1. CHAPTER
SIX
Consumer Perception

2. Copyright 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall
Learning Objectives
To Understand the Sensory Dynamics of Perception.
To Learn About the Three Elements of Perception.
To Understand the Components of Consumer Imagery and Their Strategic Applications.
Here is an outline of the topics for Chapter Six.
Chapter Six Slide
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Perception
The process by which an individual selects, organizes, and interprets stimuli into a meaningful and coherent picture of the world
Elements of Perception
Sensation
Absolute threshold
Differential threshold
Subliminal perception
Perception is how we see the world around us. You and your friend might see the same person, thing, or event yet you will interpret in different ways. This interpretation is highly individualized and depends on each person’s own needs, values, and expectations.
These are the four major elements of perception. They will be described in detail on the following slides.
Chapter Six Slide
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Sensation
Sensation is the immediate and direct response of the sensory organs to stimuli
A stimulus is any unit of input to any of the senses.
The absolute threshold is the lowest level at which an individual can experience a sensation.
Sensation is the response of the sensory organs, including the eyes, ears, nose, mouth, and skin. Most of marketing focuses on sight and sound but much research is being done on smell and touch. The web link on this page connects to a company that uses smell as a marketing tactic.
Advertisers must reach the absolute threshold for consumers to be able to experience their advertising tactic. It is interesting that the absolute threshold changes over time. Consumers adapt and get used to a certain ad or message so no longer notice it. This is one of the reasons why advertisers change their ads frequently.
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Chapter Six Slide

5. Differential Threshold (Just Noticeable Difference – j.n.d.)
Minimal difference that can be detected between two similar stimuli
Weber’s law
The j.n.d. between two stimuli is not an absolute amount but an amount relative to the intensity of the first stimulus
The stronger the initial stimulus, the greater the additional intensity needed for the second stimulus to be perceived as different.
Marketers are very concerned with the differential threshold, which is also called the just noticeable difference. It was a German scientist named Ernst Weber who realized that this difference was not a fixed amount. The best example is when you buy a low-priced product like a cup of coffee from Starbucks. A $1 increase in your tall coffee would be noticed by you. But if you were buying a laptop whose price changed from $455 to $456 you might not even notice.
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Chapter Six Slide

6. Marketing Applications of the J.N.D.
Marketers 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
Marketers make changes in their products over time. Sometimes they have to make negative changes, perhaps increase price or reduce package size. They want to make this negative change subtle enough that most consumers will not notice. On the other hand, a marketer might want to make positive changes to the product. They would want to determine how small they can make this change so that it is noticeable to the end consumer but does not cost the marketer excessive amounts of money. Marketers also want to be careful that when they change the look of a product or packaging, that consumers still recognize the brand and transfer their positive feelings toward the brand.
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Chapter Six Slide

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Discussion Question
How might a cereal manufacturer such as Kellogg’s use the j.n.d. for Frosted Flakes in terms of:
Product decisions
Packaging decisions
Advertising decisions
Sales promotion decisions
Kellogg’s might want to change their ingredients, either to make the product healthier or because they have secured lower-priced raw materials. They might want to reduce package size to avoid a price increase and they would not want this to be noticed. Perhaps Tony the Tiger could look a little different. At one point, Pillsbury made a decision to make the Pillsbury Dough Boy a bit thinner. They wanted to make sure he still was cute but looked a bit more fit and lean.
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Chapter Six Slide

8. Subliminal Perception
Stimuli that are too weak or too brief to be consciously seen or heard
They may be strong enough to be perceived by one or more receptor cells.
Is it effective?
Extensive research has shown no evidence that subliminal advertising can cause behavior changes
Some evidence that subliminal stimuli may influence affective reactions
People have been fascinated by subliminal perception for over 50 years. The question is whether stimuli that are not consciously sensed can still be perceived and are therefore capable of altering behavior. At this point, there is no research that shows that it directly changes attitudes or purchase behavior. No doubt, there will continue to be research on this subject as many feel that there is indeed an effect from subliminal perception.
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Chapter Six Slide

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Aspects of Perception
Selection
Organization
Interpretation
Consumers are bombarded by stimuli and are therefore very selective as to what messages and information they perceive. As new information comes to their mind, it is organized within their mind. Finally, consumers interpret the stimuli based on their needs, expectations, and experience. Each of these stages will be examined on the following slides.
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Chapter Six Slide

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Perceptual Selection
Selection Depends Upon:
Nature of the stimulus
Includes the product’s physical attributes, package design, brand name, advertising and more…
Expectations
Based on familiarity, previous experience or expectations.
Motives
Needs or wants for a product or service.
Consumers are exposed to thousands, if not millions, of stimuli every day. The stimuli that they perceive depends on the three factors on this slide – nature of the stimulus, expectations, and motives. Think of the last time you went to the supermarket – what products did you notice? Why? Perhaps it was the nature of the stimulus, the packaging of the product. You might notice a sale on your favorite brand because you have positive expectations of how that brand performs. Finally, your motive in going to the supermarket might have been to purchase eggs and milk. This might lead you to notice promotions or point-of-purchase displays for these products.
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Chapter Six Slide

