Introduction
The purpose of this short report is to discuss the selective attention process and further to that discuss how it affects consumers.
Every decision a consumer makes, whether to purchase or not, will be influenced by a number of factors. Consumers today experience a wide variety of messages (stimuli) from marketers across many different mediums.
It is the consumers’ ability to decide whether to accept or reject which messages resonate with them according to their own needs, wants and other lifestyle factors that form the basis for selective attention.
In particular Avery & Baker’s explanation of the late selection theory of selective attention allows consumers to make decisions of selection or rejection of stimuli after they have been presented with the information.[i] This will be discussed in more detail later in this report with an example of the importance of colours in branding across the key competitors in the Australian mobile phone industry.
Selective Attention
Selective attention can be described as the situation where consumers maintain a heightened awareness of stimuli that meet their needs or interests and conversely hold a lower awareness of stimuli that are irrelevant to their needs[ii].
Avery & Baker defined two clear theories of selective attention: Broadbent’s 1958 early selection theory, which limits consumers’ ability to process multiple stimuli at any one time; and, Triesman’s 1969 late selection theory, which is currently favoured now by both Broadbent and Triesman and instead allows for a primary and secondary ‘channel’ where a consumers’ attention may be taken from their first stimuli to another in the event of something significant.
To extend from Triesman’s theory are concepts about the two key ways in which a consumer may address information they are presented with. Schneider and Shiffrin (1977) suggest that predictable or familiar situations are dealt with in an automatic way, while stimuli that is new or constantly changing is controlled by the person focussing on that stimuli.
Colour, branding and consumers
In many cases a brand, or even product, may be associated to a colour that holds a certain personality trait; this concept of brand personality, as discussed by Schiffman, Kanuk and others (1997) sees consumers give human like qualities to brands and products. [iii]
The colours used by competing companies in the establishment of their brand are an important contributing factor in relation to the way customers select stimuli to accept or reject. As we will see in the below example some colours may align with brands that customers aspire to be aligned with, while others are relevant to consumers who may belong to a wider social group or ‘tribe’.
...s, B. M., and W. Stroebe. (2010) “Setting the stage.” The Psychology of Advertising. East Sussex: Psychology, Print.
Thus, one can relay important social information in the mind without having to communicate verbally which can interfere with the cognitive processes. Thin slice judgements cannot be affected by distraction and even if there is noise or third parties, one can still utilize the cognitive resources to make an impression. Social cognition occurs automatically with no incentives like rewards to reinforce it and most of the fast judgements made are accurate. The information that one gets using thin slices is important in comprehending interpersonal conditions. As one internalizes the judgments made on the social environment, understanding behaviors and future anticipations is enhanced. The other role that thin slices play is understanding the consumer behavior. Using the existing information about consumers and their ever changing preferences, sellers can make quick decision on how to meet the needs of their
The most significant weakness for Belle Couleur would be the undifferentiated product that will be introduced to the Dutch market. Although the number of shades of hair color will be reduced to accommodate the limited retail shelf space, the colors offered will not be reformulated to cater to Dutch preferences. The colors available to the Dutch market will be those that have been specifically formulated for the French market. The problem lies in the differences in color preferences of the Dutch and French women. While the French prefer darker and conservative colors, the Dutch preferences lie at the opposite end of the color spectrum, preferring lighter shades. The market research indicated that buying intentions of the Dutch women decreased after the test-use because the color ¡§didn¡¦t cover gray¡¨ or ¡§was too dark¡¨. Moreover, competing local and international brands in the hair colorant market formulate their products to Dutch market preferences.
One of the earliest models investigating attention was developed by Broadbent (1954, 1971 cited in Edgar 2007) who considered that incoming information on different sensory "channels" was selectively filtered and that only one stream could be semantically processed at a time. This model typified the "bottleneck" approach to selective attention. His work focused on filtering and the early stages of processing. The bottleneck operates by filtering out sensory information on the basis of physical characteristics so that most incoming sensory information receives no conscious processing at all. He examined this through the split-span procedure.
Trends in Cognitive Sciences, 12(5): 182-186. Styles, E. A. & Co. a. The adage of the ad The Psychology of Attention. 2nd Edition.
