ADV 210 Notes, Fall 2010

108 Chapter 4 How Advertising Works WEB REVIEW QUESTIONS 1. What is clutter and why is it a problem? Clutter is the multitude of messages all competing to get your attention. 2. Why is it important to add interaction to the traditional communication model? Interaction, or two-way communication, is one of the objectives of an IMC-focused program because it leads to a long-term relationship with a brand. 3. What is the hierarchy of effects model? Give an example. The most common and long-standing explanation of advertising effects is one referred to as AIDA, which stands for attention, interest, desire, and action. The idea is that first an ad gets attention, then it creates interest, then desire, and finally stimulates action. Because AIDA assumes that consumers start with attention and wind up with a decision, it is referred to as a hierarchy of effects model. 4. Explain the role of perception in consumer response to a message and describe the components of perception that affect a consumer’s response to advertising. Perception is the process by which we receive information through our five senses and assign meaning to it. If an advertisement is to be effective, it has to get noticed. • Exposure: making contact • Selection and Attention: creating stopping power • Interest and Relevance: creating pulling power • Awareness: making an impression • Recognition: making a mental note 5. If a friend tells you that subliminal advertising is commonly used by advertisers, how would you respond? Chapter 4: How Advertising Works 109 Most advertising professionals and professors believe that there is no real support for subliminal advertising. Studies that have gained attention have not been replicated. If a message can be found, seen, or heard, it is not subliminal. 6. What is the role of cognition in explaining the effects of an advertising message? What are the components of cognition? Cognition refers to how consumers respond to information, learn, and understand something. It’s a rational response to an advertising message. The key components of cognition and their roles in effectiveness are: • Needs: matching product features to consumer needs • Information: facts about products and their features • Learning: creating understanding • Differentiation: understand the differences between competitive products • Recall: locking information in memory 7. Differentiate between wants and needs. Needs are something you think about and wants are based on feelings and desires. 8. How does an affective response to advertising work? What are its components? Affective responses mirror our feelings about something. Affective describes something that stimulates wants, touches the emotions, and creates feelings. Liking of the brand or the ad is an important affective response that advertisers monitor. The components of the affective response and their roles in effectiveness are: • Wants: creating desire • Emotions: affecting feelings • Liking: creating positive feelings for the ad and the brand • Resonance: appeals to self interest 9. In what way does association show up in a consumer’s response to adverting? What are the components of association? You see association at work in advertising in the practice of linking a brand with qualities and characteristics, personalities, places, a positive experience, or a lifestyle. The idea is to associate the brand with things that resonate positively with the customers. Part 2: Planning and Strategy 110 The components of association and their roles in effectiveness are: • Symbolism: something that stands for something else, such as a quality or value • Conditioned Learning: creating links and bonds through repetition • Brand Transformation: creating brand meaning 10. What does transformation mean and why is it important as an advertising effect? Transformation means a brand takes on meaning when it is transformed from a mere product into something special, something that is differentiated from other products in the category by virtue of its brand identity and image. A transformation in a consumer’s mind is a perceptual shift, one that is created almost exclusively by advertising. 11. Persuasion is sometimes thought to be the most important effect of advertising. Why would that be? Explain its role in creating advertising impact. Persuasion is the conscious intent on the part of the source to influence or motivate the receiver of a message to believe or do something. It’s central to how advertising works because persuasion can be produced by both rational arguments and compelling emotions. 12. Describe and explain the components of persuasion. Persuasion is designed to change attitudes and behavior and build beliefs. Following is a list of components connected to persuasion: • Attitudes: a state of mind, tendency, propensity, position, inclination • Argument: reasons, proof • Involvement: engagement, intensifies brand relationships • Motivation: incentive or reason to respond • Influence: external people or events that shape attitudes and behavior • Conviction and Preference: creating agreement and consideration (into to try or buy) • Loyalty: repeat purchase, satisfaction, advocate 13. Why is involvement considered to be an important factor in analyzing advertising effects? Involvement refers to the degree to which you are engrossed in attending to an ad or making a product decision. Creating a sense of involvement in a marketing Chapter 4: How Advertising Works 111 communication program is a persuasive tactic because it gets people engaged with a message about a brand. A high level of involvement intensifies the brand/customer relationship. It is built on relevance. Involvement is built on relevance—various types of media are intrinsically more or less involving. An advertisement can be more or less involving depending upon the creative strategy used in the message, as well as the medium. The idea is that you think about some products and reflect on the advertising you see for them: but with other products you don’t spend much time thinking about them before you buy them. Nor do you pay much attention to their advertising, which you may perceive and file away or even ignore without much thought. 14. Describe the different ways people can respond to an advertising message with action? Examples of ways people respond include trying or buying, visiting a store, returning an inquiry card, calling a toll-free number, or clicking on a Website. 15. What are the behavioral components of an action response? The components are: • Try: initiating action through trial • Buy: making it easy to buy • Contact: responding by visiting, calling, sending back a card, clicking on a Website, and so forth • Prevention: discourage unwanted behaviors