The Impact of Social Structures on the Acceptance of New Items or Services

In the realm of design and marketing, understanding social systems plays a vital role in driving product adoption. By influencing not just individual users but entire social networks, products can reach a broader audience and gain traction more effectively.

These social networks, enabled by the internet, foster the free flow of ideas and information between individuals who may not have crossed paths in person but who share professional or personal interests. However, without established heuristics for working with digital social networks, designers and marketers must develop their own "rules of thumb" to navigate these interactions.

Three key social systems to consider for adoption are thought leadership, digital social networks, and organizations. Thought leaders, highly trusted and respected figures in their social network, exert more influence on purchasing decisions than the media. Their qualities, as identified by John W. Patterson and Elihu Katz in their work "Personal Influence", include credibility, reliability, and attractiveness.

Elihu Katz also identifies three qualities of thought leaders: expression of values, professional competence, and attributes of their social network. Thought leaders can be monomorphic, experts in a single field, or polymorphic, experts in multiple domains.

The role of the "product champion" in organizations is significant. These individuals, once an adoption decision has been made, are empowered to drive that innovation within their business and break through any barriers to adoption.

Organizations adopt products differently from individuals, with decisions often made on polling opinion from an internal network or on a democratic basis, as outlined in Everett Rogers' "Diffusion of innovations".

In order for a product to be adopted within an organization, designers, marketers, and salespeople must focus their efforts on a broad range of people in that organization rather than on a single decision maker.

The internet has led to the rise of wider, more robust social networks, such as Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, etc. Previously, people relied solely on localized social networks for information, which could be problematic as their adoption of new products depended on the competence of others within their localized network.

However, the actual impact of digital social networks on adoption is not fully understood due to the phenomenon being too new and conflicting views on their effectiveness. For instance, General Motors, in 2012, pulled their $10 million advertising budget from Facebook, stating that "people don't buy cars on Facebook", but returned to advertising on Facebook in 2013.

To measure the success of products in digital social networks, key performance indicators should be established and related to product adoption. As "likes don't equal purchases", it's crucial to consider other factors such as engagement, conversion rates, and customer feedback.

In conclusion, to maximise product adoption, designers and marketers should work with thought leaders early in the design process to build positive relationships and ensure products are perceived favorably. They should also focus on a broad range of people within organizations and measure their success using appropriate key performance indicators.