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Chapter 3 Consumer Learning Starts Here: Perception End of Chapter Material Review Questions (*) Indicates material on prep cards. 1. Define learning. Explain how learning can contribute to the lower than expected performance of a business like Webvan. Answer: Learning refers to a change in behavior resulting from some interaction between a person and a stimulus. The managers who create a business like Webvan may believe it will create a certain reaction among consumers that never materializes among a large segment of consumers. Webvan believed the perceived convenience would be what the consumers would learn. However, other concerns about buying groceries and the fact that one has to be at home for delivery contribute to consumers learning things that management never envisioned. 2. *What does consumer perception mean? Answer: Consumer perception represents a consumer’s awareness and interpretation of reality—in that sense, it is a subjective reality. 3. In what ways can a consumer be exposed to a marketing stimulus? Answer: Proximity to any of the senses creates an opportunity for exposure: Sight, smell, taste, touch, or sound. 4. List the stages in the consumer perception process. Answer: i. Sensing ii. Organizing iii. Reacting 5. In what stage do consumers develop an interpretation of a stimulus? Answer: Organizing (comprehension would also be a valid response) is where the person puts the bits of pieces of a stimulus into a category. Sensing does not involve developing meaning. It only involves the basic recognition of physical cues through physical senses. Reaction is an application of already known rules. Come back to this concept after studying memory in the next chapter. 6. *What are the three possible results from the cognitive organization process? Give examples of each. Answer: Assimilation—a new food product offered by Wendy’s is easily recognized as some type of hamburger. Accommodation—a new food product offered by Wendy’s (a wrap type product) is still categorized as fast food as the consumer creates an exception to the fact that Wendy’s fast food must be on a bun. Reaction—a mental and behavioral response to categorization. If the new food product is really a yogurt based product, consumers may have difficulty perceiving it as something Wendy’s should offer. 7. What is the difference between an absolute threshold and a just noticeable difference? Answer: An absolute threshold is the minimum strength a stimulus must be to get noticed. The just noticeable difference is how much different one stimulus must be from another to get noticed. 8. Define anthropomorphism. How can it be used in trying to sell a product like an automobile or bottled beverage? Answer: Anthropomorphism is the design of a stimulus in a way that gives it human like properties. An automobile can be designed so that the front grill has a facial expression such as a smile or frown. Likewise, a bottle can take on a human shape. In advertisements, products can be made to talk to the consumer. 9. What do you think of the ethics of subliminal advertising attempts or sexually embedded advertising? Why do you believe that there have been so few legal actions aimed at stopping subliminal advertising? Answer: This is primarily an opinion question. Students generally develop the opinion that it is better to use a stronger, overt appeal than a weaker, less overt appeal. The question of whether subliminal advertising should be illegal is mute because of its limited effectiveness. Also, demonstrating intent to deceive would be difficult. 10. Provide three examples each of how consumers might learn through explicit and implicit memory. Answer: Explicit memory—using the Internet to find product information, consulting with a friend before a big weekend to find good places to go (developing knowledge), and learning from a product that performs poorly that you should not buy that brand again. Implicit memory—classical conditioning efforts such as those used in advertisements, mere exposure effects as shown in ads or other media, and product placements. 11. Explain under what conditions a marketer might believe that an advertising execution involving mere exposure might effectively cause consumers to “learn” to like a product. How would a researcher test to see whether the mere exposure effect held for brand logos? Answer: A marketer might use mere exposure when the brand is unfamiliar or perhaps new and the consumer has little prior knowledge. To test mere exposure with brand logos, the researcher could develop 10 pictures of new logos and show them to subjects when embedded with 50 other logos. During the next week (or month), the researcher could show another grouping of 50 logos to the same subjects that contains the same 10 logos to which the subjects were previously exposed. Subjects should like the 10 original logos better, on average, than the newer logos based on the mere exposure effect. 12. *Define attention. What are ways that consumer attention can be enhanced? Answer: Attention is the purposeful allocation of information-processing capacity toward understanding some stimulus. Consumer attention can be enhanced in the following ways: Stronger stimuli—with all things being equal, a consumer is more likely to pay attention to a stronger stimulus. Thus, a loud sound captures more attention than a quieter sound. A television commercial with louder volume than the rest of the programming will draw attention. Learned responses—consumers have hard-wired responses to many sights and sounds. For instance, one may reach for his or her phone when he or she hears a ring tone even though that ring tone was not available on his or her phone? Or, one may have reached for his or her phone when the sound of a phone ringing was played on a radio commercial. This is a learned response to a phone ringing. Nudity—partially nude or suggestive photographs are effective in getting consumers’ attention in most mainstream publications. Now, if the entire magazine contains photos of nudes, this type of attention may not be very effective. Bare skin will typically make a consumer pause momentarily. Contrast—contrasting stimuli are extremely effective in grabbing attention. In the past, a color photo in a newspaper was extremely effective in drawing attention. However, a color advertisement stands out less in today’s newspapers. A black and white image in a magazine filled with color can also stand out. A period of silence in an otherwise noisy environment can attract attention. Social outcasts also create attention because of the contrast with established social norms. Consumers with strange hairstyles or who are dressed inappropriately for a given situation create attention. 