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Chapter 2

Perception

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“Perception is Reality”

Louis Cheskin

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Are The Center Circles the Same Size?

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Are the Purple Lines Bent or Straight?

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A Sax Player or a Woman’s Face?

2-6Sensation and Perception

• SensationSensation– Refers to the immediate response of our

sensory receptors (eyes, ears, nose, mouth, fingers) to such basic stimuli as light, color, and sound.

• PerceptionPerception– Process by which these sensations are

selected, organized, and interpreted.– People only process a small amount of

information (stimuli).– An even smaller amount is attended to and

given meaning.

2-7The Perception Process

Exposure Attention Interpretation

Response

Perception

STIM

ULI

or S

ENSO

RY

INPU

TS

Sensation

Meaning

2-8Sensory Systems

• Visual Elements in Advertising, Store Design and Packaging.

• Odors Can Stir Emotions or Create Feelings Such as Happiness/ Hunger.

• Research Has Analyzed Effects of : Background Music & Speaking Rates

Vision

Smell

Sound

Touch

Taste

• Shown to Be a Factor in Sales Interactions.

• Ethnicity Affects Taste Preferences.

2-9Exposure

• Degree to which people notice a stimulus that is within range of their sensory receptors.

• Consumers:– Concentrate on some stimuli,– Are unaware of others,– Even go out of their way to ignore some messages.

• Pychophysics Pychophysics - Science that focuses on how the physical environment is integrated into our personal, subjective world.

2-10Sensory Thresholds

Absolute Threshold refers to the minimum amount of stimulation that can be detected on a sensory channel.

Marketing Stimuli

Differential Threshold refers to the ability of a sensory system to detect changes or differences between two stimuli. (j.n.d.-Just Noticeable Difference & Weber’s Law)

Lowest Intensity of a Stimulus That Consumers are Capable of Perceiving:

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2-12Subliminal Perception Subliminal Perception

Occurs When The Stimulus Is Below The Level Of The

Consumer’s Awareness.

EmbedsTiny Figures in Print

Advertising

Subliminal TechniquesAuditory Messages

Messages on SoundRecordings

Low-Level Auditory Stimulation

Threshold Messaging

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Influence of Subliminal Messages

Does Subliminal Perception Work? Threshold

DifferencesDistance and

Position Control

ViewingAttention Control

GeneralizedEffect

2-14Attention

• Refers to the extent to which processing activity is devoted to a particular stimulus.

• Consumers often suffer Sensory Overload, Sensory Overload, exposure to far more information than they are capable of or willing to process.

• Example: More than 6000 TV commercials are run each week.

2-15Perceptual SelectionPerceptual Selection Means that People Pay Attention to

Only a Small Portion of Stimuli to Which They Are Exposed.

How do Consumers Choose What to Pay Attention To?

ExperienceResult of Acquiring Information Over Time

AdaptationPerceptualDefense

Perceptual Vigilance

Perceptual FiltersPast Experiences Influences What We Decide to Process

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Duration

Discrimination

Intensity

Relevance

Exposure

Adaptation

Factors Leading to Adaptation

2-17Perceptual Selection

How do Consumers Choose What to Pay Attention To?

Stimulus Selection Factors

Size

Position

Novelty

Color

Create Contrast Contrast so That Stimuli is More Likely to Be Noticed. Remember Weber’s Law.

2-18Interpretation

• Refers to the meaning that we assign to sensory stimuli.

• Consumers assign meaning to stimuli based on Schema, Schema, or set of beliefs, to which the stimuli is assigned.

– The schema will determine what criteria will be used to evaluate the:

– product, – package, – message.

2-19Interpretation

• Semiotics: The Symbols Around Us– The study of how consumers interpret the meanings of

symbols» Object» Sign» Interpretant

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Semiotics

2-21Stimulus OrganizationThe Gestalt Perspective (Summarized as “The Whole is

Greater Than the Sum of It’s Parts) Provides Several Principles Relating to the Way Stimuli Are Organized:

Principle of SimilarityConsumers Tend to Group Objects That Share Similar

Physical Characteristics.

Figure-Ground PrincipleOne Part of the Stimulus Will Dominate (the Figure) While

Other Parts Recede Intothe Backdrop (the Ground)

Closure PrinciplePeople Tend to Perceive an Incomplete Picture as

Whole.

2-22Perceptual PositioningPositioning Strategy Positioning Strategy Uses Elements of the Marketing Mix

to Influence the Consumer’s Interpretation of It’s Meaning.

Attributes

Users

LifestyleQuality

Price Leadership

Product ClassCompetitors

Occasions

PositioningDimensions

2-23Repositioning

Current Brand is “Cannibalizing”Other Brands in Product Line.

Too Many Competitors Are Stressing the Same Attribute.

Original Market Evaporates orIs Unreceptive to the Offering.

RepositioningRepositioning Occurs When a Brand’s Original Market Position is Modified

Because: