Chapter 4:

How Brand
Communication Works

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Questions to Explore
1. How does brand communication work both as a
form of mass communication and interactive
communication?

2. How did the idea of advertising effects develop,

and what are the problems in traditional
approaches to advertising effects?

3. What is the Facets Model of Advertising Effects,

and how does it explain how advertising works?

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How does brand
communication work?
 At its most basic, brand communication is a message
to a consumer about a brand.

 It gets attention and provides information, sometimes

even entertainment.

 It is purposeful in that it seeks to create some kind of

response:
◦ an inquiry
◦ a sale
◦ a visit to a website
◦ a test drive
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The mass communication foundation
Mass communication is a process. Consider:

The SMCR Model:

1. Source
2. Message
3. Channels of communication
4. Receiver

Feedback is obtained by monitoring the response of

the receiver to the message.

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The mass communication foundation
 An Advertising Communication Model
1. The source
2. The message
3. The media mix
4. External noise
5. Internal noise
6. The receiver
7. Feedback

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Adding interaction to
brand communication
 Mass communication is traditionally a one-way
process with the message moving from sender to
receiver.

 Interactive communication is two-way—a dialogue—

and is where marketing communication is headed.

 The source and receiver change positions as the

message bounces back and forth between them.

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Adding interaction to
marketing communication
The move toward interactivity

 Interest in buzz marketing indicates that marketing

communication is moving beyond two-way
communication.

 Consumers can now:

◦ react to messages with comments, phone calls, e-
mail inquiries.
◦ Initiate communication as well as receive it.

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Adding interaction to
marketing communication
The move toward interactivity
 Advertisers must learn to receive (listen) as

well as send information.

 Word of mouth, buzz marketing and online

social media are indicators of the need for
message integration.

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Adding interaction to
marketing communication
 Interactive communication is the building block of the
customer-brand experience.

 It can determine the likelihood of repeat business and

brand loyalty.

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What are the effects
behind effectiveness?
Traditional views on impact

AIDA:
 Attention
 Interest
 Desire
 Action

Think/Feel/Do:
Think about the message, feel something about the
brand, then do something, such as try it.

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What are the effects
behind effectiveness?
Problems with traditional approaches

1. They presume a predictable set of steps.

2. Some effects are missing—brand linkage and

motivation.

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A key principle
Not all purchases begin with a search for
information. Some purchases are made
out of habit or on impulse.

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 What are the
Facets of Impact?

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The Facets Model of Effects
 Does a more complete
job of explaining how
advertising creates
consumer responses.

 It is useful in both
setting objectives and
evaluating advertising
effectiveness.

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The Facets Model of Effects
Effective advertising creates six types of consumer
responses: :

1. See/Hear: the Perception Facet

2. Feel: the Affective or Emotional Facet
3. Think/understand: the Cognitive Facet
4. Connect: the Association Facet
5. Believe: the Persuasion Facet
6. Act/Do: the Behavior Facet

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The Perception Facet: See/Hear
 Perception: The process by which we receive
information through our five senses and assign
meaning to it.

 Selective perception

 For an advertisement to be effective, it first must

be noticed or at least register on some minimal
level on our senses.

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The Perception Facet: See/Hear
Factors driving the perception response
 Exposure
Media planners want consumers to see or hear the
message.
 Selection and attention
Selective attention: consumers choose to attend to
the message.
 Interest
Receiver mentally engages with the ad or product.

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The Perception Facet: See/Hear
Factors driving the perception response
 Relevance
Message connects on some personal level.
 Curiosity
Results from questioning, wanting to know more.

 Awareness
Ad makes an impression; registers with consumer.
 Recognition
People remember the ad. Recall means they
remember what it said.

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The Perception Facet: See/Hear
The synergy requirement

 Using an IMC approach, marketers

coordinate all marketing communication
messages to create synergy.
 This means individual messages have more
impact working jointly than they would on
their own.

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The Emotional or Affective Facet: Feel
 Affective responses mirror our feelings
about something.

 “Affective” describes something that

stimulates wants, touches the emotions,
and elicits feelings.

 Brand messages can arouse a range of

different emotions.

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The Emotional or Affective Facet: Feel
Factors that drive the affective response
 Wants and desires
Driven by emotions; based on wishes,
longings, cravings.