13. What are some of the key behavioral learning principles of CB? Answer: Classical conditioning and instrumental conditioning. 14. What is the key difference between intentional and unintentional learning? Answer: Intentional learning requires effort and involves the perception process discussed early in the chapter. Unintentional learning may develop implicit memory, but the functioning is usually explained by association more than any deliberative processing. Group Activity *Write a 100-word short story about your professor’s Saturday morning (as you imagine it—you do not need to actually interview him or her about Saturday). What do you imagine that your professor does on Saturday morning? Make sure you include at least three brand names in the story. Write the story down; then, in class or with some other group of at least 20 people, have one person in the group first read the story and then quietly tell the story to the next person (the person behind him or her) without referring to the written version. Have the story passed only verbally from one to another until it finally reaches the last person in the class. Then, have that person tell the story to the entire class. How did the class do and what makes remembering such a short story so difficult? Answer: This is a lot of fun to do in class. The story inevitably grows new aspects and loses aspects as it is passed from person to person. Instructors can use this exercise to illustrate how difficult the learning process can be—even amongst intelligent people. Did any of the brand names survive the story? If so, why do you think they did? In the quiet dawn of Saturday morning, Professor Thompson awoke to the gentle hum of his Nest thermostat adjusting the room temperature. After a hearty breakfast of Kellogg's cereal and Starbucks coffee, he retreated to his study, where the scent of fresh pages from his Moleskine notebook mingled with the aroma of his Apple MacBook. With Bose headphones enveloping his ears, he delved into a world of research and writing, occasionally pausing to glance at his Fitbit, reminding him to stretch his legs. As the sun climbed higher, he emerged from his scholarly cocoon, ready to seize the day's adventures, armed with knowledge and caffeine. In the retelling, the story might undergo various alterations. Details could shift or be embellished, like perhaps confusing Nest with another smart home brand, swapping Kellogg's for another cereal, or replacing Starbucks with a local coffee shop. The sequence of events might also get jumbled, with someone recalling the Fitbit prompting Professor Thompson to go for a run instead of just reminding him to stretch. The challenge lies in accurately retaining and transmitting the precise details of the story amidst the distractions of memory and the tendency for information to warp as it passes from one person to another. Assignments 1. *Ask a friend who has never studied marketing or consumer behavior to flip through a popular magazine, such as Sports Illustrated or People. Ask them to find examples of attempted subliminal persuasion. Have them discuss the ads and explain their choices. What do you think of their opinions? Answer: The main focus here is to see whether students can identify any examples at all. Have students detail their friend’s discussion. Did they succumb to the urban legends surrounding such effects? It's an intriguing experiment to engage someone without a marketing or consumer behavior background in identifying examples of attempted subliminal persuasion in magazine advertisements. Their interpretations could offer valuable insights into how everyday consumers perceive and interact with advertising. Their opinions might range from pointing out subtle visual cues, such as images or colors, that they feel evoke certain emotions or associations, to noting language choices that seem designed to influence perceptions or behaviors. They may also highlight recurring themes or motifs across different ads that they believe are meant to subtly shape consumer attitudes or desires. I would find their opinions fascinating as they would likely reflect a more intuitive, unfiltered perspective on advertising tactics. While they may not always identify examples of true subliminal persuasion, their observations could shed light on the ways in which advertising seeks to influence consumers, consciously or subconsciously. Additionally, their insights could highlight areas where advertisers may be more successful in reaching their target audience, as well as areas where the intended message might be misinterpreted or overlooked. 2. Given the way that mere exposure can influence likeability, are attempts to use the mere exposure effect through advertising or product placements in television shows and movies ethical? Explain your choice. Answer: The difference between mere exposure and alleged subliminal persuasion is that there is no attempt to deceive when using mere exposure effects. In fact, brand logos or products can actually be seen by an attentive consumer. Because the consumer is always in control, no ethical problem is obvious when using mere exposure techniques. 