SESSION 3

ATTENTION & COMPREHENSION

1
Van Tran - Adapted from Peter & Olson, McGraw-Hill Education
LEARNING OBJECTIVES

1 Describe the nature and process of exposure, attention, and comprehension

Identify & explain the important factors influencing level of exposure, attention, and
2 comprehension

3 Recognize different marketing strategies employed in the market regarding increasing

level of exposure, attention, and comprehension

4 Explain important implications for building marketing strategies from the

understanding of consumers’ exposure, attention, and comprehension

Van Tran - Adapted from Peter & Olson, McGraw-Hill Education

24/06/2020 2
International School of Business - University of Economics HCMC
 PERCEPTION

Van Tran - Adapted from Peter & Olson, McGraw-Hill Education

24/06/2020 3
International School of Business - University of Economics HCMC
Cognitive system characteristics
Activation of one meaning may
trigger related concepts and
meanings (spreading activation).
Conscious cognitive systems have
limited capacity.
Activation of knowledge in
memory is usually automatic and
largely unconscious.
How it can affect Consumers’ Interpretation stage
The incoming information activates relevant knowledge in
memory (schema or script knowledge structures)
➔ Determine which information consumers pay attention to
and as a base for them to comprehend it.
Consumers can consciously attend to and comprehend only
small amounts of information at a time.
Much attention and comprehension processing occurs quickly
and automatically with little or no awareness.

It becomes more automatic and Simple interpretations such as recognizing a familiar brand
unconscious with experience. happen automatically & instantly.

➔ The role of customers’ existing product knowledge and involvement in information interpretation

Van Tran - Adapted from Peter & Olson, McGraw-Hill Education

24/06/2020 4
International School of Business - University of Economics HCMC
COGNITIVE PROCESSES IN CONSUMER DECISION MAKING

EXPOSURE

Van Tran - Adapted from Peter & Olson, McGraw-Hill Education

24/06/2020 5
International School of Business - University of Economics HCMC
 EXPOSURE

Exposure occurs when a stimulus is placed within a

person’s relevant environment and comes within range of his
or her senses.
• Intentional exposure
• Accidental exposure

Van Tran - Adapted from Hawkins, McGraw-Hill Education

11 June 2019 6
International School of Business - University of Economics HCMC
EXPOSURE: Getting through the perceptive defense

Selective
Consumers are highly selective and tend to avoid
marketing stimuli they think they don’t need.
KNOWLEDGE
&
Voluntary INVOLVEMENT
Individuals can actively seek for marketing stimuli
that serve their purchase goals, entertainment, and
information.

Van Tran - Adapted from Hawkins, McGraw-Hill Education

11 June 2019 7
International School of Business - University of Economics HCMC
EXPOSURE

The Question is:

How can we maximize and/or maintain exposure of

the target segment to my marketing information?

1. Facilitate intentional exposure

2. Maximize accidental exposure
3. Create appropriate level of exposure
4. Main appropriate level of exposure

Van Tran - Adapted from Peter & Olson, McGraw-Hill Education

24/06/2020 8
International School of Business - University of Economics HCMC
1. Facilitate intentional exposure: Infomercials

Making sure appropriate marketing

information is available when and where
consumers want it.

• Official information channel: website, Permission-based marketing

Facebook page, etc.
• Salespeople
• Online/ phone support person
• Instructions on packaging

Van Tran - Adapted from Peter & Olson, McGraw-Hill Education

24/06/2020 9
International School of Business - University of Economics HCMC
2. Maximize accidental exposure:

Placing the marketing information in the environmental settings

of the target consumers.
➢ Locations
➢ Outdoor spaces: billboards, posters, etc.
➢ Spots in stores with high traffic
➢ Appearing on various media channels

Van Tran - Adapted from Peter & Olson, McGraw-Hill Education

24/06/2020 10
International School of Business - University of Economics HCMC
3. Create appropriate level of exposure

Exposure should be controlled by using a

highly selective distribution strategy.
Maximum exposure is not always desirable.

