CHAPTER

SIX

Consumer Perception
A Simple Model of Consumer Decision Making

Copyright 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. Chapter One Slide 2

Chapter Six Slide 3
 Overview

First: Perception and its major concepts.

Second: Elements of Perception.

Third: Consumer imagery components.

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First: Perception and its
major concepts

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 Perception and its major concepts

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.

• Perception is the process by which an

individual selects, organizes, and
interprets stimuli into a meaningful
and coherent picture.

• Major concepts in Perception:

1- Sensation
2- Absolute threshold
3- Differential threshold
4- Subliminal perception

Chapter Six Slide 6

 1- Sensation

• Sensation is the immediate and direct

response of the sensory organs (eyes, ears,
nose, mouth and fingers) to stimuli.

– A stimulus is any unit of input to any of the senses

(light, color, sound, odor, and texture).

• Most of marketing focuses on sight and sound

but much research is being done on smell and
touch.

Chapter Six Slide 7

 We receive
external
stimuli through
our five senses

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 2- Absolute threshold

• The absolute threshold is the lowest level at

which an individual can experience a sensation.

 Advertisers must reach the absolute threshold for

consumers to be able to experience their
advertising message.
 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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 3- Differential Threshold
(Just Noticeable Difference – J.N.D.)

• Minimal difference that can be detected

(noticed) between two similar stimuli.
• Weber’s law
– The J.N.D. between two stimuli is not an absolute
amount but an amount relative (not fixed) 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.

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 Marketing Applications of the J.N.D.

• Marketers need to
determine the relevant
J.N.D. for their products
changes
– so that negative changes
(e.g. increase the price or
reduce the package size) are
not noticeable to the
consumers
– and product improvements
(e.g. price discount or extra
quantity) are very apparent
to consumers
Marketers also want to be careful when they
change the look of a product or packaging, that
consumers still recognize the brand and
transfer their positive feelings toward the brand.
The pictures: Betty Crocker, the general mills
symbol, has been updated seven times form
1936 to 1996., but the basic elements of the
symbol changed only minimally from one
update to the next in order to maintain
continuous consumer recognition.
Chapter Six Slide 11
Chapter Six Slide 12
 4- Subliminal Perception

• Stimuli that are too weak or too brief to be consciously seen or

heard (beneath the deferential threshold but not beneath the
absolute threshold). Are they perceived and capable of affecting
consumer behavior (e.g. purchase behavior)?
– Example: It is claimed that writing words of “ eat popcorn and
drink Coca-Cola “ in a cinema during the movie for a short
period of time that viewers were unaware of seeing the
message have increased sales of popcorn and Coca-Cola).
• Is subliminal perception really effective?
– Extensive research has shown no evidence that subliminal
advertising can cause behavior changes
– Some evidence that subliminal stimuli may influence affective
reactions
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second: elements of
perception

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Elements of Perception

Selection

Organization

Interpretation

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 1- Perceptual Selection
Consumers are exposed to thousands, if not millions, of
stimuli every day. The stimuli that they perceive depends
on three factors:

Nature of the • Includes the product’s physical attributes, package design, package
colors, brand name. Contrast is the most attention compelling attributes
stimulus of a stimulus (e.g. back and white ad among colored ads).

• Based on consumers’ familiarity, previous experience or expectations on

Expectations how the brand performs. Consumers give more attention to familiar
stimuli. Some Studies proved that consumers give much concern on
stimuli that are not compatible with their expectations.

Motives • Consumers’ Needs or wants for a product or service. Example: obese

people see ads related to fitness and diet.

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Why Are Consumers
Likely to Notice This Ad?

The Attention-
Getting Nature of
a contrast

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 Perceptual Selection
Important Concepts
Selective Attention
• Consumers have a • Consumers
Heightened awareness
when stimuli meet their
needs or interest and
vice versa
• Consumers are different
in preference of
message information
(some are interested in
price, or product
features, others are
interested in
distribution) and type of
medium (newspapers,
TV, radio, Internet)
Perceptual Defense Perceptual Blocking
• Consumers protect
subconsciously Screen themselves from being
out stimuli which are bombarded with
psychologically overwhelming stimuli
threatening and by:
sometimes distort • Tuning out: blocking
information that is not stimuli from conscious
consistent with their awareness
needs, values and belief • Using TiVo or DVR
(example: smokers pay (devices enable
no attention to the viewers to skip TV
written warning or commercials)
images on the cigarette
packs)
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 2- Organization
• People tend to organize
Principles of perceptual
perceptions into figure-and-
organization: ground relationships.
• Figure is more clearly
• Figure and ground perceived because it appears
• Grouping to be dominant.
• in contrast, ground
• Closure
(background) is usually hazy,
adding sensory effect.
• Marketers usually design
advertising so that the figure
is the noticed stimuli (using
contrast).
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Application of the
Figure-Ground Principle

This ad for the Australian

postal service uses an
application of the figure-
ground principle.

