MKTG 490 MIDTERM STUDY SET

Self-concept

How a consumer perceives themselves, including their identity, traits, and values.

Brand personality

Human characteristics associated with a brand.

Self-congruity

Tendency to choose brands that match one’s identity.

What triggers consumer needs?

A gap between actual state and ideal state creates motivation.

Problem recognition

Realizing a difference between current and desired state.

Approach–approach conflict

Choosing between two desirable options.

Avoidance–avoidance conflict

Choosing between two undesirable options.

Approach–avoidance conflict

One option has both positive and negative aspects.

Exposure

When a consumer comes into contact with a stimulus.

Attention

The degree to which a consumer focuses on a stimulus.

What are key characteristics of attention?

Limited, selective, and divided.

Low processing

Minimal effort, emotional or automatic processing.

High processing

Careful, effortful, and logical processing.

Why do ads work with low attention?

Repetition and simple messaging create familiarity and attitudes.

What increases attention?

Contrast, novelty, prominence, and personal relevance.

Absolute threshold

Minimum level of stimulus needed to detect something.

Differential threshold (JND)

Smallest difference between two stimuli that can be noticed.

Weber’s Law

Change must be proportional to the original amount to be noticed.

Stimulus intensity

Stronger stimuli increase likelihood of attention.

Product positioning

Creating a distinct image in consumers’ minds relative to competitors.

Competitive differentiation

What makes a brand unique from others.

Why is consistent positioning important?

Strengthens memory and brand recognition.

Perceptual maps

Visual representation of how consumers perceive brands.

What are perceptual maps used for?

Show brand similarities and identify market gaps.

Knowledge structures

Organized information stored in memory about a brand.

Associative networks

Memory system where ideas are linked together.

Spreading activation

Activating one thought triggers related thoughts.

Chunking

Grouping information to improve memory.

Schema

Mental framework that organizes and interprets information.

Classical conditioning

Pairing a brand with a positive stimulus to create associations.

Superordinate category

Broad category (e.g., beverages).

Basic category

Common category (e.g., soda).

Subordinate category

Specific category (e.g., Coca-Cola).

Taxonomical categories

Hierarchical classification system of products.

Conjunctive model

Must meet minimum criteria on all attributes.

Noncompensatory model

One negative attribute leads to rejection.

Compensatory model

Trade-offs allowed between attributes.

Consideration set

Small group of brands seriously considered.

Brand loyalty

Repeated purchase due to preference or habit.

Product recognition

Identifying a product and linking it to memory.

Thin-slice judgments

Quick decisions based on limited information.

Confirmation bias

Favoring information that supports existing beliefs.

Decision delay

Postponing decisions due to risk or too many options.

Prospect theory

Losses feel more significant than equivalent gains.

Salient attributes

Noticeable features of a product.

Diagnostic attributes

Features that help differentiate between options.

Household roles

Influencer, decider, and buyer roles in decision-making.

Culture

Shared values and norms influencing consumer behavior.

Promotion focus

Motivated by achieving gains and aspirations.

Prevention focus

Motivated by avoiding losses and risks.

Noise

Anything that distorts or interferes with a message.

Why can humor in ads be risky?

It can distract from the main message.

Why does simple messaging work?

Consumers often process information with low effort.