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