Chapter 4What Is Perception?Slide 3Three Concepts Related to PerceptionSensationSensory SystemsVisionSmellSlide 9TasteSoundTouchInput Variation and SensationSlide 14Perceptual SelectionSome Important Concepts Regarding Selective PerceptionSlide 17Slide 18Threshold Levels of PerceptionSlide 201. The absolute thresholdSlide 222. Differential Threshold (JND)Implications for marketersEthical issuePerception and ImageSlide 27Subliminal PerceptionSlide 29Link to Subliminal Advertising WebsitesConsumer PerceptionConsumer PerceptionChapter 4Consumer PerceptionWhat Is Perception?The process of selecting, organizing, and interpreting sensation into a meaningful and coherent picture of the world“How we see the world around us”Two individuals may be exposed to the same stimuli but recognize, select, organize and interpret them differently based on their own needs, values and expectationsConsumer perceptions are vital to marketers and often underlie the success or failure of products in the marketplaceIn order to understand how perception affects the marketing process, we need to understand some of the basic concepts that underlie the perceptual processThree Concepts Related to PerceptionExposureThe act of deliberately or accidentally coming into contact with stimuliAttentionThe allocation of mental capacity to a stimulusSensationResponses of the sensory receptors to a stimulus and transmission of this information to the brainSensationSensation is the immediate and direct response of the sensory organs to simple stimuliThe human organs that receive sensory inputs are called sensory receptorsSensory SystemsExposure toRaw DataEyeSightEarSoundNoseSmellMouthTasteSkinTouchProcessingof InputsInterpretationof InputsVisionVision is the dominant human sense, so we know more about it than the other sensesVision is known to stimulate physiological changesWarm hues (red, orange) increase blood pressure and heart rateCool hues (blue, green) have the opposite effectOrange is used in fast food restaurants to increase hunger Blues and greens are used in hospitals to reduce patient anxietySmellSmell is the most direct of the sensesNo sense evokes memory more than smellExposure to odors remembered from childhood can induce mood effects like those experienced in childhoodMarketers understand this and build mood effects into products through odorsResearch has shown that a pleasant odor increases lingering and the amount of time spent in a storeTasteTaste has an obvious impact on the success of food and beveragesNorth Americans appear to have a preference for fatty foods Thus the success of fast food and pizza restaurantsCulture plays a powerful role in determining tasteSoundSound, in the form of speech and music, is important to marketersResearch shows a positive connection between the use of popular songs in ads and consumers’ recall of those adsResearch also shows a positive connection between music and store sales and a negative connection between noise and salesTouchPhysical contact with a product often provides consumers with vital informationInput Variation and SensationChanges in what we feel, hear, see, etc. at any given timeAs input increases, the ability to distinguish differences decreasesAs input decreases, the ability to distinguish differences increasesPerceptual overloading: the inability to perceive all competing stimuli for one’s attentionPerceptual vigilance: the ability to disregard much of the stimulation one receivesConsumers easily ignore ads when bombarded by them constantlyPerceptual SelectionEach day consumers are surrounded by stimuliThey are able to subconsciously exercise selectivity over which stimuli they perceiveWhich stimuli are selected depend on two major factorsConsumers’ previous experience (what they are prepared to see)Their motives (needs, desires, interests, etc.)Some Important Concepts Regarding Selective PerceptionSelective ExposureConsumers actively seek out messages they find pleasant or are sympathetic to and avoid painful or threatening onesSelective AttentionConsumers exercise selectivity over attention given to commercial stimuli; they have a heightened awareness of stimuli that meet needs/interests and minimal awareness of irrelevant stimuliEnvironmentalStimuliSelectiveExposureSelectiveAttentionPerceptionSelective InterpretationThe interpretation of stimuli is also uniquely individual, because it is based on what people expect to see in light of previous experience, their motives and interestsAdaptation LevelsIndifference to a stimulus to which one has become accustomedAttention StimulationPlacement, timing, and presentation of stimuli so that target consumers are most likely exposed to themThreshold Levels of PerceptionSensation is the immediate and direct response of the sensory organs (e.g., eyes, ears, etc.) to a stimulus (e.g., an ad, a package, a brand name)Sensation is provoked by changes in sensory inputThe more stimuli that are present, the greater the change must be, and vice versa (e.g., pin dropping)For marketers’ purposes, there are two levels of sensory input (thresholds) of importance:1. Absolute threshold2. Differential threshold (“just noticeable difference”)1. The absolute thresholdThe lowest level at which an individual can experience a sensation I.e., the lowest level of stimuli at which a person can detect a difference between something and nothingOver time and exposure, the absolute threshold drops as consumers “get used to” a stimulus (sensory adaptation)Marketers need to increase/change sensory input in order to keep the attention of their target market2. Differential Threshold (JND)The minimum change in sensation necessary for a person to detect it19th century German scientist Ernst Weber discovered that the JND between two stimuli was not absolute, but varied according to the intensity of the first stimulusWeber’s Law thus states that the greater the initial stimulus, the greater the additional stimulus needs to be in order to be noticeableImplications for marketersManufacturers and marketers try to determine the JND for their products There are two primary reasons1. So that negative changes (e.g., reduction in product size or quality or increases in price) are not noticeable2. So that product improvements (improved
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