Chapter 2

Perception

CONSUMER BEHAVIOR, 9e
Michael R. Solomon

Copyright 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Prentice Hall

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Learning Objectives
When you finish this chapter, you should understand why:

Perception is a three-stage process that

translates raw stimuli into meaning.

Products and commercial messages often

appeal to our senses, but we wont be influenced by most of them.

The design of a product today is a key driver

of its success or failure.
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Learning Objectives (continued)

Subliminal advertising is a controversial

but largely ineffectiveway to talk to consumers.

We interpret the stimuli to which we do pay

attention according to learned patterns and expectations.

Marketers use symbols to create meaning.

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Sensation and Perception

Sensation is the immediate

response of our sensory receptors (eyes, ears, nose, mouth, and fingers) to basic stimuli (light, color, sound, odor, and texture).

Perception is the process by

which sensations are selected, organized, and interpreted.

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Figure 2.1 Perceptual Process

We receive external stimuli through our five senses

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Hedonic Consumption

Hedonic consumption:
multisensory, fantasy, and emotional aspects of consumers interactions with products

Marketers use impact of

sensations on consumers product experiences
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Sensory Systems

Our world is a
symphony of colors, sounds, odors, tastes

Advertisements,
product packages, radio and TV commercials, billboards provide sensations

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Vision

Color provokes emotion Reactions to color are

biological and cultural

Color in the United States

is becoming brighter and more complex

Trade dress: colors

associated with specific companies
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Vertical-Horizontal Illusion

Which line is longer:

horizontal or vertical?

Answer: both lines are

same length

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Scents
Odors create mood and promote memories:

Coffee = childhood,
home

Cinnamon buns = sex

Marketers use scents:

Inside products In promotions (e.g.,

scratch n sniff)
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Sound
Sound affects peoples feelings and behaviors

Phonemes: individual sounds that might be

more or less preferred by consumers Example: i brands are lighter than a brands

Muzak uses sound and music to create mood High tempo = more stimulation Slower tempo = more relaxing
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Touch

Haptic sensesor touchis the most

basic of senses; we learn this before vision and smell

Haptic senses affect product experience and

judgment

Kinsei engineering is a Japanese philosophy

that translates customers feelings into design elements

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Table 2.1 Tactile-Quality Associations

Perception High class Low class

Male Wool Denim Heavy

Female Fine Silk Cotton Coarse Light

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Taste

Flavor houses develop

new concoctions for consumer palates

Cultural changes
determine desirable tastes

The more respect we

have for ethnic dishes, the more spicy food we desire
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Exposure

Exposure occurs when a stimulus comes

within range of someones sensory receptors

We can concentrate, ignore, or completely

miss stimuli

Cadillacs 5 second ad

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Sensory Thresholds

Psychophysics: science that focuses on how

the physical environment is integrated into our personal, subjective world

Absolute threshold: the minimum amount of

stimulation that can be detected on a given sensory channel

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Differential Threshold

The ability of a sensory

system to detect changes or differences between two stimuli Minimum difference between
two stimuli is the j.n.d. (just noticeable difference)

Example: packaging
updates must be subtle enough over time to keep current customers
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Subliminal Perception

Subliminal perception occurs when

stimulus is below the level of the consumers awareness.

Rumors of subliminal advertising are

rampantthough theres little proof that it occurs.

Most researchers believe that subliminal

techniques are not of much use in marketing.
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Subliminal Techniques

Embeds: figures that are inserted into

magazine advertising by using high-speed photography or airbrushing.

Subliminal auditory perception: sounds,

music, or voice text inserted into advertising.

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Attention

Attention is the extent to which processing

activity is devoted to a particular stimulus

Consumers are often in a state of sensory

overload

Marketers need to break through the clutter

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Personal Selection Factors

Perceptual vigilance

Perceptual defense

Adaptation

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Factors Leading to Adaptation

Intensity

Duration

Discrimination

Exposure

Relevance

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Stimulus Selection Factors

We are more likely to notice stimuli that differ

from others around them

So, marketers can create contrast through:

Size

Color

Position

Novelty

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Creating Contrast with Size

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Interpretation

Interpretation refers to the meaning we

assign to sensory stimuli, which is based on a schema

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Stimulus Organization

Gestalt: the whole is greater than the sum of

its parts Closure: people perceive an incomplete picture as complete Similarity: consumers group together objects that share similar physical characteristics Figure-ground: one part of the stimulus will dominate (the figure) while the other parts recede into the background (ground)
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Application of the Figure-Ground Principle

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Semiotics

Semiotics: correspondence between signs

and symbols and their role in the assignment of meaning

Marketing messages have three basic

components: Object: product that is the focus of the message Sign: sensory image that represents the intended meanings of the object Interpretant: meaning derived
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Figure 2.3 Semiotic Relationships

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Perceptual Positioning

Brand perceptions = functional attributes +

symbolic attributes

Perceptual map: map of where brands are

perceived in consumers minds Used to determine how brands are currently perceived to determine future positioning

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Positioning Strategy

Examples of brand positioning

Lifestyle Price leadership Attributes Product class Competitors Occasions Users Quality Grey Poupon is high class Southwest Airlines is no frills Bounty is quicker picker upper Mazda Miata is sporty convertible Northwestern Insurance is the quiet company Wrigleys gum used when smoking not permitted Levis Dockers targeted to men in 20s and 30s At Ford, Quality is Job 1

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Chapter Summary

Perception is a three-stage process that

translates raw stimuli into meaning.

Products and messages may appeal to our

senses.

The design of a product affects our

perception of it.

Subliminal advertising is controversial. We interpret stimuli using learned patterns. Marketers use symbols to create meaning.
05/03/12 Copyright 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Prentice Hall

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