Chapter 2 Perception

Consumer Behavior: Buying, Having,
and Being
Chapter 2
Perception
Copyright © 2017, 2015, 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Learning Objectives
1. The definition of perception and the process involved in

perception.
2. The influence of stimuli to sensory system.
3. The exposure, attention and interpretation of stimuli.
4. The field of semiotics helps us to understand how
marketers use symbols to create meaning.
5. Subliminal advertising is a controversial—but largely
ineffective—way to talk to consumers.
Perception
• Perception is a three-stage process that translates raw stimuli into
meaning.
• Stages of Perception:
i. Exposure
ii. Attention
iii. Interpretation
Perceptual Process
Figure 3.1 shows how as consumers we are exposed to sensory stimuli
through our sensory receptors. It emphasizes the three key stages of
perception: exposure, attention, and interpretation.
Sensory Stimuli
• Vision/sight
• Scent/smell
• Sound
• Touch/texture
• Taste
marketers rely heavily on visual elements in advertising, store design, and
packaging.
• The design of a product is often a key driver of its
success or failure.
• Apart from functionality, consumers also seek for
hedonic value of a product.
The Coca-Cola bottle illustrates an example of how design can facilitate
product success.
Vision/sights
• Marketers communicate meaning on

a visual channel using a product’s
color, size, and styling.
• For example, Pantone, Inc. (one of
these color arbiters) identified
“Marsala”—a naturally robust and
earthy wine red—as the color of the
year for 2015.
Vision
Table 3.1 Marketing Applications of Colors
Color Associations Marketing Applications

Yellow Optimistic and youthful Used to grab window shoppers’ attention
Red Energy Often seen in clearance sales

Blue Trust and security Banks
Green Wealth Used to create relaxation in stores
Orange Aggressive Call to action: subscribe, buy or sell
Black Powerful and sleek Luxury products
Purple Soothing Beauty or anti-aging products
Source: Adapted from Leo Widrich, “Why Is Facebook Blue? The Science Behind Colors in Marketing,”
Fast Company (May 6, 2013), fastcompany.com accessed February 23, 2015.
5-10
Marketers rely heavily on visual elements in advertising, store design, and

packaging. As colors are so powerful, they are an important concern in
packaging design.
Scents/smell
• Like color, odor can also stir emotions and memory.
• Scent Marketing is a form of sensory marketing that we may see
in perfumes, detergents, and more.
• For instance, Starbucks requires baristas to grind a batch of
coffee each morning to ensure customers have that intense
smell during their Starbucks’ experience.
For Reflection (1 of 8)
• Imagine you are the marketing consultant for the package

design of a new brand of premium chocolate.
• What recommendations would you make regarding sight
and scent?
Sound
• Audio watermarking- Brands can use audio watermarking to
encourage the retention of the message- when producers weave a
sound/motif into a piece of music that acts like an earworm we
compulsively hum.
• Sound symbolism as a way to influence brand image with sound.
Consumers more likely to recognize brand names that begin with a
hard consonant (K or P) like Kellogg’s and Pepsi.
• Phenomes - Vowel and consonant sounds (or phenomes) can be
associated with perceptions of large and small
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hfhBSGeA49I
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QjrXt-jvWaw
Touch/texture
• Touch matters for consumers in which they will have a higher
level of attachment to the product. Touch can even influence
sales interactions.
• For instance, Some Japanese companies take this idea a step
farther with their practice of Kansei engineering, a philosophy
that translates customers’ feelings into design elements.
Taste
• Our taste receptors contribute to our experience of many
products, and people form strong preferences for certain
flavors. Specialized companies (called “flavor houses”) try to
develop new concoctions to please the ever-changing and
demanding palates of consumers.
• Changes in our culture also determine the tastes we find
desirable.
Sensory Marketing
• Companies think carefully about the impact of sensations
on our product experiences.
Stage 1: Exposure
• Exposure occurs when a stimulus comes within
the range of someone’s sensory receptors.
• Exposure can occurs within the sensory threshold
and differential threshold.
Sensory Threshold
Level of strength of a stimuli must reach for it to be
detected.
Key Concepts Definition
Absolute threshold The minimum amount of stimulation a person can
detect.
Psychophysics Quantitatively investigates relationship between
stimuli and the sensations.
Differential Ability of a sensory system to detect changes in
threshold two stimuli.
Just Noticeable Minimum difference we can detect between two
Difference (J.N.D) stimuli.
Examples of Absolute Threshold
Examples of Psychophysics
5-21
The Cadbury’s Logo Evolves
Stage 2: Attention
• Attention is the extent to which processing activity is
devoted to a particular stimulus
• Consumers experience sensory overload
• Marketers need to break through the clutter
How Do Marketers Get Attention?
Personal Selection Factors
• Experience
• Perceptual filters
– Perceptual vigilance
– Perceptual defense
Stage 3: Interpretation
• Interpretation refers to the meaning we assign to sensory

stimuli, which is based on a schema
Semiotic Relationships
Semiotics studies the correspondence between signs and symbols and their
roles in how we assign meanings.
• Object - the product that is the focus of the message
• Sign - the sensory image that represents the intended meanings of the
object
• Interpretant - the meaning we derive from the sign
• Icon - a sign that resembles the product in some way
• Index - a sign that connects to a product because they share
• Symbol - a sign that relates to a product by either conventional or agreed-
on associations
Semiotic Relationships
5-27
Subliminal Advertising
• Subliminal advertising is a controversial but
largely ineffective way to talk to consumers

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Chapter 2 Perception

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Consumer Behavior: Buying, Having,

1. The definition of perception and the process involved in

• Marketers communicate meaning on

Color Associations Marketing Applications

Red Energy Often seen in clearance sales

Marketers rely heavily on visual elements in advertising, store design, and

• Imagine you are the marketing consultant for the package

The Cadbury’s Logo Evolves

• Interpretation refers to the meaning we assign to sensory

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