Van Tran - Adapted from Peter & Olson, McGraw-Hill Education

24/06/2020 11
International School of Business - University of Economics HCMC
4. Maintain exposure

• Duration
• Repetition

Van Tran - Adapted from Peter & Olson, McGraw-Hill Education

24/06/2020 12
International School of Business - University of Economics HCMC
 ATTENTION

Attention implies selectivity.

Attending to certain information involves selecting it from
a large set of information and ignoring other information.
Characteristics of attention:
• Influenced by the consumers’ goals activated in the
situation
• Consumers are conscious of it.
• Consumers are alert and aroused to attend to
something.

Van Tran - Adapted from Hawkins, McGraw-Hill Education

11 June 2019 13
International School of Business - University of Economics HCMC
ATTENTION: Levels

Van Tran - Adapted from Hawkins, McGraw-Hill Education

11 June 2019 14
International School of Business - University of Economics HCMC
 ATTENTION: Influencing Factors

?
Individual Factors Stimuli Factors
Involvement Size
Motivational state guiding stimuli Intensity
selection for focal attention and GROUP WORK
Attractive visuals 1. Read about different stimuli
comprehension.
Color & Movement factors in Hawkins (2015)
Affective states on page 280.
Position
• Low arousal reduces the 2. Prepare a PPT to give
amount and intensity of Isolation example(s) for each factor
attention. Format 3. Discuss how these factors
may influence consumer
• A state of high affective arousal Contrast & Expectations attention in the examples
can narrow consumers’ focus of Interestingness you give.
attention and make attention
more selective. Information quantity

Van Tran - Adapted from Hawkins, McGraw-Hill Education

11 June 2019 15
International School of Business - University of Economics HCMC
ATTENTION: Beyond

Stimuli may be attended to without much conscious focusing of attention.

These may be ways to bypass consumers’ perceptual defenses.

Subliminal stimuli
A message presented so fast, softly or
masked by other messages that one is not
aware of seeing or hearing.
A subliminal ad “hides” key persuasive
information within the ad by making it so
weak that it is difficult or impossible for
someone to physically detect.
As a point to be different and
subconsciously grabs the attention without
much effort from the consumers.

Van Tran - Adapted from Hawkins, McGraw-Hill Education

11 June 2019 16
International School of Business - University of Economics HCMC
ATTENTION: Beyond

Subliminal stimuli

Van Tran - Adapted from Hawkins, McGraw-Hill Education

11 June 2019 17
International School of Business - University of Economics HCMC
COMPREHENSION

Comprehension is the assignment of meaning to sensations.

How consumers comprehend and make sense of incoming
information of their behaviours and relevant aspects of their
environment.

Van Tran - Adapted from Hawkins, McGraw-Hill Education

11 June 2019 18
International School of Business - University of Economics HCMC
 COMPREHENSION: Variations

▪ Comprehension can be automatic or

controlled
▪ It may produce more concrete or more
abstract meanings
▪ It may produce few or many meanings
▪ It may create weaker or stronger
memories

Van Tran - Adapted from Hawkins, McGraw-Hill Education

11 June 2019 19
International School of Business - University of Economics HCMC
 Inferences During Comprehension

Inferences are interpretations that

produce knowledge or beliefs that go
beyond the information given.

▪ Quality Signals: price-perceived

quality; advertising intensity;
warranties
▪ Interpreting Images: good visual
image
▪ Missing Information and Ethical
Concerns: equal or lower, or higher
than the average

Van Tran - Adapted from Hawkins, McGraw-Hill Education

11 June 2019 20
International School of Business - University of Economics HCMC
INTERPRETATION: Influencing factors

Knowledge in memory as the base

• Consumers’ knowledge in determined in terms of
being an expert or a novice.
• The meanings attached to such “natural” things as
time, space, relationships, and colors are
learned and vary widely across cultures.
Involvement
Has a major influence on consumers’ motivation to
comprehend marketing information at the time of
exposure.
The colors of bright red and orange are used in
this Heinz’s ads to mean hot and spicy.

