Information Processing and Consumer’s Perception

Information Processing is the process through which consumers are exposed to information, become involved with it, attend to it, comprehend it, place it into memory, and retrieve it for later use Mowen & Minor

Information Processing Exposure M EMORY Stimuli: Marketer Denominated Nonmarketer Attention Comprehension Acceptance Retention Blackwell, Miniard, and Engel, Consumer Behavior, Ninth Edition, Copyright© 2001 by Harcourt, Inc. All rights reserved.

Non-Marketer Dominated Stimuli Suppliers does for information and persuasion - advertising - salesperson - websites Non-Marketer Dominated Stimuli - Family and peers - Opinion leader - Media Blackwell, Miniard, and Engel, Consumer Behavior, Ninth Edition, Copyright© 2001 by Harcourt, Inc. All rights reserved.

Sensory System The unique sensory quality of a product can help it stand out from the competition Meaning, Colour Combination Vision Evoke memories, relieve stress Smell Functional Music, Stimulus Progression Sound Packaging to arouse consumer interest Touch Evoke strong childhood memories Taste

Increased Sensory Input

Exposure Exposure The degree to which people notice a stimulus that is within range of their sensory receptors

Sensory Thresholds Absolute Threshold: the minimum amount of stimulation that can be detected on a sensory channel Differential Threshold: the ability of a sensory system to detect changes or differences among stimuli Just Noticeable Difference (JND) the minimum change in a stimulus that can be detected

Weber’s Law Weber’s Law: the principle that the stronger the initial stimulus, the greater its change must be for it to be noticed K = I I Where: K = The constant increase or decrease necessary for the stimulus to be noticed (this varies across the senses) I = The minimal change in intensity of the stimulus required to be just noticeable to the person (J.N.D.) I = The intensity of the stimulus before the change occurs

Marketing Applications of the JND Need to determine the relevant j.n.d. for their products so that negative changes are not readily discernible to the public so that product improvements are very apparent to consumers

Betty Crocker Changes Fall Below the J.N.D.

Gradual Changes in Brand Name Fall Below the J.N.D.

Attention Attention involves the amount of mental processing that is devoted to a particular stimulus.

Grabbing Consumers’ Attention Consumers are bombarded with product information and advertisements each day Companies have the formidable task of breaking through the clutter to attract consumers’ attention Connect with consumers’ needs & expectation 1

This ad is likely to attract mothers with small children and it reminds them of the special dental needs of their children

2. Stimulus Selection Factors Size Color Intensity Contrast Position Directionality Movement Novelty Isolation Learned Attention-Inducing Stimuli Attractive Spokesperson Scene Changes

Palm Pilot introduced a color version of its personal data manager and featured color prominently in its ads Color

Apple used color to gain attention in the computer arena, highlighted in this ad

Movement Tropicana attracts attention by showing motion with flying orange juice

The cookie (biscuit) in this Keebler ad is very large compared to the rest of the elements of the advertisement

Andersen Consulting uses an elephant as an unexpected stimuli to grab attention.

Comprehension There is a tendency to obtain meaning from the totality of stimuli, a sort of Gestalt meaning. Three important principles of stimulus organization Figure-ground Grouping Closure

Acceptance perception: the process of creating meaningful patterns from raw sensory information Perception: Product Brand Service Price Quality Store Producer

Retention Memory is the process by which we acquire information and store it for future use.

Three basic types of memory “systems” Sensory memory Temporary, lasts only a few seconds. Short-term or working memory Also temporary, but at least some processing is done such as chunking. Long-term memory Relatively permanent memory, the “hard drive.” Information is stored in long-term memory Episodically: by the order in which it is acquired Semantically: according to significant concepts

Conceptualization of Long-Term Storage of Personal Computer Information PERSONAL COMPUTERS Models Manufacturers Operating Systems Monitors Printers Type Manufacturer Type Manufacturer SOFTWARE Word processing Spreadsheets Databases Games Graphics

Relationships among Memory Systems Solomon

Information Processing and Memory Stores Sensory Store Working Memory (Short-term Store) Long-term Store Sensory Input Rehearsal Encoding Retrieval Forgotten; lost unavailable Schiffman & Kanuk

Rehearsal The silent, mental repetition of material. Also, the relating of new data to old data to make the former more meaningful.

Encoding The process by which individuals select and assign a word or visual image to represent a perceived object or idea.

Retrieval The stage of information processing in which individuals recover information from long-term storage.

Information Processing Exposure M EMORY Stimuli: Marketer Denominated Nonmarketer Attention Comprehension Acceptance Retention Blackwell, Miniard, and Engel, Consumer Behavior, Ninth Edition, Copyright© 2001 by Harcourt, Inc. All rights reserved.

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