Lecture Advertising and promotion (2/e) – Chapter 4: The communication process

The goals of this chapter are: To understand the basic elements of the communication process and the role of communication in marketing; to examine various models of the communication process; to analyse the response processes of receivers of marketing communication, including alternative response hierarchies and their implications for integrated marketing communication planning and strategy;...

Chapter 4

The communication process

1 To understand the basic elements of the

communication process and the role of

communication in marketing.

2 To examine various models of the communication

process.

3 To analyse the response processes of receivers of

marketing communication, including alternative

response hierarchies and their implications for

integrated marketing communication planning and

strategy.

4 To examine the nature of consumers’ cognitive

processing of marketing communication.

Learning objectives

Traditional models

How they work

Alternative models AIDA Innovation

adoption

Information processing

Response hierarchies

Hierarchy of FX

Communication

process

Cognitive response

Elaboration likelihood

Central or peripheral

Who

Whom How

What

What’s the buzz?

The nature of communication

 Communication has many diverse definitions

 Typical definitions involve the ‘exchange of

ideas’ between a sender and a receiver.

 Marketing communication is a complex process.

 Effective communication depends on many

factors, including:

 the nature of the message

 the audience’s interpretation of it

 the environment in which it is received.

Language and communication

The communications process

Source factors

Instrument-• Voices

• Arrangement

• ation

Instrument-• Voices

Encoding

Louis Vuitton

Message factors

 The message contains the information or

meaning the source intends to convey.

 Messages must be put into a transmittable form appropriate to the channel.

 Messages communicate meaning at multiple

levels:

 literal meaning (conscious)

 symbolic meaning (subconscious).

 Marketers use individuals trained in semiotics and cultural anthropology to understand conscious

The semiotic perspective

Object (e.g brand or product attribute)

Object (e.g brand or product attribute)

Sign or symbol (representing intended meaning)

Sign or symbol (representing intended meaning)

Three components to every message

Nicabate Valentines’ Day

Communication channels

Personal selling

Word of mouth

Non-personal channels

 Communication is heavily influenced by the

receiver’s frame of reference

 Advertisers spend many millions of dollars

investigating the audience’s reference frames.

 Pre-testing advertisements also provide insights into how messages may be received.

Experiential overlap

Receiver experience Receiver experience

Sender experience Sender experience

Moderate commonality

Receiver Experience Receiver Experience

Sender experience Sender experience

High commonality

Receiver experience

Response/feedback

 The set of receiver’s reactions after receiving a

message is known as the response.

 Response may include both non-observable and observable actions.

 Feedback closes the loop and allows

marketers to monitor message effectiveness.

 Advertisers spend many millions of dollars

investigating the audience’s reference frames.

 Pre-testing advertisements also provide

insights into how messages may be received.

 Feedback refers to the receiver’s set of

reactions after being exposed to an advertising message

 Receiver’s responses can be observable or

Feedback (cont.)

Observable feedback

Observable feedback

observable feedback

observable feedback

Non-Sales/enquiries Purchasing behaviours

Research-based measures Coupon redemptions

Recall/awareness Message comprehension

 Receiver’s responses

Analysing the receiver

 The marketing communication process begins

when the marketer identifies the audience that will

be the focus of the message.

 Marketing communication may be directed at

different audience levels:

 advertising—mass markets

 personal sales—individual customers

 direct response—receptive groups.

Levels of audience aggregation

Brand touch points

 Brand touch points refer to those occasions when

a customer (or potential customer) comes into

contact with the brand.

 Touch points planning recognises that consumers may assume responsibility for initiating the flow of communications.

 Mapping consumer touch-points allows marketers

to determine when and where to communicate

with the customer in an integrated manner.

Consumer-initiated marketing communications

Traditional models

How they work

Alternative models AIDA Innovation

adoption

Information processing

Response hierarchies

Hierarchy of FX

Communication

process

Cognitive response

Elaboration likelihood

Central or peripheral

Who

Whom How

What

Models of the response process

Models of obtaining feedback

Information processing

Implications of response models

 All response models see consumers as moving through a series of stages (cognitive, conative and affective).

 This suggests that advertisers face potential

buyers at different stages of the hierarchy.

 Each stage of the hierarchy poses different

communication challenges.

 Research may be useful to determine each

segment’s levels of awareness, liking, etc.

Awareness

Alternative response hierarchies

Standard learning hierarchy

Low-involvement hierarchy

In low-involvement situations:

 the consumer engages in passive learning and random

information catching rather than active information seeking.

 consumers do not compare the message with previously

acquired beliefs, needs or past experiences.

 the consumer’s perceptual defenses are reduced or absent

 advertising results in subtle changes to consumers’

knowledge structure.

Affective (feel)

Affective (feel)

IMC implications for

low-involvement products

Advertisers of low-involvement goods use:

 repetition of product claims

 copy elements that do not require significant levels of

Foote, Cone & Belding Grid

Foote, Cone & Belding Grid (cont.)

1 Informative

The thinker

Car-house-furnishings-new products Model: Learn-feel-do (economic?)

Possible implications

Test: Recall diagnostics Media: Long copy format

Reflective vehicles Creative:Specific information

Emotional and rational connections

Foote, Cone & Belding Grid (cont.)

Foote, Cone & Belding Grid (cont.)

2

Affective

The feeler

Jewellery-cosmetics-fashion goods Model: Feel-learn-do (psychological?)

Foote, Cone & Belding Grid (cont.)

3

Habit formation

The doer

Food-household items Model: Do-learn-feel (responsive?)

Possible implications

10-second IDs Radio; point of sale Creative:Reminder

Foote, Cone & Belding Grid (cont.)

A model of cognitive response

Cognitive response categories

Counterarguments Support arguments

Source derogation Source bolstering

Counter arguments

• Insert Exhibit 4.10

Traditional models

How they work

Alternative models AIDA Innovation

adoption

Information processing

Response hierarchies

Hierarchy of FX

Communication

process

Cognitive response

Elaboration likelihood

Central or peripheral

Who

Whom How

What

Elaboration likelihood model (ELM)

Elaboration likelihood model (ELM)

Routes to attitude change

Focuses on the way consumers respond to persuasive

messages based on the amount and nature of elaboration or processing of information

Focuses on the way consumers respond to persuasive

messages based on the amount and nature of elaboration or processing of information

Celebrity endorsers as

peripheral cues

Implications of ELM

 ELM is a model of attitude formation and change

that recognises two forms of information

processing.

 Level of consumer involvement is directly related to information processing.

 In low-involvement situations consumers may

rely on peripheral cues rather than detailed

message arguments.

 In high-involvement situations consumers are

motivated to process detailed message arguments

How advertising works

Filters

Motivation, ability, (involvement)

Consumer behaviour

Choice, consumption, loyalty, habit, etc.

Summary and conclusions

 IMC planning begins with the receiver or target audience, as marketers must understand how the audience is likely to respond to various

sources of communication or types of

messages.

 Many different models explain consumer

information processing activities.

 There are three critical intermediate effects

between marketing communication and

purchase: cognition, affect and experience.

 Advertisers need to learn as much as possible about their target audiences and how they