based on how the opinion leaders perceive and understand the topic park, 20. Internet celebrities may be recruited by companies for influencer marketing to advertise products to their fans and followers on their platforms. This involves interviewing participants and asking them who they go to for product information.
Opinion leaders are commonly targeted by marketers because of the influence they wield over other consumers. The most important aspects of management include planning, budgeting, organizing, staffing, controlling, and problem solving. Opinion leadership meaning, definition, characteristics. By definition, influencers are, influential members of a community, group. These posts are then viewed by millions of followers everyday.
An opinion leader is a wellknown individual or organization that has the ability to influence public opinion on the subject matter for which the opinion leader is known. An internet celebrity also known as a social media influencer is a celebrity who has acquired or developed their fame and notability through the internet. Opinion leadership comes from the theory of twostep flow of communication propounded by paul lazarsfeld and elihu katz. Laurent and kapferer 1985, or it is expected that the relationship between. Opinion leaders can be politicians, business leaders, community leaders, journalists, educators. An additional fourth cluster, mediatized opinion leaders, was. Opinion leaders article about opinion leaders by the. Key opinion leader definition key opinion leaders are often brand or product advocates that have a professional or expert status that elevates their opinions in the eyes of consumers. The opinion leaders who influence the target audience decision making in those. Opinion leaders are usually people who are more knowledgeable about a certain product or service than the average consumer. Definition of opinion leadership in the dictionary. Such persons opinions influence others significantly. However, the nature of enduring involvements relationship with opinion leadership and opinion leader characteristics is not clearly understood. Typically, opinion leadership is viewed as a monomorphic, domainspecific measure of individual differences, that is, a person that is an opinion leader in.
They are trusted sources who move and inspire people with innovative ideas. This study empirically examined the role of a personality trait, public individuation, in furthering our understanding of opinion leadership. Definition of management and leadership porchlight books. This influence may affect both other peoples thinking and their behavior. Opinion leadership meaning definition characteristics. But for anybody with an interest in engaging key opinion leaders in todays digital era, further consideration of the. Opinion leaders and social mediadirectives of believable messages in certain marketing instances, the marketers believe it to be advantageous to direct the communications to the opinion leader, who are also famous people, alone, to speed the acceptance of an advertising message. Information and translations of opinion leadership in the most comprehensive dictionary definitions resource on the web. For a pharmaceutical marketer, activating digital opinion leaders requires a familiarity with each of these new concepts of healthcare engagement. Opinion leadership is achieved and sustained through a persons technical competence, social skills and compliance with values and norms of his current social system. An example of a monomorphic opinion leader in the field of computer technology, might be a neighborhood computer service technician. Pdf the knowledge of opinion leaders in their area of interest to a certain extent.
The concept has been researched by robert merton in 1949 and. Outside of specific communities, celebrities are often defined as opinion leaders. Opinion leaders have established authority in a given area, market, or industry. Rec ognition of the existence of such an individual.
Consumer behaviour, consumer influence and the process of. Some may make a career out of influencing their audience, impacting their feeling about industry trends and current events, as well as affecting their consumer behavior. The power of online opinion leaders in negative ewom. On one hand, based on the involvement literature, it is argued that involvement is a moderator gatignon and robertson 1985. Key opinion leader management market global industry. The global key opinion leader management market is classified on the basis of therapeutic area, region. Relevance of this new psychological dimension, and past findings on characteristics of opinion leaders are discussed. May 21, 2017 an example of an opinion leader in the beauty industry is zoella.
The rise of social media has helped people increase their outreach to a global audience. This research study sought to investigate how market mavens play the role of opinion leaders. The essence of this interpersonal channel of influence is human interaction, and the opinion leader is a key factor. Influential members of a community, group, or society to whom others turn for advice, opinions, and views. Whether its a product or a politician, opinion leaders can often sway other community members toward their own views. Opinion leadership is the process by which the opinion leader informally influences the actions or attitudes of others, who may be opinion seekers or merely opinion recipients. Opinion leader definition of opinion leader by medical.
1009 993 85 564 860 556 1054 314 666 1351 1345 599 722 712 1086 1074 267 1014 1430 401 24 725 1169 1239 555 365 382 522 1488 1295 1298 357 451 223 270 704 1060 985