DIFFUSION OF INNOVATION THEORY EXPLAINED

Advertisers continuously put out persuasive messages through the use of the promotion mix to create awareness for their products or services to a particular target population. The aim of the carefully planned advertising campaigns is to get the new product or idea accepted and adopted by the target audience.

In doing so, they make use of the communication process by creating awareness of the new innovative product or idea which generates comprehension and conviction to get the target audience to act on the message that is skewed towards influence them to adopt the product.

However, as  (Rogers 1976) pointed out, the adoption of the new product within the target audience or the society does not occur simultaneously or at the same time, however, some categories of people are more likely to adopt the product earlier than others. This was based on his Diffusion of Innovation Theory (DIT) he posited in 1962.

The theory explains how a product or service gains momentum, disseminates and is accepted by a population or social system over a period of time. 

The adoption means that the people must have believed that the new product is indeed innovative and that its performance during trial matches the products expected performance.

It is important that advertisers understand the characteristics of the target population that will help or hinder the adoption of the innovation (Health, 2013).

Adopter categories

The diffusion of innovation theory suggests five main categories of adopters in society. The first group is known as the innovators, which is estimated to comprise of only two per cent of the population. The second group is the early adopters that make up 14 per cent of the population. The third and fourth groups are known early majority and late majority respectively; they are each comprised of 34 per cent of the population. The last category of adopters is known as the laggards, they take up the remaining 16 per cent of the population.

The innovators are the people who try and adopt the innovative idea or product for the first time. They are known as risk takers. In our society, they could be identified as entrepreneurs. They are very wealthy and very well connected in society. Ghanaians such as Kofi Amoabeng of UT Bank can be described as an innovator.

Early adopters, on the other hand, constitute those in leadership roles as well as those who are identified as opinion leaders in societies.  Rogers argues that this category of people are already aware of the need for change and as such they do not need much convincing to adopt new innovative ideas. Unlike the Early Majority, the Early Adopters are leaders and they are constantly seeking for change and new products, consequently, the most essential information they require to adopt a product is how-to-do manuals. The other categories normally adopt the innovation the Early Adopters adopt, and if they reject an idea, it dies out immediately before it gains any grounds. 

In addition, the 34 per cent of people who form the Early Majority need more convincing before they adopt a new idea. They usually follow the choices of opinion leaders. They adopt new ideas before the average person in society. Rogers describes them as deliberate and more traditional bound. They need persuasive messages such as success stories and evidence of innovation effectiveness to adopt the new product.

Also making up 34 per cent of the population, the Late Majority is often poorer than the above-mentioned categories. They are very skeptical of change and will adopt only after the early majority have tried out and adopted the new product. According to Rogers, they can only be convinced with messages that carry the bandwagon effect. This should focus on how many other people have tried the product and have subsequently adopted it. Peer pressure is very effective here.

The laggards are very conservative people and are also very skeptical to change just as the late majority. They are very poor and they fear change. The best way to persuade this group, according to Rogers, is through fear appeals and pressure from people in other adopted groups.

AIETA Model

Though different people in the population adopt a product at different stages as discussed in the categories of adopters, there exist a product adoption process, which is also known as the AIETA model within each adopter category. Customers go through a process, which begins with first knowing of the existence of a product through to either rejecting or accepting it.

The AIETA Model ( Awareness, Interest, Evaluation, Trail and Adoption/Rejection) describes the process each of the categories go through to actually adopt the product.  

The process begins with the customer being made aware of the existence of the product through adverts that usually carries less information. So, an interested customer will then try to get access to more information about the product, after which the customer will evaluate how beneficial it will be to make use of the product. Here the innovative potential of the product plays a crucial role in the customer decision-making. 

The next step in the adoption process is trial, the customer purchases the product to determine its usefulness, this then may result in either adoption or rejection. This is highly dependent on customer delight and satisfaction.

The diffusion of innovation theory outlines a long-term strategy that advertisers need to utilize to successfully introduce new innovative products or services to a target group or market. It indicates the importance to recognize the roles of individuals in the different adopter groups and also identify the best advertising strategy to be deployed to each group to gain the acceptance of a product over a period of time. 

This theory ensures that advertisers are aware of the role of opinion leaders in the successful diffusion or spread of a new product within a social setting. It also allows the advertiser to know the various demographics that exists in the market so that they can appropriately tailor their messages to target the market.  

Diffusion of innovation theory thrives on effective communication to be complete. It focuses on how new products can gain a foothold in a highly competitive market.

Bibliography
Health, B. U. (2013, January 22). Behavioral Change Models. Retrieved February 20, 2015, from bumc.bu.edu: sphweb.bumc.bu.edu/otlt/MPH-Modules/SB/SB721-Models/SB721-Models4.html

Rogers, E. (1976, March 2). New Product and Diffusion. Journal of Consumer Research , 290 - 301.