Theories
There are several theories that purport to explain the mechanics of diffusion:
- The two-step hypothesis - information and acceptance flows, via the media, first to opinion leaders, then to the general population
- the trickle-down effect - products tend to be expensive at first, and therefore only accessible to the wealthy social strata - in time they become less expensive and are diffused to lower and lower strata
- The Everett Rogers Diffusion of innovations theory - for any given product category, there are five categories of product adopters:
- Innovators – venturesome, educated, multiple info sources;
- Early adopters – social leaders, popular, educated;
- Early majority – deliberate, many informal social contacts;
- Late majority – skeptical, traditional, lower socio-economic status;
- Laggards – neighbours and friends are main info sources, fear of debt.
- Crossing the Chasm model developed by Geoffrey Moore - This model overlays the Everett Rogers' adoption curve with a 'chasm'. According to Moore, the marketer should focus on one group of customers at a time, using each group as a base for marketing to the next group. The most difficult step is making the transition between visionaries (early adopters) and pragmatists (early majority). This is the chasm that he refers to. Technologies or products that cannot cross this chasm will die or remain niche. If successful, a firm can create a bandwagon effect in which the momentum builds and the product becomes ubiquitous.
- Technology driven models - These are particularly relevant to software diffusion. The rate of acceptance of technology is determined by factors such as ease of use and usefulness.
Read more about this topic: Diffusion (business)
Famous quotes containing the word theories:
“It takes twenty or so years before a mother can know with any certainty how effective her theories have been—and even then there are surprises. The daily newspapers raise the most frightening questions of all for a mother of sons: Could my once sweet babes ever become violent men? Are my sons really who I think they are?”
—Mary Kay Blakely (20th century)
“The egoism which enters into our theories does not affect their sincerity; rather, the more our egoism is satisfied, the more robust is our belief.”
—George Eliot [Mary Ann (or Marian)
“The real trouble about women is that they must always go on trying to adapt themselves to men’s theories of women, as they always have done. When a woman is thoroughly herself, she is being what her type of man wants her to be. When a woman is hysterical it’s because she doesn’t quite know what to be, which pattern to follow, which man’s picture of woman to live up to.”
—D.H. (David Herbert)