Consumer Behavior

Chapter-8
Consumer Perception

NMIMS T4
July 2022
 Thus Far…
 Importance of ‘Consumer Behaviour’ study for Marketing

 Consumer decision making models

 Consumer as on individual - their motivation

 Consumer Personality and Psychographic Segments

Next Step
Understanding how this Individual (Consumer) interacts with society and
makes sense of the world around them 2
 Consumer Hat Exercise
 What do you understand by the word Perception? What comes to your mind when
you think of this word?

 Think of the following and jot down what your perceptions on these are.
• Tesla’s entry in India
• FAU-G game
• Vaccination registration
• Authenticity of the link shared for Oxygen/Beds/Remdesivir etc. across various social media platforms

 How did you get to these opinions or perceptions? What process or steps you can
remember?
 Is Perception same as Reality? Why? Why Not?

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Few more..

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continue

 Droupadi Murmu may become India’s First Tribal and

Second Female President
 India’s first Biosafety Level-3 mobile laboratory
inaugurated in Maharashtra
 India’s 1st private train service flagged off under
‘Bharat Gaurav Scheme’
 Western dedicated freight corridor

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 Consumer Hat Exercise

What do you see this picture?

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 Consumer Hat Excercise
 Close your eyes and think of the following
• 3-5 different colors
• 3-5 different songs, 3-5 sounds
• 3-5 different smells/fragrances
• 3-5 different tastes

 What comes to your mind when you think of these? How does it make you feel?
What does it tell you about something in that color/shape/sound/smell/taste/feel

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 Perception Definition
 The simple dictionary definition: The ability to see, hear, or become
aware of something through the senses and the way in which
something is regarded, understood, or interpreted

 Textbook Definition: The process by which individuals select,

organize and interpret stimuli into a meaningful and coherent
picture of the world.

To Look At Next
Some Characteristics of Perception
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 Understanding Perception
Relevant Marketing Application
Characteristics

 We are all are very different in how we

 Influencing consumers by
perceive the same stimulus
communicating to them through
 We can form impressions effortlessly different marketing stimuli – essential
…it’s as if there is a short-hand marketing task.
meaning that crops up the moment we
are exposed to the relevant stimulus
 How consumers will “perceive” our
 Perceptions are not always factual or
stimuli – critical to creating effective
real (That’s why C-D mapping exists)
stimuli

How does understanding consumer Issue: What is ‘Perception’ ? How

perception aid marketing? does the ‘Perception Engine’ work
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 First Step Perception Model

Sensation
Exposure to stimuli
through one or more of Haptics
our senses Grounded Emotion Learning
Emotion /memory
Olfaction

Perception Attitude
Audition

Grounded
Behavior
Cognition
“Sensing” Tastes
Cognition

“Sensation” Vision

Sensation is the immediate direct response of the

sensory organs to stimuli 10
 Consumer Hat Exercise
 How did you form opinions and impressions of different colors/shapes/smell,
taste, touch …what shaped your perceptions

Marketing Hat Exercise

 Think of each of the different sensorial inputs – sight, sound, smell, taste,
touch.
 And, think of how better understanding of how we make “sense” of
different sensory inputs helps in marketing
 In what aspects of marketing does it help?
 For what specific product fields are particularly relevant for that sensory
input 11
Sensory Input and Marketing Implications
The Input Marketing Application Areas

Brand logo/mnemonics; packaging; Store layout’ product

Sight design; Advertising; Online assets…

Food & Beverages; personal care products; Home care

products; Food services; Retailers;
Smell Associate Memories with Smell – “You can smell something is
right or not right”…

Associate memories with sound – “that does not sound right”;

communication;
Sound Mood creation – spa, hospitality, fitness centre; Engines sound
cueing quality; crunchy/crackling sound in food products.
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Sensory Input and Marketing Implications
The Input Marketing Application Areas

Packaging, touch and feel of products – to assess quality;

Touch groceries, vegetables , electronics; retail ambience – browsing
and others’ contact/crowds

Taste Associate memories – “tastes good”

Salt, sweet, sour, bitter
Food Products, beverages – including water, soft drinks, coffee

Sensory symbolisms are heavily culture conditioned

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 Perception Stages
Stimulus

Exposure

Attention & Selection

Interpretation

Like Inference
DBMS!
Categorisation and organisation

Retention for Future retrieval

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Look at these shelf displays for 10 Seconds

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 What do you Remember Seeing

What product? Brands?