11. Why Are Consumers Likely to Notice This Ad?
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Chapter Six Slide

12. The Attention-Getting Nature of a Dramatic Image
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Chapter Six Slide

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Discussion Questions
What marketing stimuli do you remember from your day so far?
Why do you think you selected these stimuli to perceive and remember?
If you think about it, you might be surprised at what you have seen today. Did you go online to Google? If so, you probably had many contextual search ads appearing on your screen. Also consider outdoor advertisements you may have seen, including billboards, taxi tops, and rail advertising.
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Chapter Six Slide

14. Perceptual Selection Important Concepts
Selective Exposure
Consumers seek out messages which:
Are pleasant
They can sympathize
Reassure them of good purchases
Selective Attention
Heightened awareness when stimuli meet their needs
Consumers prefer different messages and medium
Perceptual Defense
Screening out of stimuli which are threatening
Perceptual Blocking
Consumers avoid being bombarded by:
Tuning out
TiVo
These four concepts are very important to consider when understanding how consumers select which stimuli they will perceive. In general, they are selective as to what they are exposed to – what messages they seek out. Once exposed, they are selective of their attention to some messages over others. Consumers might even screen out or block messages that they consider threatening or overwhelming.
Chapter Six Slide
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Organization
Principles
People tend to organize perceptions into figure-and-ground relationships.
The ground is usually hazy.
Marketers usually design so the figure is the noticed stimuli.
Figure and ground
Grouping
Closure
Organization refers to how people organize stimuli into groups and perceive them as a whole. This is referred to as Gestalt which means pattern in German. There are three major principles of perceptual organization, including figure and ground, grouping, and closure. The first, figure and ground, has to do with contrast. An advertiser wants just enough contrast so that the figure is noticed but that the background adds a sensory effect. Product placement, when a product appears in a movie or television show, can be considered a figure and ground issue. The advertiser wants the product (figure) to be noticed as it blends in with the ground (character in the show). This web link takes you to a very fun site called sporcle. The quiz that is opened for you refers to the top brands, organized by product category. Is this similar to how you organize these brands? How did you do on the test?
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Chapter Six Slide

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Organization
Principles
Figure and ground
Grouping
Closure
People group stimuli to form a unified impression or concept.
Grouping helps memory and recall.
Grouping is common in perceptual organization. Whether it is numbers (phone numbers) that are grouped in 3 or 4 digits OR images in an ad, consumers will group stimuli together to organize them. This grouping helps memory and recall.
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Chapter Six Slide

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Organization
Principles
People have a need for closure and organize perceptions to form a complete picture.
Will often fill in missing pieces
Incomplete messages remembered more than complete
Figure and ground
Grouping
Closure
Individuals organize their perceptions to form a complete picture. Our minds have a need for closure and we will work to fill in the missing information when we are presented incomplete stimuli.
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Chapter Six Slide

18. What Element of Perceptual Organization Is Featured in This Ad?
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Chapter Six Slide

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Closure
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Chapter Six Slide

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Discussion Question
Do you agree you remember more of what you have NOT completed?
How might a local bank use this in their advertising?
When asked what you have done today, it is sometimes difficult to recall. When asked what you have to do, we often have a stronger memory of this information. A local bank could use this information to help their customers realize they have not yet set up an annual IRA account. They could show a picture of a teller with a blank square in their hand the size of a bank check. The consumer will use closure to fill in the image with a check.
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Chapter Six Slide

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Interpretation
People hold meanings related to stimuli
Stereotypes
Physical Appearances
Descriptive Terms
First Impressions
Halo Effect
Stereotypes
Physical Appearances
Descriptive Terms
First Impressions
Halo Effect
Perceptual interpretation occurs because consumers have unique motives, interests, and experiences. How people interpret often reveals a lot about themselves. For instance, individuals tend to have stereotypes due to physical appearances, descriptive terms, first impressions, and the halo effect. These will be examined in the next couple of slides.
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Chapter Six Slide

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Interpretation
Stereotypes
Physical Appearances
Descriptive Terms
First Impressions
Halo Effect
Stereotypes
Physical Appearances
Descriptive Terms
First Impressions
Halo Effect
Positive attributes of people they know to those who resemble them
Important for model selection
We often make decisions based on how people or products appear. A beautiful spokesperson might be perceived as possessing expertise for beauty products. A certain color to a food might make us think it is healthier. The web link is an example of a tool marketers can use on their website to give a “human” touch. There are many attractive hosts to choose from.
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Chapter Six Slide

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Interpretation
Stereotypes
Physical Appearances
Descriptive Terms
First Impressions
Halo Effect
Verbal messages reflect stereotypes
The choice of descriptive terms for names and advertisement in services are particularly important due to the intangible nature of services. In this ad, the marketer has stereotyped the person who eats a cheeseburger vs. tofu and applied them in a descriptive sense to their product.
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Chapter Six Slide

24. How Does This Ad Depict Perceptual Interpretation?
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Chapter Six Slide

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It Contrasts the Powerful Durango with Less Rugged Referred to in the Ad as the “Land Of Tofu.”
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Chapter Six Slide