Why Groups Might Prefer Big Brands

Picture the scene, the Rolling Stones have left the stage, having got plenty of satisfaction from the reaction of the crowd and dripping with sweat, they're ready for a refreshing beer (or six) and something to eat.

"Let's have pizza." Mick says, spotting a pizza menu pinned to the dressing room wall. As usual he's keen to establish himself as the leader of the group, but forgets the fact that he was once punched by Charlie Watts for asking, "Where's my drummer?"

"Yeah man, I need to eat now, man." Keith surprisingly agrees without a fight and now no one will rock the boat by suggesting anything else.

The tour manager finds his phone and gets ready to dial, before realising that this ramshackle bunch of multi-millionaires almost certainly won't settle for any old pizza, they'll have a favourite.

So which brand of pizza will our musicians choose?

Probably the advertised brand, even if they would all actually prefer an alternative outlet if they were thinking about it on their own.

Recent research suggests that the choices made by groups (meaning any group of friends, not just musical ones of course) is a by-product of the group, rather than simply a matter of the individuals' preferences.

When groups of people are together the presence of one brand message their capacity to remember other brands is much lower than when they're alone.

This is probably because what other people say - particularly if he or she is a friend - changes what people think.

When a friend makes a comment about a brand it disrupts the normal learning process and, as a result, people will change may change what they say because the comment has temporarily changed how the person thinks.

Brain imaging studies have shown that when people hear someone label a person (as good or bad) they stop using the usual learning mechanisms, over-riding them, and deferring to what they've been told.

I suspect whether the comment (or label) is in reference to a person or brand makes no difference to the way the unconscious mind reacts.

If you're advertising a product it's worth considering whether targeting groups of people would be advantageous. It may be a way of squeezing out the competition!

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Source: Lindsey, Charles D. and H. Shanker Krishnan. "Retrieval Disruption in Collaborative Groups Due to Brand Cues," Journal of Consumer Research: March 2007.