Van Tran - Adapted from Hawkins, McGraw-Hill Education

11 June 2019 21
International School of Business - University of Economics HCMC
4 INTERPRETATION: Influencing factors

Exposure environment
• Can affect consumers’ opportunity to
comprehend marketing information.
• Factors influencing consumer
comprehension:
➢ Time pressure
➢ Consumers’ affective states
➢ Distractions
➢ Contextual events TVCs with patriotic messages air between breaks of football
matches, traditional New Year’s Eve Late night show, etc.

Van Tran - Adapted from Hawkins, McGraw-Hill Education

11 June 2019 22
International School of Business - University of Economics HCMC
 ATTENTION & COMPREHENSION

How can we capture and maintain attention of the target segment?

1. Communicate why the product is self-relevant to the consumers
2. Influence the prominence of our marketing information in the environment.

How can we influence the target consumers to comprehend our

marketing information at the appropriate level of depth and
elaboration?
1. Design the message to fit with consumers’ ability and motivation to comprehend
2. Design key messages for consumers’ ability to recall meanings from memory
3. Place the marketing information in the ‘right place and right time’

Van Tran - Adapted from Peter & Olson, McGraw-Hill Education

24/06/2020 23
International School of Business - University of Economics HCMC
MARKETING APPLICATIONS

Van Tran - Adapted from Hawkins, McGraw-Hill Education

11 June 2019 24
International School of Business - University of Economics HCMC
 APPLICATIONS: Retail strategy for exposure

Butter/jam Bread

Maximize exposure with: Pleasant smell of

Sign about sauce baked cookies
promotion
▪ Arrangements of products
▪ Point of purchase
▪ Cross-promotions
Wine
Create pleasant store
environment for maintaining
time for exposure: Booth of new milk
• Ambient scent
• Music

Van Tran - Adapted from Hawkins, McGraw-Hill Education

11 June 2019 25
International School of Business - University of Economics HCMC
 APPLICATIONS:
Branding strategy for attention & Comprehension

Branding strategies
(Consumer inferences)

• Brand extension
• Line extension
• Multi-brand
• New brand
• Co-branding

Van Tran - Adapted from Hawkins, McGraw-Hill Education

11 June 2019 26
International School of Business - University of Economics HCMC
 APPLICATIONS:
Logo development for exposure & comprehension

Natural vs elaborate logo Symmetric & Asymmetric logo Typeface & Typographics

Van Tran - Adapted from Hawkins, McGraw-Hill Education

11 June 2019 27
International School of Business - University of Economics HCMC
APPLICATIONS:
Packaging & Labeling for attention & comprehension

Attract attention by using

bright colors, tall packages,
unusual shapes

Van Tran - Adapted from Hawkins, McGraw-Hill Education

11 June 2019 28
International School of Business - University of Economics HCMC
 APPLICATIONS: Advertising & Media strategy

Advertising must perform two critical tasks:

• capture attention (utilizing stimulus characteristics)

• convey meaning (attaching appropriate message)

Eyetease changes ads shown on taxis

depending on the location of the each taxi.

Van Tran - Adapted from Hawkins, McGraw-Hill Education

11 June 2019 29
International School of Business - University of Economics HCMC
 Activities to practices for group project

Learn about the of target consumers mentioned in your project:

1/ Find out when and where they are exposed to the marketing information from your brand
(intentional and accidental exposure). The frequency of the exposure.

2/ Find out at which aspects of the stimulus the consumers often pay their attention at and why.

3/ Choose some recent message(s) which were delivered by your brand to show the
respondents. Pay attention to how quickly they understand the message, how deep they
understand it, in single or multiple meanings. Should you employ the similar message for your
next product launch?

Van Tran - Adapted from Hawkins, McGraw-Hill Education

11 June 2019 30
International School of Business - University of Economics HCMC