Consumer Behavior Final Exam

Communication

the transmission of a message form a sender (marketer) to a receiver (consumer) via a medium of transmission (channel)

Message

a though, idea, attitude, image, or other information that the sender wishes to convey to the intended audience (can be verbal or nonverbal)

Message Planning

1. What is the objective of the message?

2. What do I want to say?

3. What is the best medium for sending it?

4. What design will help the message be successful?

Communication Goals

• create awareness/perception for a brand or product

• change existing perceptions of brand or product

• incent a consumer to engage, try, or buy

• help a consumer use or dispose of a product successfully (used when the product or category is new)

• incent a consumer to share their experience with the product

Barriers to Effective Communication

• Psychological Selectivity:

  • Selective exposure 

  • Time shifting 

  • Ad skipping 

• Message Clutter:

  • Psychological noise

What marketers can do to overcome to barriers to communication?

• Message repetition 

• Use contrast 

• Use marketing automation and predicted behaviors 

• Effective positioning/value 

• Experiential ads 

Ways to Help Communication Effectiveness

• Use Credible Sources

• Comparative Advertising (claim superiority over specific competitors)

• Mild Fear

• Humor

Promotions

ways in which marketers reach and persuade their target audience through communication

Forms of Promotions

• Advertisements (paid messages)

• Organic social media (non-paid)

• Public Relations (unpaid “earned” media)

• Influencers

• Tradeshows and event marketing

• Direct mail

• Personal selling and brand ambassadors

• In-store marketing (“on the shelf”)

Advertising

paid communications for commercial products or services

Advantages of Paid Advertising

• Ensures our message gets seen (“eyes”)

• We control the message 

• We define the audience 

• Digital ads can make it easier to track behavior and results 

Disadvantages of Paid Advertising

• Some forms (particularly one-time print) can have a very limited life 

• Generally one-way communication 

• Can be very expensive 

• Requires constant monitoring and adjustment 

• Less trusted by consumers 

Social Media Promotions (organic)

• Offers better engagement than ads alone 

  • Hard for marketers to control the conversation 

  • Brand authenticity is best

Public Relations

Managing how information about an individual or company is disseminated to the public and especially the media

Advantages of Public Relations

• Messages coming through the media are perceived as more credible than paid advertising

• No media placement fee incurred 

Disadvantages of Public Relations

• Hard to get coverage (must be “newsworthy”)

• Can’t control quality of media coverage

Influencer Marketing

• Tapping into influencers to reach their audiences 

  • Mostly paid although can be unpaid 

• Why valuable? “Followers” follow!

• More credible than advertising (closer to word of mouth by trusted friend or someone I look up to)

• Can allow more time for engagement 

Tradeshows/Event/Experiential Marketing 

Attending or planning an event or experience for the purpose of promoting a brand

Advantages of Tradeshow Marketing

• Get in-person physical engagement with interested consumers

• Ability to have a positive experience and engage longer with consumers

Disadvantage of Tradeshow Marketing

• Can be costly in terms of time and money

• Often “crowded” with competition if not owned by brand.

Direct Mail & Marketing

• Offers information about a product, service, or company directly to an individual consumer 

  • Can be by email, phone, texts, or mail, or personal delivery 

  • Mass customization 

Measuring Awareness from Promotional Efforts

• Unaided and aided brand awareness

• Do they remember the ad (recall)?

• What do they recall about the ad?

Measuring Other Results from Promotional Efforts

• Perceptions: (Have they formed/changed/become what we want?)

• Are we moving prospects along the pipeline to lead and then to customer (taking the action we want them to take)?  Examples: 

  • Emails opened/read

  • Clicks

  • Time on site

  • Calls 

• Are we converting to a customer?

• Use technology to set up automation and tracking for stronger, faster feedback, then adjust (agile marketing)