Perception
CHAPTERTHREE
Example: Bottled Water
Perception
• The process by which an individual selects, organizes, and interprets stimuli into a meaningful and coherent picture of the world
• Elements of Perception• Sensation• Absolute threshold• Differential threshold• Subliminal perception
Sensation
• Sensation is the immediate and direct response of the sensory organs to stimuli• A stimulus is any unit of input to any of the senses
•Includes products, packages, brand names, advertisements, and commercials
• Sensory receptors are the human organs that receive sensory inputs
• Human sensitivity is the experience of sensation• Varies with individual’s sensory receptors and the
amount of the stimuli
Sensation
• Sensation is the immediate and direct response of the sensory organs to stimuli• A stimulus is any unit of input to any of the senses
• Includes products, packages, brand names, advertisements, and commercials
• Sensory receptors are the human organs that receive sensory inputs
• Human sensitivity is the experience of sensation• Varies with individual’s sensory receptors and the
amount of the stimuli
Sensation
• Sensation itself depends on energy change within the environment where the perception occurs• Great amount of sensory input, small changes
are unnoticeable• Small amount of sensory input, small changes
are noticeable
The Absolute Threshold
• The absolute threshold is the lowest level at which an individual can experience a sensation• Point at which a person can detect a
difference between “something” and “nothing”• As exposure to stimulus increases, we notice
it less (“adaptation”)• Sensory adaptation
The Differential Threshold
• Differential threshold/just noticeable difference (j.n.d): minimal difference that can be detected between two similar stimuli
• Weber’s law• The j.n.d. between two stimuli is not an absolute
amount but an amount relative 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.
Marketing Applications of the J.N.D.
• Marketers need to determine the relevant j.n.d. for their products• so that negative changes are not readily
discernible to the public• so that product improvements are very apparent
to consumers
Marketing Applications of the J.N.D.—Product
• Less than the j.n.d. is wasted effort because consumers won’t notice the improvement
• More than the j.n.d. is wasteful because consumers will be able to use the product much longer
• Now = shine lasts 20 days
• Research found that 5 days is JND
• 23 day shine won’t work
• 40 day shine would slow down time consumers repurchase
Marketing Applications of the J.N.D.—Price
• Less than the j.n.d. is desirable because consumers won’t notice it
Marketing Applications of the J.N.D.—Promotion
• Marketers update package designs without losing the ready recognition from years of exposure
Subliminal Perception
• Stimuli that are too weak or too brief to be consciously seen or heard • They may be strong enough to be perceived by
one or more receptor cells
• Is it effective?• Extensive research has shown no evidence that
subliminal advertising can cause behavior changes
• Some evidence that subliminal stimuli may influence affective reactions
Selective Perception
Mere Exposure Effect
• Represents another way that consumers can learn unintentionally• Consumers will prefer stimuli to which they have been
exposed
• Once exposed to an object, a consumer exhibits a preference for the familiar object over something unfamiliar
Mere Exposure Effect (Ct’d)
• Mere association effect • Occurs when meaning transfers between two
unrelated stimuli that a consumer gets exposed to simultaneously
• Product placements • Involve branded products placed conspicuously in
movies or television shows• Promotions can impart implicit memory among
consumers
Enhancing Consumers’ Attention
• Attention is the purposeful allocation of cognitive capacity toward understanding some stimulus
• Factors that get attention: – Intensity of stimuli– Contrast– Movement– Surprising stimuli– Size of stimuli– Involvement
Comprehension
• The interpretation or understanding that a consumer develops about an attended stimulus• Determines the effectiveness of marketing
communication
Biases in Perception
• People hold meanings related to stimuli
Biases in Perception
• Positive attributes of people they know to those who resemble them
• Important for model selection
Biases in Perception
• Verbal messages reflect stereotypes
Product Positioning
• Establishing a specific image for a brand in the consumer’s mind in relation to competing brands
• Conveys the product in terms of how it fulfills a need• Benefit of product
• Successful positioning creates a distinctive, positive brand image
Perceptual Mapping
• An analytical technique that enables marketers to plot graphically consumers’ perceptions concerning product attributes of specific brands
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