Because learning changes everything.

CHAPTER 5
The
Communication
Process

© McGraw Hill LLC. All rights reserved. No reproduction or distribution without the prior written consent of McGraw Hill LLC.
 Learning Objectives

LO5-1 Describe the communication process and its role in IMC.

LO5-2 Describe the basic model of the communication process.
LO5-3 Discuss the role of word-of-mouth influence, viral
marketing, and influencer marketing.
LO5-4 Analyze receivers' responses to marketing
communications and their implications for promotional
planning and strategy.
LO5-5 Describe the influence of social media on the consumer
decision process.
LO5-6 Discuss consumers' cognitive processing of marketing
communications.
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 The Nature of Communication

Communication
• Passing of information.
• Exchange of ideas.
• Process of establishing a commonness of thought between sender
and receiver.
• Success depends on many factors.
• Nature of message, audience’s interpretation, environment, receiver’s
perception of source and medium used to transmit message, etc.

• Language is a major barrier to effective communication.

• Challenging for companies marketing their products abroad.

© McGraw Hill 3
 Exhibit 5-1

This ad from the

California Milk
Processor Board is
directly targeted to
appeal to
multicultural,
millennial parents.
This “got milk”
campaign uses
Spanish language
ads to appeal to the
market.

© McGraw Hill Source: Rachel Murray/Getty Images 4

 Figure 5-1 A Model of the Communication Process

Access the text alternative for slide images.

© McGraw Hill 5
 Basic Model of Communication 1

Source Encoding
• Source:
• Person or organization
that has information to
share with another
person or group of
people.

• Encoding: Tennis star Naomi Osaka is a source in this

• Putting thoughts, ad for Citizen watches who reflects the
“Better Start Now” brand statement.
ideas, or information
into symbolic form.

© McGraw Hill Source: Citizen 6

 Basic Model of Communication 2

Message
• Contains information or meaning the
source hopes to convey.
• Verbal, nonverbal, oral, written, or
symbolic.
• Marketers must determine content,
structure, and design.

This Coach ad uses only a picture of

Megan Thee Stallion to deliver its
message of joy and optimism found in
a new generation. The image
projected by an ad often
communicates more than words.

© McGraw Hill Source: Coach 7

 Basic Model of Communication 3

Channel
• Method by which communication travels between sender and receiver.

• Nonpersonal channel or mass media.

• Lacks direct, interpersonal contact between sender and receiver.

• Includes print and broadcast.

• Personal channels or direct communication between two or more persons.

• Word-of-mouth (WOM): Informal communication among consumers about
products and services or other methods such as social media.

• WOM conversations, Electronic WOM, Online reviews, Engineered WOM.

• Buzz marketing: Generating positive word-of-mouth discussion.

© McGraw Hill 8
 Basic Model of Communication 5

Channel continued
• Viral marketing: Propagating marketing-relevant messages with the
help of individual consumers.
• Factors affecting success:

• Message characteristics.

• Individual sender or receiver characteristics.

• Social network characteristics.

• Schema Disruption

• Seeding: Identifying and choosing initial group of consumers who will start
spreading the message.

© McGraw Hill 9
 White & Gold?
Black & Blue?

© McGraw Hill 10
 Basic Model of Communication 6

Channel continued
• Influencer marketing: Uses social media to leverage the influence of
individuals with a dedicated social media following.
• Social media influencers
• Popular social media personalities.

• Constantly create and disseminate useful, organic content.

• Project authentic personae.

• Curate intimate relationships with a large following.

• Wield influence over the purchasing decision.

© McGraw Hill 11
 Basic Model of Communication 7

Channel continued
• Integrating word of mouth with IMC.
• Consumers ascribe high credibility to information from others. (Earned
Media)

• Pass-along benefits from consumers talking favorably about a brand.

• Marketers must develop creative advertisements and communication that

trigger conversations and are worthy of sharing.

• Word of Mouth Marketing Association sets rules and guidelines for

marketers.

• Federal Trade Commission requires anyone endorsing a product or

service through social media to disclose if they have a relationship with
company or brand.

© McGraw Hill 12
 Basic Model of Communication 8

Receiver/Decoding
• Receiver: Person with whom sender shares thoughts or information.
• Decoding: Transforming sender’s message into thought.
• Heavily influenced by receiver’s field of experience:

• Experiences, perceptions, attitudes, and values a person brings to the

communication situation.

• Effective communication requires you to establish common ground.

• Marketers and advertisers often have different fields of experience

than the consumers they are trying to reach.

• People differ in location, education level, social status, age, etc.

• Ageism (other -isms as well) is a major problem in the industry.

(Marvel)

© McGraw Hill 13
 Basic Model of Communication 9

Noise
• Unplanned distortion in the communication process.
• Errors in the encoding process.

• Distortion in a radio or tv signal.

• Fields of experience of sender and receiver don’t overlap.

Response/Feedback
• Response: Receiver’s set of reactions after seeing, hearing, or
reading the message.
• Feedback: Receiver’s response that is communicated back to the
sender.

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 Analyzing the Receiver

Identifying the Target Audience

• Individuals: Specific needs; communication must be specifically
tailored.

• Groups: People who make or influence purchase decision.

• Market niches: Very small, well-defined groups of customers.

• Market segments: Broader classes of buyers who have similar needs

and can be reached with similar messages.

• Mass markets: Large numbers of present or potential customers.

