Chapter 2

Perception

CONSUMER
BEHAVIOR

Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education 2-1

 Sensation and Perception
• Sensation is the immediate
response of our sensory
receptors (eyes, ears, nose,
mouth, and fingers) to basic
stimuli (light, color, sound, odor,
and texture).
• Perception is the process by
which sensations are selected,
organized, and interpreted.

1/31/2020
Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education 2-2
 Figure 2.1 Perceptual Process

We receive external
stimuli through
our five senses

1/31/2020
Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education 2-3
 Hedonic Consumption
• Hedonic consumption:
multisensory, fantasy,
and emotional aspects
of consumers’
interactions with
products
• Marketers use impact of
sensations on
consumers’ product
experiences

1/31/2020
Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education 2-4
 Sensory Systems
• Our world is a
symphony of colors,
sounds, odors, tastes
• Advertisements,
product packages,
radio and TV
commercials,
billboards provide
sensations

1/31/2020
Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education 2-5
 Vision
• Color provokes emotion
• Reactions to color are
biological and cultural
• Color in the United States
is becoming brighter and
more complex
• Colors are associated
with specific companies

1/31/2020
Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education 2-6
 Vertical-Horizontal Illusion
• Which line is longer:
horizontal or vertical?
• Answer: both lines are
same length

1/31/2020
Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education 2-7
 Scents
Odors create mood and
promote memories:
• Coffee = childhood,
home
Marketers use scents:
• Inside products
• In promotions

1/31/2020
Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education 2-8
 Sound
Sound affects people’s feelings and behaviors
• Sound and music are used to create mood
• High tempo = more stimulation
• Slower tempo = more relaxing

1/31/2020
Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education 2-9
 Touch
• Haptic senses—or “touch”—is the most
basic of senses; we learn this before vision
and smell
• Haptic senses affect product experience and
judgment
• Kinsei engineering is a Japanese philosophy
that translates customers’ feelings into
design elements

1/31/2020
Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education 2-10
 Table 2.1 Tactile-Quality Associations

Perception Male Female

Fine
High class Wool Silk

Low class Denim Cotton

Coarse
Heavy Light

1/31/2020
Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education 2-11
 Taste
• Cultural changes
determine desirable
tastes
• The more respect we
have for ethnic dishes,
the more spicy food we
desire

1/31/2020
Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education 2-12
 Exposure
• Exposure occurs when a stimulus comes
within range of someone’s sensory receptors
• We can concentrate, ignore, or completely
miss stimuli
• Cadillac’s 5 second ad

1/31/2020
Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education 2-13
 Attention
• Attention is the extent to which processing
activity is devoted to a particular stimulus
• Consumers are often in a state of sensory
overload
• Marketers need to break through the clutter

1/31/2020
Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education 2-14
 Factors Leading to Adaptation

Intensity Duration

Discrimination Exposure

Relevance

1/31/2020
Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education 2-15
 Stimulus Selection Factors
• We are more likely to notice stimuli that differ
from others around them
• So, marketers can create “contrast” through:

Size Color Position Novelty

1/31/2020
Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education 2-16
 Creating Contrast with Size

1/31/2020
Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education 2-17
 Interpretation
• Interpretation refers to the meaning we
assign to sensory stimuli, which is based on
a schema

1/31/2020
Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education 2-18
 Semiotics
• Semiotics: correspondence between signs
and symbols and their role in the
assignment of meaning
• Marketing messages have three basic
components:
• Object: product that is the focus of the
message
• Sign: sensory image that represents the
intended meanings of the object
• Interpretant: meaning derived

1/31/2020
Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education 2-19
 Perceptual Positioning
• Brand perceptions = functional attributes +
symbolic attributes
• Perceptual map: map of where brands are
perceived in consumers’ minds
• Used to determine how brands are
currently perceived to determine future
positioning

1/31/2020
Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education 2-20