Opinion leaders' role in the diffusion of innovative products: A research on consumers

This study examines the influence of opinion leaders on the innovative product buying decisions of consumers. Opinion leaders have a critical importance in the diffusion of innovative products by the word of mouth marketing method. It is very important in terms of competition that businesses carry out their activities taking this fact into consideration and design their communication systems accordingly. A questionnaire was carried out with smart phone users for this purpose. Results of the study were subjected to regression and correlation analyses, and the relationship among the word of mouth marketing, opinion leaders and efforts of marketing was explored. Results have shown that consumers are influenced by opinion leaders when buying an innovative product, and that opinion leaders, when compared with marketing efforts, have a higher influence on consumers. Keywords: Innovation, Diffusion of Innovation, Innovative Product, Opinion Leader, Word of Mouth Marketing