1. Perception, Attention &
Interpretation
Mark Arico (208819633)
Fan Zhang (212852224)

2. Perception, Attention & Interpretation
Logical Order of
Knowing

3. Perception, Attention & Interpretation
Attention

4. “A wealth of information creates a poverty of
attention.”
–Herbert Simon, social scientist, in his book Attention Economics(1971)
”

6. How to Draw Attention?

7. Be Humane

8. tHISiSNothUmane

9. Attention: Human Nature
Self-generation effect
Universal interests
Story telling
Sensitive to stimulus

10. Perception, Attention & Interpretation
How to draw
attention?
Be humane:
attractive
• understandable
• connections
• no mediocre
•

11. Billboards are always
designed to draw your
attention at the first
sight.

12. Attention: Definition
In consumer information processing, attention occurs
when a person lingers and gives mental processing
capacity to the external stimulus from a product or brand.
Selective perception is when a consumer pays attention to
messages that are consistent with her attitudes, beliefs and
needs. When a product is inconsistent with these factors,
the consumer will withdraw attention.

13. “Attention is focused mental engagement on a
particular item of information. Items come into our
awareness, we attend to a particular item, and then
we decide whether to act.”
–Davenport & Beck 2001, p. 20

14. Attention: Why it matters
•
a major and the first stage of converting non-consumers
•
minimal marginal cost of advertising
•
consumer's attention becomes the scarce resource

15. Perception, Attention & Interpretation
Interpretation

16. Interpretation: Definition
The assignment of “meaning” to sensations, in a way that
fulfills personal motives and interests.
•Cognitive and affective interpretation.
•Sometimes biases are “added”, causing stereotypes.

17. Interpretation: Four stereotypes
Physical appearances
Descriptive terms
First impressions
Halo effect

18. Perception, Attention & Interpretation
Physical
appearances
Making decisions based on
how people and products
appear.
For example, attractive
models.

19. Perception, Attention & Interpretation
Descriptive terms
Verbal messages reflect
stereotypes.
For example, comparing
the advantages of one
product against another.

20. Perception, Attention & Interpretation
First impressions
First impressions usually
tend to last in the minds of
individuals.
Should be cautious on how
to advertise products.

21. Perception, Attention & Interpretation
Halo effect
Evaluating multiple objects
based on only one dimension.
For example, evaluating an
entire product line (Apple) on
the basis of one product
within that line (iPhone).
Is this Apple example true for
anyone? Any other personal
examples?

22. Perception, Attention & Interpretation
Perception

23. Ferrari

24. “When Ferrari creates
anything, you can pretty
much bet it’ll be top of
the line.”

25. Jack Daniel’s

26. “Jack Daniel's is a brand
of sour mash Tennessee
whiskey that is the
highest selling American
whiskey in the world.”

27. Playboy

28. “Are you ready to step out of
the shower with Playboy
confidence?”

29. Perception: Definition
Perception is shaped by learning, memory and
expectations.
“The process in which a consumer identifies, organizes,
and interprets information to create meaning.” –Boundless

30. Perception: Three Phases
By definition consumer perception consists of three
phases: sensing, organizing, and reacting.

31. Perception: Sensing Phase
Deciding what information to, and not to, pay attention to.
This is affected by our previous experience, motives, and
nature of the stimulus.

32. Sensing Phase: Selective
Perception
•Related
concepts:
1.
Selective exposure
2.
Selective attention
3.
Perceptual defense
4.
Perceptual blocking

33. Perception, Attention & Interpretation
Sensing Phase:
Selective
Exposure
Individuals actively choose what
to view, while avoiding certain
stimuli in their environments.
For example:
•Walking
out of the room when a
commercial comes on television
•Internet
advertisements

34. Sensing Phase: Selective
Attention
Individuals decide how much attention they will pay to a
stimulus, which is consistent with one's personal beliefs or
interests.

35. Perception, Attention & Interpretation
An example:
In-game
Advertising
•Primary
capacity: playing the video game.
•Secondary
capacity: recognizing
advertisements seen in the video game.
•Assumption:
high involvement players
will fail to recognize advertisements, while
moderately involved gamers are more
likely to recognize these advertisements.

36. Perception, Attention & Interpretation
Sensing Phase:
Perceptual Defense
• Individuals protect themselves
from psychologically threatening
stimuli.
• This is most likely in situations
that produce fear or anxiety.
• Refuse to accept the message.

37. Perception, Attention & Interpretation
Sensing Phase:
Perceptual Blocking
Screening out of stimuli that is
threatening or contradictory.
For example, choosing not to look.

38. Sensing Phase: Subliminal
Messages
“Subliminal” means “below the threshold”, which are aimed at
consumers’ subconscious minds.
For example, techniques include:
1. Embed (tiny figures in print messages)
2. Auditory messages (messages on sound recordings)

39. Perception, Attention & Interpretation
Subliminal
Messages:
Examples
• Example
1: KFC:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zrRDEjPoeGw
• Example
2: McDonalds:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LMzbwa6PvE

40. Sensing Phase: Just Noticeable
Difference (JND)
The difference between two stimuli that
is “detected as often as it is undetected”.
For example, 10% discount versus a 50%
discount.
Sometimes marketers purposely go
below this threshold.

41. Do you notice
any differences?

42. Perception: Organizing Phase
How to mentally arrange information in our minds , so
we can understand and make sense out of it.
This phase includes four items:
•
Figure and ground
•
Grouping
•
Closure
•
Bias for the whole

43. Perception, Attention & Interpretation
Organizing Phase:
Figure & Ground
Interpreting stimuli in the context
of a background.
For example, Starbucks uses this
tactic.

44. Information is organized
into a unified
picture/impression,
making it easier to
process.
For example, the “PC Blue
Menu”.
Perception, Attention & Interpretation
Organizing
Phase:
Grouping

45. Perception, Attention & Interpretation
Organizing
Phase:
Closure
Organizing perceptions so that they
form a meaningful whole.
If a stimuli is incomplete, our need
for closure will lead us complete it.
For example, AXE uses this tactic
to get individuals thinking about
their advertisements.

46. Perception, Attention & Interpretation
Organizing Phase:
Bias for the whole
Tendency to perceive more value in
a whole than in the combined parts
that make up the whole.
For example, the Salvation Army
asks for leftover coins.

47. Perception: Reacting Phase
Reacting phase involves with responding and attaching
meaning to the stimuli.

48. Perception, Attention & Interpretation
Reacting Phase:
Shock Value
•
Tactic to provoke a reaction, by
exposing an individual to
“shocking” content.
•
An intention of producing
disgust, anger, fear or other
negative emotions.

49. In-class Exercise
Please discuss following questions in groups after watching three
commercials.
Attention
Which commercial drew your attention the most? Why? Explain the techniques that
were used to increase your attention.
Interpretation
Do you want to purchase any of these products? Why or why not?
Perception
Are these commercials congruent with your perception of the brand or product? Will
these commercials shift your perception? If so, to what degree?

50. Toyota:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dp3OfOQ-yb8
Nike:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A6BiemoJmD4
Google:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pTjHCCU2E4c

51. Q&A