Anything else you remember
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 Exposure Types
Voluntary (Active) Exposure Selective Exposure

Consumer consciously • Physically – zipping, zapping,

seeks information muting.

• Searching • Psychologically – perceptual

• Advise seeking screen filters out unwanted
stimuli

Being “Relevant” to audience – Key to Selective Exposure

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 Attention &
Selection Drivers
Relevance Relevance Relevance Relevance

Size/Scale Multi-sensory Unexpected/unusual

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Look at these Packs for 60 Seconds

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 What do you Remember Seeing
Was there any difference?
What is your opinion on different brands and variants you
saw?
What in the pack made you feel that way?
Which do you think will be thicker? Tastier?

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 Perception Selection Concepts
Absolute Threshold Differential Threshold

• Point at which a person • The minimal differences

can detect a difference that can be detected
between something and between two similar
nothing stimuli – just noticeable
difference

The Threshold varies by individual and ‘noise’ level

in the background 21
 Different Perfumes

What do you think of these perfumes?

Who is the likely user? Use on what occasion? 22
Your Perception of the brand after watching the ad

https://www.youtube.co
m/watch?v=jnndIHBjaEg

Think of how your perceptions were formed. 23

How does our Mind Interpret & Infer What factors influence
meaning from Stimuli Exposed To this process?

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 The Definitions

Occurs when people assign meaning to Stimuli –

Perceptual The process of Selecting, organising and interpreting
Interpretation Stimuli into meaningful & coherent pictures

Perceptual Is the process of filling in the gaps and assigning

Inference meaning to incomplete information

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 Interpretation & Inferencing Process
Stimuli

Selective Exposure & Attention

Overcoming Perceptual
Defence & Blocking

Selective Retention

Perceptual inferencing
Culture & Prior Image in
Semiotics Perceptual Interpretation Memory

Meaning - Images/metaphors

Meaning that goes into memory is not words & languages.

It’s a holistic Image & Stories/Metaphors 26
Perceptual Categorisation & Organisation
 Similar to how we store information in Computer/Clouds,
Disk, Folder, Sub Folder, Files, Elements

 Taxonomy – The process of Organisation

Schema – Clusters of thoughts, symbols, ideas associated
with a specific level in the taxonomy

The Schema for a Brand  The Brand Images

Understanding Perception is key to understanding
Brand Image Creation & Influencing
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 Stimulus to Behaviour – Missing Links
Stimulus (Marketeer, Others)

Consumer Learning

Perception (Essentially Consumer Constructs)

Holistic Brand Images that are difficult to decode and even more difficult
to act upon

Consumer Attitudes (Intermediate Measures)

Behaviour
Consumer Learning helps understand the “Perception Engine” and Attitude formation and change – helps
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in influencing the Behaviour change
 Chapter 8: Learning Summary
 Understanding consumer perceptions is critical for understanding how brand
images are formed in consumers mind and for creating effective brand
communication/stimuli for creating favourable brand images

 Perception is the process by which individuals select organise and interpret stimuli
into meaningful & coherent picture of the world.

 The stimulus exposed to consumers is received through the sense organs – Sight,
Smell, Sound, Touch, Taste. Sensory symbolisms are heavily culture conditioned

 Relevance is the key to selective exposure & attention. Selection happens when
stimuli is over absolute threshold of noticeability & higher than differential
threshold. 29
 Chapter 8: Learning Summary
 Consumers fill in the gaps & assign meaning to incomplete information (inferencing) & interpret
stimuli into meaningful & coherent pictures (Interpreting)

 Inferencing & Interpreting are influenced by previously stored images, meanings assigned in the
mind to different symbols, codes & rituals influenced by the cultural context.

 The multiple associations are the schema for the brand or brand image. The “taxonomy” is the
structure (similar to storing files in computer) for organising the information in the brain.
 Consumer Learning theories explain how Perceptions are formed – the inner mind workings of the
Perception Engine to aid marketeers to influence consumer perceptions which is “The Reality” in
the consumer world

 Schemas and holistic images that are the outcome of perceptions are ”Consumer Constructs” that
are difficult to decode and act. Hence, the need to study consumer attitudes as intermediate
measure.

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THANK YOU

payal.trivedi@sbm.nmims.edu 31