 Excitement
Our emotions and passions are aroused.

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The Emotional or Affective Facet: Feel
Factors that drive the affective response
 Feelings
Emotional appeals based on humor, love, or fear.

 Liking
If you like the ad, those positive feelings transfer to
the brand.

 Resonance
A feeling that the message rings true.

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The Cognition Facet:
Think/Understand
 Cognition refers to how customers:
◦ search for and respond to information
◦ learn and understand something.

 It’s a rational, “left-brain” approach.

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The Cognition Facet:
Think/Understand
Factors that drive the cognitive response
 Need
Ad messages here describe something missing in
the consumer’s life.
 Cognitive learning
Presenting facts, information, and explanations
leads to understanding.
 Comprehension
The process by which we understand, make sense
of things, or acquire knowledge.

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The Cognition Facet:
Think/Understand
Factors that drive the cognitive response
 Differentiation
The consumer’s ability to separate one brand from
another, based on an understanding of a
competitive advantage.
 Recall
A measure of learning or understanding. One
remembers the ad and in turn the brand.

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The Association Facet: Connect
 Association means using symbols to communicate.
It is the primary tool used in brand communication.

 Brand linkage reflects the degree to which:

1. the associations presented in the message

2. the consumer's interest

…are connected to the brand.

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The Association Facet: Connect
Factors that drive the association response

 Symbolism
A brand takes on a symbolic meaning. It stands for
certain, usually abstract, qualities.
 Conditioned learning
Thoughts and feelings linked to the brand.

 Transformation
A product takes on meaning and is transformed
into something special.

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The Persuasion Facet: Believe
 Persuasion: influencing or motivating the
receiver of a message to believe or do
something.

 Attitude is an inclination to react in a given

way.

 Attitudes are expressed as beliefs when people

are convinced.

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The Persuasion Facet: Believe
Factors that drive persuasion
 Motivation
Something prompts one to act in a certain way.

 Influence
◦ Opinion leaders may influence others’ attitudes.
◦ Word of mouth is created by strategies that
engage influencers.

 Involvement
◦ The degree to which one attends to messages
and how they make product decisions.
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The Persuasion Facet: Believe
Factors that drive the persuasion response
 Engagement

 Conviction
Consumers agree with a message and achieve a
state of certainty or belief about a brand.

 Preference and intention

Here, consumers are motivated by conviction.

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The Persuasion Facet: Believe
Factors that drive the persuasion response

 Loyalty
Brand loyalty involves attitude, emotion, action.
It’s built on customer satisfaction.
 Believability and credibility
◦ Believability: refers to credibility of the message.
◦ Credibility: trustworthiness of the source.
◦ Source credibility: the person delivering the message is
respected, trusted, and believable.

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The Behavior Facet: Act/Do
 Behavior is the action response.

 It can involve a number of actions including:

◦ Trying or buying the brand
◦ Visiting a store
◦ Returning an inquiry card
◦ Calling a toll-free number
◦ Clicking on a Web site

A question for you:

What is the difference between direct action and

indirect action?
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The Behavior Facet: Act/Do
Factors that drive the behavioral response
 Mental rehearsal
Advertising attempts to create virtual memories.
 Trial
This is important for new or expensive products.
 Buying
Advertising sometimes stimulates sales by the call to
action.

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The Behavior Facet: Act/Do
Factors that drive the behavioral response
 Contacting
Consumers respond by contacting the advertiser.
 Advocating and Referrals
◦ Advocacy: speaking out on a brand’s behalf.
◦ Referral: a satisfied customer recommends a
favorite brand.
 Prevention
Presenting negative messages about an unwanted
behavior and creating incentives to stimulate the
desired behavior.

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 The Power of
Brand Communication

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Interaction and impact
Reviewing the Facets of Effects Model
When its six factors work together, they can create a
coherent brand perception.

However, we must remember that:

1. The effects are interdependent.

2. They are not all equal for all marketing
communication situations.

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Strong and Weak Effects
 The “Strong” Theory
Advertising can persuade people who had never
bought a brand to buy it once, and then repeatedly.
 The “Weak” Theory
Advertising has a limited impact on consumers;
best used to reinforce existing brand perceptions.

Delayed Effects
A consumer may see or hear an advertisement but
not act on that message until a later date.

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