... of consumer behaviour, lays emphasis on the objectivity of science and the consumer as a reasonable and sensible decision maker. While, the interpretive point of view is in contrast to that of the positivist, in that it emphasises on the importance of the subjective meaning of the consumers individual experience, hence, it suggest that whichever behaviour a consumer performs is subject to diverse interpretations to a certain extent than just a single explanation to it.
The use of advertising plays a huge role in the explanation of decision making. Schwartz contradicts some of the methods we learned in class. He states that life would be easier if products were less personalized. In class, we discussed that target markets should be specific. Another connecting communication principle is Maslow’s Hierarchy of needs. In class we discussed how these needs can all be met within our lives. In the reading, Schwartz states that when we make decisions, we can become satisfied. Also contradictory, he states that, in time, the consumer will become less satisfied with decisions they have made, even if the decision has met expectations.
It was during this time when critics, fueled by Cold war era paranoia, claimed that “mind control techniques” were being used to persuade the public into spending. (History: 1950s) In reality, this was because of the use of motivational research. Using psychology, this allowed advertisers to appeal to their consumer’s desires for acceptance, security, sex, and success. By analyzing buying habits and people’s attitudes towards products, advertisers could gauge which ads were more successful based on brand association, color, and packaging. Advertising research has confirmed that ads “emphasizing the aroma, taste, or texture of a food product […] establish their product as the relevant one for the consumer making a choice.” (Marchand xx) By using similar techniques on non-food items, those products become associated with the primal reactions of taste and
The other day, I stumbled across The Selective Attention Test video produced by Brain Game, a TV show on National Geographic that popularizes psychology. I have always liked the TV show, so I decided to watch. At first, I thought the video would be a little silly, but as I watched, I found myself being pulled in. In this video, Dan Simmons teaches people about selective attention. Simmons has assembled a studio audience to witness a dance performance during which a normally distracting man in a penguin suit traverses through the dancers unnoticed by the audience.
This report aims to provide a mix review of theories and personal case study. I will apply two consumer behaviour theories in relation to my own purchase decisions.
This is the first and most basic step in the purchase decision process. Marketers can effectively initiate consumers’ awareness of a need with the right advertising campaign. For instance, the concession advertising prior to the start of a feature movie is geared toward making movie goers aware that they” need” a drink and a snack. Information search is the process where consumers gather information on a pro... ... middle of paper ... ...
1. Marketers have to pay attention to consumer behavior that occurs before the purchase and continues after the product has been used.
Every company wants to understand why people decide to buy its products or others. Firstly, we have to understand why people buy certain kind of product. People buy products because they need them. A need is activated and felt when there is a sufficient discrepancy between a desired or preferred state of being and the actual state. (Engle£¬Blackwell and Miniard. 1995. p407 ) For example, when you feel hungry, what you needs is some food. It is very important for marketer to understand the needs of consumers. All the consumers may have the same needs, but the ways which they satisfy what they need are different. Here is a example, Chinese people would choose rice when they feel hungry, whilst British people may choose bread to satisfy their needs.
Stage two is the attention given to the advertisement. Attention refers to the extent to which processing activity is devoted to a particular stimulus. Interesting advertisements are obviously more effective than less interesting advertisements because they are more likely to stick in your mind. One thing that can can often mess with your perception is sensory overload. We live in an “information society,” but there can be too much of a good thing. Sensory overload is where we are exposed to far more information than we can process. In our society, much of this overload comes from competition between advertisers for our
Nevertheless, one of the most important constants among all of us, regardless of our differences, is that, above all, we are buyers. We use or consume on a regular basis food, clothing, shelter, transportation, education, equipment, vacations, necessities, luxuries, services, and even ideas. As consumers, we play an essential role in the health of the economy; local, national and international. The purchase decision we make affect the requirement for basic raw materials, for transportation, for production, for banking; they affect the employment of employees and the growth of resources, the successfulness of some industries and the failure of others. In order to be successful in any business and specifically in today’s dynamic and rapidly evolving marketplace, marketers need to know everything they can about consumers; what they are want, what they are think, how they are work, how they are spend their leisure time. They have to find out the personal and group influences that affect consumer decisions and how these decisions are made. In these days of ever-widening media choices, they need to not only identify their target audiences, but they have to know where and how to reach