3. Mix a concoction of 10 percent 7-Up or Sprite (or similar clear beverage) and 90 percent apple juice. Have two different consumers try the concoction. For one, ask them to try this new “soft drink.” For the other, ask them to try this new “fruit drink.” Do you get the same reaction? Explain using material on cognitive categorization. Answer: This exercise is a good way to demonstrate the consumer perception process. The person who gets the “soft drink” will typically not like the mixed drink, but the person who gets the “fruit drink” will often like the concoction. In fact, a product named Slice was based on a small amount of fruit juice combined with lemon-lime soda. Chapter Video Summary To view the PowerPoint Clip from Culver’s Restaurants, go to the CB companion website login.cengage.com to select this video. Culver’s Restaurants Specializing in quick service in a fast-paced environment, Culver’s is not the average American fast-food restaurant. What differentiates Culver’s from other sandwich-and-hamburger-serving restaurants is its strong focus on the customer. That each customer leaves happy is the creed of Culver’s. As much as in 1984 when Culver’s was started, this unwavering focus on customers is still closely tied to its current marketing strategy. Culver’s treats its customers with great respect and personal care, and they, in turn, come back for the good food and great experience they have at the restaurant. Ask your students: 1. What distinguishes Culver’s from the average American fast-food restaurants? Answer: Culver’s marketing strategies mainly aims at enhancing customer satisfaction. This differentiates it from the other American fast-food restaurants. Culver’s ensures that all their customers are treated well. They do so by providing quick service, good food and an overall enjoyable experience to every customer. They also serve fresh, non-frozen food, unlike other fast-food restaurants, which is prepared after the customer places the order. These details about the restaurant’s services are stored in a customer’s implicit memory and this makes them want to return to Culver’s. 2. What factors have contributed to Culver’s phenomenal growth since 1984? Answer: There were many factors that contributed to Culver’s growth since 1984, such as: Culver’s opted for a price strategy which aimed at fixing profitable and justifiable prices. The company raised prices when the prices of raw materials rose as they didn’t want to compromise on quality. As customers were willing to spend more in return for higher quality food and services, the just noticeable difference (JND) in prices ended up contributing to Culver’s growth. The franchise owners and the local store operators of these restaurants were engaged in the business sincerely and were involved in building relations with the community. Their customer service was tied to their marketing strategy and focused majorly on developing long-term relationships with customers. They provided the same service in all of their restaurants. They provided fresh and non-frozen food unlike the other fast-food restaurants. These strategies had a mere exposure effect on consumers as they became familiar and began to prefer dining at Culver’s. 3. What advertising strategy did Culver’s adopt in its early days? Was it successful? Answer: The consumer perception process can be used to answer this question. Sensing: When customers entered Culver’s they were greeted by the employees with a smile. Every customer, young or old, was treated with respect. Organizing: Assimilation: Culver’s mainly sold Butterburgers and frozen custards. Consumers readily recognized these as fast-foods. Accommodation: Culver’s advertised that their fast foods were fresh, made daily and never frozen. This caught the attention of customers as they compared Culver’s to other fast-food restaurants that use frozen items. It made customers realize that Culver’s was different from the other fast-food restaurants. Contrast: Culver’s also made it known to their customers that food was prepared only after the order was placed and not before. Their marketing strategies were also focused on retaining hometown values of quality and customer service. Reacting: Customers enjoyed their dining experience at the restaurant and spread the word about Culver’s to their friends and relatives. CB Scenario Video Consumers at a store are surprised to discover that the delicious aromas of fruit and chocolate aren’t all from the products on the shelves. The store uses “scent air machines” to make customers hungry and encourage them to buy more. The aromas trigger the associations hardwired into our brains and stimulate consumer wants. The staff in the store noted that sales in the produce department at the store increased after the introduction of the machines. Ask your students: 1. Describe the impact of scented air machines on the perceptions of customers visiting the store. Use the phases of consumer perception process to explain customer reactions to the scents given out by the machines. Answer: Sensing—when a customer smells chocolate in the candy isle, his/her perceptual process goes into action. Organizing—after the perceptual process goes into action, the customer organizes or arranges information. The human brain usually reconciles information in three possible different ways: Assimilation occurs if the customer readily recognizes the scent of chocolate. Accommodation occurs if the customer is unable to categorize the chocolate scent without making changes in his/her existing expectations about the scent of chocolate. Contrast occurs if the customer is unable to recognize the scent of chocolate completely. Reacting—this occurs after the customer identifies the chocolate scent from the scent air machines, feels like eating and thus, ends up buying a bar of chocolate. 2. When a customer visits the store in Brooklyn, the scent air machines impact the customer’s purchase decision by storing information in his/her _____. a. implicit memory b. explicit memory Students can be asked to justify their choice. Answer: The scents given out by these machines store information in the customer’s implicit memory. These scents are the stimuli that the customer is exposed to but does not pay attention to. Explicit memory is the memory for information that a person is exposed to, attends to, and applies effort to remember. If the customer reads about the scented air machines from a technical magazine, then the information is stored in his/her explicit memory. Solution Manual for CB Consumer Behaviour Barry J. Babin, Eric G. Harris 9781305403222, 9781305577244
