Consumer Behaviour Chapter 2

Perception

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 Agenda
• The Perceptual Process
• Sensory System
• Exposure: Sensory Thresholds
• Weber’s Law
• Perception as a sequential process:
– Exposure: Subliminal Perception
– Attention
– Interpretation
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 Introduction
• Sensation – the immediate response of
sensory receptors (eyes, ears, nose, mouth,
fingers) to such basic stimuli as light,
colour, and sound.
• Perception – the process by which stimuli
(sights, sounds, and smells) are selected,
organized, and interpreted. Perception is a
three-stage process (exposure, attention,
and interpretation) that translates raw
stimuli into meaning.
• The eventual interpretation of a stimulus
allows it to be assigned meaning. 3
 The
The Perceptual
Perceptual Process
Process
1.
1.Exposure
Exposure

Sensation
Sensation

Sensory
Sensory 3.
Receptors
2.
2.Attention
Attention 3.Interpretation
Interpretation
STIMULI

Receptors

Meaning
Meaning
Eyes
Ears Response
Response
Nose
Sights Mouth
Sounds Skin
Smells
Tastes Perception
Perception
Textures
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 Sensory Systems
• Marketing stimuli have important sensory
qualities. We rely on colours, odours, sounds,
tastes, and even the “feel” of products when
forming evaluations of them.
• Not all sensations make their way successfully
through the perceptual process. Many stimuli
compete for our attention, and the majority are not
noticed or accurately comprehended.

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 Sensory
Sensory Systems
Systems

Vision
Vision Sound
Sound

Smell
Smell Touch
Touch

Taste
Taste

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 Vision
• Colour provokes emotion • Trade dress: colours
• Reaction to colour is associated with specific
both biological and companies
cultural • Colour in packaging
design is critical
 Vision and Colour
• Colours influence emotions
• Some colours (red) create feelings of arousal and
stimulate appetites
• Blue is more relaxing
• Older people see colours in a dull cast and
therefore prefer white and other bright tones.
Mature consumers are likely to choose a white car;
in fact Lexus makes 60% of their vehicles in
white
 Smell
• Scents stir emotion or create
calm feelings
• Episodic memories of a pie
out of the oven or a steaming
cup of coffee…feelings of
home
• One study found the smell of
fresh cinnamon buns induced
sexual arousal in males
• Scent marketing: from cars
to fragrances
 Hearing
• Sound affects behaviour: airline passengers move
to their seats faster with an up-tempo playing
• Individual sounds called phonemes might be more
or less preferred by customers ( an i- sound would
be lighter than an a-sound)
• Muzak uses sound and music to create a mood
• High tempo = more stimulation
• Slower tempo= more relaxing
• Muzak in factories can reduce absenteeism
 Touch
• Heptic senses: touch is the
most basic of senses; we
learn this before vision
and smell
• Touching affects the
product experience
• Waiters who touch patrons
get bigger tips
• Touching an item forms a
relationship with the
product
 Taste
• Our taste receptors obviously contribute to our
experiences of many products, and people form
strong preferences for certain flavours.
• Cultural changes determine desirable tastes

• Individuals test the heat of hot peppers

• Wine enthusiasts taste hundreds of wines
 1. Exposure
• Exposure – an initial stage of perception where some
sensations come within range of consumers’ sensory receptors.
• People have different thresholds of perception. A stimulus
must be presented at a certain level of intensity before it can
get detected by an individual’s sensory reception. In addition,
a consumer’s ability to detect whether two stimuli are different
(the differential threshold) is an important issue in marketing
contexts such as changing a package design, altering the size
of a product, or reducing its price.
• JND (just noticeable difference) – the minimum change in a
stimulus that can be detected by a perceiver (Application:
discount merchandise or when the price increases or a product
is downsized).
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 Weber’s
Weber’s Law
Law
• The stronger the initial stimulus, the greater its
change must be for the change to be noticed

