Consumer Psychology

BUS 318 Module

Semester A
2023
Session 3: In the consumer’s eye
 Today’s Outline:
• Consumer Psychology
– Test your knowledge (Chapter 2)
– Exposure, Attention & Perception (Chapter 3)
 Consumer Behaviour -Chapter 2:
• Test your knowledge:
Needs have all of the following characteristics except
a. are different from wants.
b. can conflict with one another.
c. can be aroused by internal cues.
d. can be aroused by external cues.
e. result in higher levels of perceived risk.
 Consumer Behaviour -Chapter 2:
• Test your knowledge:
Needs have all of the following characteristics except
a. are different from wants.
b. can conflict with one another.
c. can be aroused by internal cues.
d. can be aroused by external cues.
e. result in higher levels of perceived risk.
 Consumer Behaviour - Chapter 3:
• Today we will understand how marketing information makes
its way into consumers’ minds

• Exposure
• Attention
• Perception
• Comprehension
 Exposure
“…reflects the process by which the consumer comes into
contact with a stimulus.”

• Exposure through sense organs

– Visual
– Auditory
– Taste
– Smell
– Touch

• Exposure to marketing stimuli

– Designed to be noticed by (all) senses.
 Exposure
• Factors influencing exposure
– Position of an ad
– Product distribution
– Shelf placement

• Selective exposure
– Zipping (fast forwarding)
– Zapping (muting/switching channels).
 Attention
“…the process by which we devote mental activity to a
stimulus…necessary for information to be processed…activate
our senses.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FzJXTdDfpuQ
 Attention
• Characteristics
– Selective – we only focus on a few stimuli at a time
– Capable of being divided and distracted
– Limited – depends on familiarity and ease of processing of the
stimuli
– Habituation – decrease in response to a stimulus after repeated
presentations

• Under what conditions do you (not) give full attention to

advertising & marketing communication?
 Attention
• Enhancing consumer attention via marketing
stimuli
– Personally relevant
– Pleasant…
– Surprising…
– Easy to process…
 Attention
• Enhancing consumer attention via marketing
stimuli
• Pleasant marketing stimuli
– Attractive models
– Music https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nTAYmMKSIaw
– Humor https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U91Zp9wWS30
• Surprising marketing stimuli
– Novelty
– Unexpectedness https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pzl86IjTpHI
– Puzzles
 Attention
How to capture attention:
 Perception
“...occurs when stimuli are registered by one of our five senses:
vision, hearing, taste, smell, & touch”.

“...the process by which physical sensations...are selected,

organised, and interpreted. The eventual interpretation of the
stimulus allows it to be assigned meaning.
 Perception
• Making sense of the environment around us
 Perception
Vision
• Size & shape
• Lettering
• Color dimensions, physiological responses, liking
– Color can provoke emotions (or at least is associated with them…)
– Reactions to color can be biological and cultural
– What colors are associated with a particular company/brand?

Coca-Cola Starbucks Skype Ikea

 Perception
Vision
• Size & shape
• Lettering
• Color dimensions, physiological responses, liking
– Color can provoke emotions (or at least is associated with them…)
– Reactions to color can be biological and cultural
– What colors are associated with a particular company?
 Perception
Vision
• Color Dimensions

• Warm colors:
– elated mood states
and arousal

• Cool colors:
– reduce arousal,
peacefulness
 Perception
Auditory
• Music can increase arousal
– Can influence purchase intention
• Sonic identity
– (e.g., Sound logo https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bPB-2RwqH0U )
• Sound symbolism
– (e.g., inferences from sound https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cn_q3jwzcHk )
 Perception
Taste
• Varying perceptions of what “tastes good”
• Cultural backgrounds
• In-store marketing
 Perception
Smell
• Smell & physiological response/moods
– Odors create moods and promote memories
• Product trial
• Liking  Buying
 Perception
Haptic (Touch)
• Haptic sense is most basic of senses. Learned before vision
and smell.
• Affects product experience

• Touching can lead to attachment

 Perception
Applied aspects of sensory perception
• Marketers try to consider the “right” combinations of stimuli
• Visual & auditory in an online context
– Lyrics of songs
– Still images have a smaller effect (Adelaar et al., 2003)
• Olfactory & auditory in an actual store context
– Match between the arousal caused by scent and music
– E.g., low arousal scent (lavender) & slow tempo music
 Perception
Applied aspects of sensory perception
• Example
– Touch
– Smell
– Vision
– Sound
 Sensory Thresholds
• Absolute thresholds
– The minimum amount of stimulation that can be detected
on a given sensory channel
• Differential thresholds
– The amount of stimulation needed to be detected as a
change/difference between two stimuli
 Sensory Thresholds
• Absolute thresholds
– The minimum amount of stimulation that can be detected
on a given sensory channel
• Differential thresholds
– The amount of stimulation needed to be detected as a
change/difference between two stimuli
 Perceiving Marketing Stimuli
• Perceptual organization
– Single units are organized into a whole
• Figure & ground
– Stimuli are interpreted relative to a background
 Perceiving Marketing Stimuli
• Perceptual organization
– Single units are organized into a whole
• Figure & ground
– Stimuli are interpreted relative to a background
• Closure
– Perceptions are automatically completed
 Perceiving Marketing Stimuli
• Perceptual organization
– Single units are organized into a whole
• Figure & ground
– Stimuli are interpreted relative to a background
• Closure
– Perceptions are automatically completed
• Grouping
– Stimuli are grouped if they belong to each other 
Perceiving Marketing Stimuli
 Perceiving Marketing Stimuli
• Perceptual organization
– Single units are organized into a whole
• Figure & ground
– Stimuli are interpreted relative to a background
• Closure
– Perceptions are automatically completed
• Grouping
– Stimuli are grouped if they belong to each other
• Bias for the whole
– Consumers place more values in “wholes” than the sum of its parts
(e.g., a $20 bill > $10 + $10)
 Comprehension
• Objective (what was said)
• Subjective (what was understood)
• Miscomprehension
• Improving objective comprehension
– Expertise & ability
 Comprehension
• Brand names/symbols inferences
− Misleading names/labels
− Inappropriate/similar names
 Comprehension
• Brand names/symbols inferences
− Misleading names/labels
− Inappropriate/similar names
 Comprehension
• Brand names/symbols inferences
− Misleading names/labels
− Inappropriate/similar names
 Comprehension
• Brand names/symbols inferences
− Misleading names/labels
− Inappropriate/similar names
 Comprehension
• Brand names/symbols inferences
− Misleading names/labels
− Inappropriate/similar names
Any questions?
See you all next week!