Perception Chapter 2

1. Perception Chapter 2

2. “Alternative” Milk • Parmalat • Shelf-stable milk: Can last for 5-6 months unopened without refrigeration • Discussion: Would you drink milk out of a room-temperature, square, quart-size box?

3. Overflowing Sensations • Our world is a symphony of colors, sounds, odors, tastes, etc. • Marketers contribute to the commotion • Advertisements, product packages, radio & TV commercials, billboards • NBC’s Fear Factor • Peruvian TV show Laura en America

4. Sensation & Perception • Sensation • Immediate response of our sensory receptors… • …eyes, ears, nose, mouth, fingers… • …to basic stimuli… • …such as light, color, sound, odor, and texture

5. Sensation & Perception (Cont’d) • Perception • Process by which sensations are selected, organized, and interpreted • Adding meaning to raw sensations Figure 2.1

6. Sensory Systems • We receive external stimuli through our five senses • Perceptual process begins sensory input • Hedonic Consumption • Design/form = function/substance

7. Vision • Color • Color provokes emotion • Reactions to color are biological & cultural • Color in marketing is serious business!

8. VERTICAL HORIZONTAL ILLUSION Vision (Cont’d) • Size • We tend to eat more: • When food container is larger • When our plate still contains food • When we see assortment of foods • We focus on height rather than width when pouring liquid into a glass

9. Smell • Odors = mood & memory (limbic system) • Fresh cinnamon buns = male sexual arousal • Scented marketing • Cadillac’s “Nuance” scent = expensive upholstery

10. MUZAK.COM Hearing • Many aspects of sound affect people’s feelings and behaviors • Phonemes of brands = unique product meanings • “i” brands are “lighter” than “a” brands • Effect of Muzak

11. MAZDAUSA.COM Touch • Haptic senses affect product experience & judgment • Kansei engineering • Fabric textures and surfaces with products & packaging Table 2.1

12. Taste • “Flavor houses” (e.g., Alpha M.O.S.) • Develop new concoctions for consumer palates • Cultural changes determine desirable tastes

13. Exposure • A stimulus comes within range of someone’s sensory receptors • We can concentrate, ignore, or completely miss stimuli

14. Sensory Thresholds • Psychophysics • Absolute threshold • Dog whistle • Billboard with too small print

15. Sensory Thresholds (Cont’d) • Differential threshold • J.n.d. • Weber’s Law • Discussion: Many studies have shown that our sensory detection abilities decline as we grow older. • Discuss the implications of the absolute threshold for marketers attempting to appeal to the elderly.

16. Subliminal Perception • It is believed that many ads are designed to be perceived unconsciously (below threshold of recognition) • Subliminal Techniques • Embeds • Subliminal auditory perception

17. Subliminal Perception (Cont’d) • Most researchers believe that subliminal techniques are not of much use in marketing • Discussion: Assuming that some forms of subliminal persuasion may have the desired effect of influencing consumers, do you think the use of these techniques is ethical? Explain your answer.

18. Attention • The extent to which processing activity is devoted to a particular stimulus • Competition for our attention • 3,500 ad info pieces per day • Multitask • Marketers need to break through the clutter • Microsoft’s butterfly decals on sidewalks • Mini Cooper’s fake robots ad

19. Perceptual Selection • Psychic economy • Personal Selection Factors • Perceptual vigilance • Perceptual defense • Adaptation • Intensity, duration, discrimination, exposure, and relevance

20. Perceptual Selection (Cont’d) • Stimulus Selection Factors • Weber’s Law • Differences in size, color, position, & novelty • Interpretation: assigned meaning to stimuli • Schema leads to stimulus evaluation

21. Stimulus Organization • Stimulus interpretation is associated with other related events, sensations, or images • Gestalt: “the whole is greater than the sum of it parts” • Closure • Similarity • Figure-ground

22. Interpretational Biases • We often interpret ambiguous stimuli based on our experiences, expectations, and needs • Princeton vs. Dartmouth football game • Planters Fresh Roast (vacuum-packed peanuts package)

23. Semiotics • Correspondence between signs and symbols and their role in the assignment of meaning • Consumer products = social identities • Advertising as culture/consumption dictionary

24. Object (Product) Marlboro Cigarettes Rugged American Cowboy Sign (Image) Interpretant (Meaning) Figure 2.3 Semiotic Relationships

25. Office Space & “Rio Red” stapler: SWINGLINE.COM Semiotics (Cont’d) • Signs are related to objects in 3 ways: • Icon • Index • Symbol • Hyperreality • Marlboro cigarettes = American frontier spirit • “Heidiland” in Switzerland

26. Perceptual Positioning • Brand perceptions = functional attributes + symbolic attributes • Perceptual map • Company’s own strengths and weaknesses in comparison with competitors

27. Perceptual Map Figure 2.4

28. Positioning Strategy • Marketing mix elements influence the consumer’s interpretation of brand’s meaning • Brand’s position as a function of: • Lifestyle, price leadership, attributes, product class, competitors, occasions, users, and quality

29. Discussion • The slogan for the movie Godzilla was “Size does matter.” Should this be the slogan for America as well? Many marketers believe so. Look at the 32-oz Big Gulp, Hardee’s Monster Burger (63 grams of fat and 900+ calories), and the average size of TV sets and SUVs… • What’s up with our fascination with bigness? • Is this a uniquely American preference? • Do you believe that “bigger is better?” Is this a sound marketing strategy?

30. Discussion • Assume that you are a consultant for a marketer who wants to design a package for a new premium chocolate bar targeted to an affluent market. • What recommendations would you provide in terms of such package elements as color, symbolism, and graphic design? • Give reasons for your suggestions.