THE COMMUNICATION PROCESS AND MODELS1

Because all components of the IMC campaign are designed to connect with the
consumers, advertising marketers must be familiar with the process of communication.
It is important that advertising managers focus on all the elements involved in the
communication process to ensure effective communication with the end-consumer.
Any misalignment in any of the element can lead to miscommunication. Those in
charge of developing the IMC program should learn as much as they can about their
intended audience and how they might react to advertising and other forms of
advertising messages.

AIDA
E. St. Elmo Lewis, an American businessman, created the AIDA concept in
1898. It represents the steps of the personal-selling process that a
salesman must take a buyer through.
The buyer is depicted as moving through the stages of attention, interest, desire,
and action in this model. The salesman must first catch the customer’s attention
before piquing their interest in the company’s products. A desire for the product
must also be created, which will culminate in an action (final purchase).
Example: These types of things happen when consumers go to some showroom
to buy electronic products.

1
Ibid., 4.
The AIDA model aids in the breakdown of the consumer journey into separate
segments, allowing the brand to develop a marketing and advertising plan that
is focused on each step, causing the customer to be motivated to connect with
the brand and ultimately purchase its product. During a customer buying journey,
the AIDA model focuses on every contact point by separating the journey into
four basic segments.

In the Netflix example in Philippines, the AIDA model may be understood further.
Netflix’s primary job is to attract and convert Indian viewers who are looking for
free entertainment. The stages are as follows.
Awareness
Consumers’ cognitive stage is the first level of response. A consumer
encounters the brand, becomes aware of the product, and begins to develop
some knowledge of the product’s benefits and attributes at this stage.
Consumers’ attention can be piqued by a brand’s use of the following:
o Captivating ads
o Personal messaging
o Intelligent targeting

Interest
Once a brand has gained attention, it must maintain it. If a customer believes a
product has no meaning for him, he will never make a purchase. The focus of
the marketing effort should be on the needs of the customers. Highlighting
unique features, demonstrating how the product works, bringing in
celebrities, and so on may all help to increase interest in a product.

Desire
It isn’t enough to stimulate people’s attention. Although a strong fondness for
how a business portrays itself may be highly valued, it does not always translate
into revenue. It is possible to achieve both interest and desire at the same time.
So, as soon as the audience’s attention has been piqued, it’s critical to
explain why they require it. If a buyer does not need a product, the brand
might try to instill a desire for it. Typically, a consumer reaches the “want”
stage while comparing the product to various rivals’ offerings. In that instance,
the brand must emphasize its unique qualities that the buyer would not find in
other items. As viewers get to some of the features, they develop a liking
toward Netflix; at this point, additional features offered create the desire
to purchase the subscription plans. For example,
 o High-resolution videos
o Multiple profile under an account
o Multiscreening viewing

Action
Finally, if the customer has a favorable impression of the brand, he or she will
be inclined to test it or purchase it. Schemes like early-bird discounts, free
trials, one-on-one incentives, referral networks, and so on might give the
consumer that final push to purchase it. Once a user has been addicted to
the service, Netflix transforms them into paying customers by offering
subscription options.

