Consumer Behavior—Chapter 8

inference

goes beyond what is directly stated or presented

perceptual defenses

individuals are not passive recipients of marketing messages

zapping

involves switching channels when a commercial appears

exposure

occurs when a stimulus is placed within a person's relevant environment and comes within a range of their sensory receptor nerves

information overload

occurs when consumers are confronted with so much information that they cannot or will not attend to all of it

zipping

occurs when one fast-forwards through a commercial on a prerecorded program

attention

occurs when the stimulus activates one or more sensory receptor nerves, and the resulting sensations go to the brain for processing

contextual cues

play a role in consumer interpretation independent of the actual stimulus

closure

presenting an incomplete stimulus with the goal of getting consumers to complete it and thus become more engaged and involved

figure-ground

presenting the stimulus in such a way that it is perceived as the focal object to be attended to and all other stimuli are perceived as the background

infomercials

program-length television commercials with a toll-free number and/or web address through which to order or request additional information

product placement

provides exposure that consumer's don't try to avoid, it shows how and when to use the product, and it enhances the product's image

cross-promotions

signage in one area of the store promotes complementary products in another

proximity

stimuli positioned close together are perceived as belonging to the same category

adaption level theory

suggests that if a stimulus doesn't change, over time we adapt or habituate to it and begin to notice it less

interpretation

the assignment of meaning to sensations

affective interpretation

the emotional or feeling response triggered by a stimulus such as an ad

just noticeable difference (j.n.d.)

the minimum amount that one brand can differ from another (or from its previous version) with the difference still being noticed

stimulus organization

the physical arrangement of the stimulus objects

sensory discrimination

the physiological ability of an individual to distinguish between similar stimuli

muting

turning the sound off during commercial breaks

permission-based marketing

voluntary and self-selected nature of such online offerings, where consumers "opt in" to receive e-mail-based promotions

ad avoidance

zipping, zapping, and muting are simply mechanical ways for consumers to selectively avoid exposure to advertising messages

subliminal stimulus

a message presented so fast or so softly or so masked by other messages that one is not aware of seeing or hearing it

perception

a process that begins with consumer exposure and attention to marketing stimuli and ends with consumer interpretation

cognitive interpretation

a process whereby stimuli are placed into existing categories of meaning

perceptual relativity

a relative process rather than absolute

information processing

a series of activities by which stimuli are perceived, transformed into information, and stored

hemispheric lateralization

a term applied to activities that take place on each side of the brain

brand familiarity

an ability factor related to attention

co-branding

an alliance in which two brands are put together on a single product

brand extension

an existing brand extends to a new category with the same name

ambush marketing

any communication or activity that implies, or from which one could reasonably infer, that an organization is association with an event, when in fact it is not

smart banners

banner ads that are activated based on terms used in search engines