Perception consists of those activities by which an individual
acquires and assigns meaning to stimuli. Perception
begins with exposure. This occurs when a stimulus
comes within range of one of an individual's primary
sensory receptors. People are exposed to only a small
fraction of the available stimuli, and this is usually the result of self-selection as evidenced by high levels of ad
avoidance. Marketers try to overcome avoidance by
using tactics such as product placement.
Attention occurs when the stimulus activates one or
more of the sensory receptors and the resulting sensations
go into the brain for processing. People selectively
attend to stimuli as a function of stimulus, individual,
and situational factors. Stimulus factors are physical
characteristics of the stimulus itself, such as contrast,
size, intensity, attractiveness, color, movement, position,
isolation, format, and information quantity. Individual
factors are characteristics of the individual, such
as motivation and ability. Situational factors include
stimuli in the environment other than the focal stimulus
and temporary characteristics of the individual that are
induced by the environment. Clutter and program involvement
are situational factors of particular interest to
marketers.
Nonfocused attention occurs when a person takes in
information without deliberate effort. Hemispheric lateralization
is a term applied to activities that take place
on each side of the brain. The left side of the brain is
concerned primarily with those activities typically
called rational thought and the ability to be conscious
and report what is happening. The right side of the brain
deals with pictorial, geometric, timeless, and nonverbal
information without the individual being able to verbally
report it.
A message presented so fast or so softly or so masked
by other messages that one is not aware of seeing or
hearing it is called a subliminal message. Subliminal
messages have generated a great deal of interest but are
not generally thought to affect brand choice or other aspects
of consumer behavior in a meaningful way.
Interpretation is the assignment of meaning to stimuli
that have been attended to. Interpretation tends to be
relative rather than absolute (perceptual relativity) and
subjective rather than objective. Two general forms of
interpretation are cognitive and affective. Cognitive interpretation
appears to involve a process whereby new
stimuli are placed into existing categories of meaning.
Affective interpretation is the emotional or feeling response
triggered by the stimulus.
Interpretation is largely a function of individual
traits, learning, and expectations that are triggered by
the stimulus and moderated by the situation. Stimulus
characteristics are critical. Stimulus organization is the
physical arrangement of the stimulus objects and relates
to the perceptual principles of proximity, closure, and
figure-ground. Marketers can use these principles to design
effective communication strategies. Stimulus
change and consumer reactions to it are also of concern
and have consequences in relation to such strategies as
"weighting out" whereby marketers attempt to reduce
the quantity offered in increments that consumers won't
detect.
Interpretation often involves consumer inferences.
Inferences go beyond what is directly stated or presented
and help to explain consumer use of quality signals
(e.g., higher price means higher quality), their interpretation
of images, and how they deal with missing
information. Inferences also help to explain how consumers
can be misled by marketing messages even
when those messages are literally true.
Marketers use their knowledge of perception to enhance
strategies in a number of areas including media,
retailing, branding, advertising, and package design.