I = the minimal change in

I
intensity of the stimulus
required to be just
k = noticeable to the person
(j.n.d.)
I
k = the constant increase or decrease I = the intensity of the stimulus
necessary for the stimulus to be before the change occurs
noticed (this varies across the senses)

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 Exposure
• In recent years, the sensory experiences we get from
products and services have become even more important
when choosing among competing options. Consumers
increasingly want to buy things that will give them
hedonic value in addition to functional value.
• Facilitating effective consumer perception is a central goal
from marketers.
• Factors that determine which stimuli get perceived are the
amount of exposure to the stimulus, how much attention it
generates, and how it is interpreted. In an increasingly
crowded stimulus environment, advertising clutter occurs
when too many marketing-related messages compete for
attention.
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 Exposure:
Exposure: Subliminal
Subliminal Perception
Perception
Controversy
Controversy hashas been
been sparked
sparked by by so-called
so-called subliminal
subliminal
persuasion
persuasion and
and related
related techniques,
techniques, by by which
which people
people are
are
exposed
exposed toto visual
visual and
and audio
audio messages
messages below
below thethe
threshold
threshold of
of perception
perception (below
(below the
the level
level of
of the
the
consumer’s
consumer’s awareness).
awareness). Although
Although evidence
evidence of of subliminal
subliminal
persuasion’s
persuasion’s effectiveness
effectiveness is is virtually
virtually nonexistent,
nonexistent, manymany
consumers
consumers continue
continue to to believe
believe that
that advertisers
advertisers useuse this
this
technique.
technique.
Three
Three subliminal
subliminal techniques:
techniques:
•• Embeds
Embeds –– tiny
tiny figures
figures that
that are
are inserted
inserted into
into magazine
magazine
advertising
advertising byby using
using high-speed
high-speed photography
photography or or
airbrushing.
airbrushing.
•• Auditory
Auditory messages
messages
•• Rapid
Rapid visual
visual exposure
exposure 16
 2.
2. Attention
Attention
Attention
Attentionis
isthe
thedegree
degreeto
towhich
whichconsumers
consumersfocus
focuson
onstimuli
stimuli
within
withintheir
theirrange
rangeof
ofexposure.
exposure.

Perceptual
Perceptualselectivity
selectivity––process
processininwhich
whichpeople
people
attend
attendto
toonly
onlyaasmall
smallportion
portionof
ofthe
thestimuli
stimulito
towhich
which
they
theyare
areexposed.
exposed.

Adaptation – the process that occurs when a sensation

becomes so familiar that it is no longer the focus of
attention.
Factors Leading to Adaptation: Intensity, Duration,
Discrimination, Exposure, Relevance
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 Stimulus
Stimulus Selection
Selection Factors
Factors
Countering
Countering Advertising
Advertising Clutter
Clutter
•• Large
LargeBlock
BlockAdvertising
Advertising
•• Bookend
BookendAds
Ads
•• Unconventional
UnconventionalLocations
Locations

Colour
Colour

Three
Three Ways
Ways to
to
Create
Create Contrast
Contrast Size
Size ––isisbigger
biggerbetter
betteror
ornot?
not?

Unpredictable
Patterns
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3.
3. Interpretation
Interpretation
The stimuli we do pay attention to are interpreted
according to learned patterns and expectations. These
principles are guided by gestalt, or overall pattern.
Specific grouping principles include closure, similarity,
and figure-ground relationships.

Interpretation – the process whereby meanings are

assigned to stimuli. It is the final step in the process of
perception.

Symbols help us make sense of the world by providing us

with an interpretation of a stimulus that is often shared by
others. The degree to which the symbolism is consistent
with our previous experience affects the meaning we
assign to related objects.
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 Perceptual Positioning
• A perceptual map is a widely used marketing tool
that evaluates the relative standing of competing
brands along relevant dimensions.
• Positioning strategy – the place a brand occupies
in the consumer’s mind with regard to important
attributes (such as functional features) and
competitive offerings.
• Positioning dimensions: price leadership,
attributes, product class, occasions, users, quality.
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