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 Figure 5-4 Levels of Audience Aggregation

Access the text alternative for slide images.

© McGraw Hill 16
 The Response Process 1

Traditional Response Hierarchy Models

• AIDA model:
• Stages a buyer passes through in personal selling process, including
attention, interest, desire, and action.

• Innovation adoption model:

• Stages a consumer passes through in adoption process for an innovation,
including awareness, interest, evaluation, trial, and adoption.

• Hierarchy of effects model:

• Stages a consumer passes through in transition from no awareness to
eventual action, including awareness, interest, evaluation, trial, and
adoption.

© McGraw Hill 17
 Figure 5-5 Hierarchy of Effects Model

Access the text alternative for slide images.

© McGraw Hill 18
 The Response Process 2

Alternative Response Hierarchies

• Traditional hierarchy models go through three basic stages:
• Cognitive stage: what receiver knows or perceives about product or brand.

• Affective stage: receiver’s feelings or affect level for brand.

• Behavioral stage: consumer’s action toward brand.

© McGraw Hill 19
 The Response Process 3

Alternative Response Hierarchies continued

• The standard learning hierarchy.
• Standard learning model: Consumer goes through response process in
sequence depicted by traditional communication models, including learn,
feel, and do.

• Likely when consumer is highly involved (active participant in the

communication) in purchase process and perceives much differentiation
among competing brands.

• Even case-studies work with active participants.

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 The Response Process 4

Alternative Response Hierarchies continued

• The low-involvement hierarchy.
• Low-involvement hierarchy: Receiver passes from cognition to behavior
to attitude change, including learn, feel, and do.

• Likely when involvement in the purchase decision is low, there are minimal
differences among brand alternatives, and mass-media advertising is
important.

• Consumer engages in passive learning and random information catching

rather than active information seeking.

• Advertisers use catchy jingles, repeat simple product claims.

© McGraw Hill 21
 The Response Process 5

Implications of the Response Process Models

• Delineate steps involved in taking potential purchasers from
unawareness to readiness to purchase.
• Identify which stage in hierarchy a potential buyer is in.
• Useful as intermediate measures of communication effectiveness.

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 The Response Process 6

Implications of the Response Process Models continued

• Why are these models important? They provide insight into
promotional strategies marketers might pursue in different situations.
• Marketers should analyze:
• Involvement levels and product/service differentiation.

• Consumers’ use of various information sources.

• Consumers’ levels of experience with product or service.

© McGraw Hill 23
 The Response Process 7

The Social Consumer Decision Journey

• The environment for evaluating brands has changed dramatically.
• Through social networking, consumers can access and retrieve
information, connect with one another, discuss products/services, and
interact with marketers.
• Consumer decision journey framework:
• Four basic stages: Consider, evaluate, buy, and enjoy-advocate-bond.

• Marketers should:

• Target stages in decision journey.

• Consider role of owned media and earned media. (Hint: What is the
POEM model?)

© McGraw Hill 24
 Figure 5-6 The Social Consumer Decision Journey

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© McGraw Hill 25
 Cognitive Processing of Communications 1

The Cognitive Response Approach

• Cognitive responses:
• Thoughts that occur to individuals while reading, viewing, and/or hearing a
communication.

Access the text alternative for slide images.

© McGraw Hill 26
 Cognitive Processing of Communications 2

The Cognitive Response Approach continued

• Product/message thoughts.
• Counterarguments:

• Thoughts recipient has that are opposed to the position taken in the
message.

• Relate negatively to message acceptance.

• Support arguments:

• Thoughts recipient has that affirm information or claims the source

hopes to convey.

• Relate positively to message acceptance.

© McGraw Hill 27
 Exhibit 5-12

Consumers often
generate support
arguments in response to
ads for quality products.
(“Ultra Tide looks like a
really good product—I
think I’ll try it.”)

© McGraw Hill Source: Tide by Procter & Gamble 28

 Cognitive Processing of Communications 3

The Cognitive Response Approach continued

• Source-oriented thoughts.
• Source derogations:

• Negative thoughts about spokesperson or organization making

the claims.

• Leads to lower message acceptance.

• Source bolsters:

• Positive thoughts about spokesperson or organization making

the claims.

© McGraw Hill 29
 Cognitive Processing of Communications 4

The Cognitive Response Approach continued

• Ad execution thoughts.
• Ad execution-related thoughts:

• Contains the information or meaning the source hopes to convey.

• Attitude toward the ad:

• Represents receivers’ feelings of favorability or unfavorability toward

the ad.

© McGraw Hill 30
 Summarizing the Response Process and the Effects of
Advertising 1

Criticisms of Hierarchy of Effects Models

• Three critical intermediate effects between advertising and purchase:
• Cognition: “thinking” dimension.
• Affect: “feeling” dimension.
• Experience: feedback dimension based on purchasing and usage
outcomes.

• Effects of advertising should be evaluated using these three

dimensions.

© McGraw Hill 36
Figure 5-9 Framework for Studying How Advertising Works

Access the text alternative for slide images.

© McGraw Hill 37
 Summarizing the Response Process and the Effects of
Advertising 2

Value of Hierarchy of Effects Models

• Despite limitations, hierarchical models do help predict behavior.

• Important to learn as much as possible about target audience and

how it may respond to advertising and other forms of marketing
communication.

© McGraw Hill 38
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© McGraw Hill LLC. All rights reserved. No reproduction or distribution without the prior written consent of McGraw Hill LLC.