mktg 371 - 10: memory

why is understanding memory important for marketers?

perceptions, decision making, effectiveness of marketing actions

consumers may not make brand decisions during ad exposure, thus

consumer memory for advertising is important

types of memory

sensory registry, short term memory, long term memory

sensory memory

• information that comes through our senses(echoic and iconic)

• information stored in its sensory form

• very short lived

• perceptual bottleneck

• if not processed we lose it

• forgetting is due to decay and interference

short term memory

portion of memory where incoming information is encoded and interpreted

short term memory is

short lived, and limited in capacity

discursive processing

the processing of information as words

imagery processing

the processing of information in sensory form

long term memory

permanently stored knowledge, large storage capacity, information never lost but sometimes cant be found

autobiographical memory

specific to our experiences

semantic memory

general knowledge about the world

implicit memory

memory for skills like riding a bike

types of permanently stored knowledge

autobiographical, semantic, implicit

how big is short term memory?

7± 2

how can we improve our memory?

rehearsal, chunking, dual encoding, no interference, state dependent learning

what do we remember?

primacy/recency effects, novelty/incongruency

rehearsal

actively reviewing info to remember it

recirculation

remember it because you encounter it a lot

elaboration

relating information to what you already know/thinking about it

chunking

grouping multiple info items as a single unit

how can marketers improve memory?

simple message & simple story, repetition, use relatable characters and context, identifiable situations with unexpected twist, elaboration, use strong imagery, engage emotions

stm

7 ± 2, approx 18 seconds, rehearsal failure elaboration & failure

ltm

unlimited, permanent, retrieval failure

the associative network

concepts, feelings, and events are stored in “nodes”, associative links connect the nodes, when one node is activated, this activation spreads along associative links toward related concepts

how does associative network influence retrieval?

stronger links more accessible, spreading activation, responsible for false recall, cant retrieve when link fades, sleeper effect

why is understanding memory important for marketers?

few consumer decisions are made just on the information in the environment, decision making, can change expectations, determines effectiveness of marketing

the illusion of truth

repeated statements receive higher truth ratings than new statements a phenomenon called the illusory truth effect

repeating misinformation doesnt make it true but

does make it more likely to be believed

sleeper effect

source of the message decays more quickly than the message itself

memory is constructive:

memory changes, accentuate some things, eliminate other things, add some things, all done consistent with existing ideas and schemas

explicit memory

memory achieved by active attempts to remember

implicit memory

memory for things without conscious awareness

two retrieval failures

decay and interferences

decay

the weakening of nodes or links over time

interference

that which causes us not to remember which features to go with which brand or concept due to semantic networks being too closely aligned

retrieval errors

what we do remember is not always accurate or complete

salience

if something stands out from the larger context in which it is placed because it is: bright, complex, moving, prominent, big

how retrieval is enhanced via the stimulus itself:

salience and prototypicality

prototypicality

easier to recognize, likely to be linked to many other concepts in memory

retrieval cues

a stimulus (verbal or visual) that facilitates a node’ s activation of memory Brand name or symbol as a retrieval cue

key takeaway

few consumer decision are based on just the information in the environment, almost all consumer decision include some memory component. it is essential marketers can impact consumers memory in an accurate way