HIERARCHY OF EFFECTS
The hierarchy of effects model (1961) by Robert Lavidge and Gary Steiner
depicts the method by which advertising works; it posits that a customer goes
through a number of phases in a sequence from initial awareness of a
product or service to actual purchase. This model’s main concept is that
advertising impacts occur over time. Advertising communication may not
immediately elicit a behavioral reaction or purchase; rather, a succession
of effects must occur, with each step completed before the consumer may
advance to the next level in the hierarchy.
A model of how advertising impacts a consumer’s choice to buy or not
buy a product or service is the hierarchy-of-effects hypothesis. As a result
of advertising, the hierarchy illustrates the evolution of consumer learning
and decision-making experiences. A hierarchy-of-effects model is used to
create a systematic succession of advertising message objectives for a certain
product, with each consecutive goal building on the previous one until a sale is
made. A campaign’s aims are awareness, knowledge, like, preference,
conviction, and purchase (in that order).
INNOVATION ADOPTION MODEL
This is the strategy used when a corporation wants to introduce a new
product. During this stage, the challenge firms need to raise awareness and
provide information about the product in order to pique interest. Awareness->
Interest-> Evaluation-> Trial-> Adoption are the steps in the adoption process.
Marketers frequently advise or provide consumers with a trial period so
that if they enjoy the product, they may purchase it.
For example, when we are new to the field and testing out a course on
various ed-tech platforms, we are offered a trial term.
Definition: The innovation adoption curve divides people into different groups
based on their readiness to accept new technologies or ideas. It may be used to
divide or categorize customers into five groups or subgroups, including
innovators, early adopters, early majority, late majority, and laggards. The
innovation adoption curve follows a bell-shaped curve, which can be divided into
five different categories:
1. The innovators are usually the first to accept a new concept or technology.
They make up a minor part of the population (almost 2.5%). They are the
young people that are prepared to take chances with new technologies.
2. The early adopters are the next group. Almost 13.5% of people are early
adopters. One feature that sets this group apart from the other is that they
have a high level of leadership or influencing power. They are also young
people who are eager to take on further risks.
3. The early majority is the third group of people that embrace a new
technology (34%). The main difference is that acceptance takes a little
longer here, but the number of innovators and early adopters is larger.
They have a higher social position than the typical person and are more
adaptable to change.
4. Late majority is the fourth group (34%). This group of people takes a long
time to adapt to new technology. Because they are skeptical of innovation,
they are the ones who will do study. Because of peer pressure, they accept
the new technology.
5. The fifth group of people who accept innovation is the laggards. They are
averse to change. It’s possible that by the time laggards embrace new
technology, it’ll be obsolete. For their everyday use, they are obsessed on
old ways or technologies.
INFORMATION PROCESSING MODEL
This model was developed by William McGuire. According to William McGuire,
in a persuasive communication context such as advertising, the recipient is
assumed to be an information processor or problem-solver. A response
hierarchy, according to McGuire, is the set of actions a receiver takes to be
convinced.
The stages of this model are similar to the one in which attention and
understanding are equated to awareness, and knowledge-yielding is equated to
liking.
The customer should not make a decision right away, but should instead
analyze the situation and make a decision later.
The marketing in this case is not intended to urge customers to buy the
product, but rather to encourage them to utilize it later when they need it.
Consumers can fall into one of three levels of interest at any time:
1. Inert stage: At this point, the individuals are outside of the marketer’s
perspective or sphere of influence, and they are not interested in
advertising. Their attitude toward the goods or service is also passive;
they are uninterested in it. One option is that the consumer will
remember the product as they progress through the phases.

For example, consumers who aren’t interested in the product or don’t

require it. However, they may be able to obtain it in the future.

When customers are renting or in financial distress, a vacuum cleaner is

not an important product; nevertheless, when they are no longer in
financial distress and move into their own home, it may become an
important product for them.
2. Acquirement stage: At this stage, people who are interested in a product
or brand want to learn more about it, including its features and brand
information. They are more likely to advance to the next stage if they
stimulate interest in a product or brand.
3. Decision stage: Once the customers have decided on the product and
brand of their preference, they are more concerned with the pricing and
other information, which may be straightened out during the sales period:
this stage is only for purchasing things offline in markets and stores.
THE STANDARD LEARNING HIERARCHY
The learn–feel–do sequence is used in the standard learning hierarchy
model. A product purchase decision is approached by the consumer as a
problem-solving process:
o A consumer’s perceptions about a product develop as he or she gains
knowledge about relevant features.
o The consumer examines these beliefs and develops an opinion about the
product.
o The consumer participates in a relevant activity, such as purchasing a
product that has the features that he or she values.
This approach is more prevalent when the consumer is acquiring consumer
durables such as electronic devices, autos, and so on.

THE LOW INVOLVEMENT HIERARCHY

This model presumes that the consumer does not have a strong
preference for one brand over another in the outset. He/she, on the other
hand, acts on the basis of limited information, forms, and evaluation only
after purchasing the product. This model is based on learn–do–feel
sequence. Consumers will initially be aware of the specific brand or product
under this model. Following that, individuals may buy the goods due to
identification of that product as a result of repeated exposure to
commercials, and then acquire a feeling or attitude about it after
consumption.
Because of the constant promotional exposure, consumers may discover that
McDonald’s has a new burger. When people are hungry and deciding what to
eat, a McDonald’s commercial may play in their head, and they may decide to
try the new burger. There is no study on the specifics of the burger, and they
make their choices solely based on their sentiments about McDonald’s. They
will have an opinion on whether it is delicious or not after sampling it.