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 Application of the
Figure-Ground Principle

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 2- Organization

Principles of perceptual • People group stimuli to form a

organization: unified impression or concept.
• Information grouping helps
• Figure and ground memory and recall.
• Marketers use grouping to
• Grouping
convey certain desired
• Closure meaning
• Example: an advertisement for
tea shows a young man and a
woman sipping tea in a
beautiful room leads
consumers to associate
drinking tea with romance.

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 2- Organization
• People have a need for
Principles of perceptual
closure and organize
organization: perceptions to form a
• Figure and ground complete picture.
• consumers will often,
• Grouping consciously of subconsciously,
• Closure fill in the missing pieces of a
stimuli
• Incomplete messages serves
to involve consumers more
deeply in the message and be
remembered more than
complete messages
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Closure

In IBM logo, we perceive the

letters 'I', 'B', and 'M' although
the shapes we see, in fact, are
only lines of white space of
differing length hovering above
each other.

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What Element of Perceptual Organization Is
Featured in This Ad?

Closure

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 3- Interpretation

• People hold meanings related to

Stereotypes stimuli. That meaning may be
Stereotypes different than the advertiser’s
because they have unique motives,
Physical
PhysicalAppearances
Appearances interests, and experiences
• For instance, individuals tend to
have stereotypes (biased picture in
Descriptive
DescriptiveTerms
Terms the mind of the meanings of various
stimuli). People add these biases to
First
FirstImpressions
Impressions
what they see or hear and form a
distorted impression.
• Marketers must be aware of
Halo
HaloEffect
Effect possible consumers sterotypes that
influence their perception of the
marketers’ stimuli.
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 3- Interpretation

• Physical appearance of
products influences
Stereotypes consumers’ judgment.
Stereotypes
• People tend to imitate
Physical Appearances
Physical Appearances persons who resemble them,
which is Important in selecting
Descriptive
DescriptiveTerms
Terms models who appear physically
in advertisements to persuade
First
FirstImpressions
Impressions consumers with advertised
products
Halo
HaloEffect
Effect • So that, ad models are likely to
be more persuasive

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 3- Interpretation

• Descriptive terms
(Verbal messages) in the
Stereotypes
ad reflect stereotypes
Physical Appearances that influence the
consumer’s perception
Descriptive Terms • Advertisers must be
careful about using
First Impressions
verbal messages that
Halo Effect reflects stereotypes
against their products
Chapter Six Slide 31
How Does This Ad Depict Perceptual
Interpretation?
It Contrasts the
Powerful Durango car
with Less Rugged
(weak) cars referred
to in the Ad as the
“Land Of Tofu.”
But
One Asian student
interpreted the ad as
contrasting American
cars with cars made
in Asia, where tofu
plant originated
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 3- Interpretation
• First impressions are lasting
so a marketer should be
Stereotypes careful how they advertise
Stereotypes
new products (introducing a
Physical Appearances
Physical Appearances new product before It has
been perfected may prove
Descriptive
DescriptiveTerms
Terms fatal to the ultimate success
because subsequent
First
FirstImpressions
Impressions information about its
advantage, even if true, will
Halo
HaloEffect
Effect be often neglected by the
memory of its early
performance neglected).
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 3- Interpretation

• Consumers perceive and

Stereotypes evaluate multiple
Stereotypes objects (person,
Physical Appearances
Physical Appearances product, service,
product line) based on
Descriptive
DescriptiveTerms
Terms just one dimension
First • For instance, a
FirstImpressions
Impressions consumer might
Halo
HaloEffect
Effect consider a clean waiting
room as an indication of
a good dentist.
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Third: Consumer Imagery
components
• Consumers perceived images about products,
services, prices, product quality, retail stores,
and manufacturers.
• Marketer are doing to form these images for
sake of their products.

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Consumer Imagery components
1- Product positioning
2- packaging
3- Product repositioning
4- Perceptual mapping
5- Perceived price
6- Perceived quality
7- Price quality relationship
8- Retail store image
9- Manufactures’ image
10- Perceived risk
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 Perceived Risk
• Perceived risk is the degree of uncertainty perceived by the
consumer as to the consequences (outcomes) of a specific
purchase decision:
• Types of perceived risks:
– Functional Risk deals with the risk that the product will not perform as
expected
– Physical Risk is the risk to hurt self and others
– Financial Risk is that the product will not be worth its cost
– Social Risk is that the choice of the product might lead to social
embarrassment.
– Psychological Risk will hurt the consumer's ego
– Time Risk is that the time has been wasted in purchasing this product.

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How Consumers Handle Risk

• Seek Information so that they have more knowledge when

they purchase
• Stay Brand Loyal, thereby avoiding risk by sticking with a
known product
• Select by Brand Image because they may already know and
trust the brand, perhaps from buying a different product by
the same brand or company
• Rely on Store Image: reputable store
• Buy the Most Expensive Model, assuming that the
price/quality relationship will safely deliver them the best
product
• Seek Reassurance through money-back guarantees,
warranties, seals of approval and free trials.
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