Communication and

Consumer Behavior
Basic Communication Model
 Impersonal & Interpersonal
• Impersonal communication – Organizations
transmit their messages through advertising, PR
and spokespersons

• Interpersonal communication – Could be

formal like sales person in a physical location or
informal sources like opinion leaders and peers
with whom consumers interact either face to
face or other mediums
 The Communications Process
• The Message Initiator (the Source)
• The Sender
• The Receiver
• The Medium
• The Message
• The Target Audience (the Receivers)
• Feedback - the Receiver’s Response
 The Message Initiator (source)
Issues with
Credibility
• Credibility of • Includes word of
Informal Sources mouth
• Credibility of • These sources
Formal Sources also called opinion
• Credibility of leaders
• Informal sources
Spokespersons
and Endorsers may not always be
• Message credible
 The Message Initiator (source)
Issues with
Credibility
• Credibility of • Neutral sources have the
greatest credibility
Informal Sources • Source credibility judged
• Credibility of on past performance,
reputation, service,
Formal Sources quality, spokesperson
• Credibility of image, retailers, social
Spokespersons responsibility
• Institutional advertising
and Endorsers used to promote favorable
• Message company image
 The Message Initiator (source)
Issues with
Credibility
• Credibility of • Effectiveness
Informal Sources related to:
– The message
• Credibility of
– Synergy between
Formal Sources endorser and type
• Credibility of of product
Spokespersons – Demographic
and Endorsers characteristics of
endorser
• Message
This ad has
strong
synergy
between the
endorser
and the type
of product.
 The Message Initiator (source)
Issues with
Credibility
• Credibility of • Credibility of
Informal Sources retailers
• Credibility of • Reputation of the
Formal Sources medium that
• Credibility of carries the ad e.g.
Spokespersons ad in Dawn vs
and Endorsers Ummat
• Consumer’s
• Message
 The idea that both positive and
negative credibility effects tend to
Sleeper disappear after a period of time but
Effect the memory of a negative cue (like a
low credibility source) simply decay
faster then the message itself leaving
behind the primary message content.
 A sleeper effect occurs when a
persuasive message (initially
unconvincing may be) is presented from a
low-credible source or having strong
counterargument. Just after receiving the
message, the recipient recalls both
Sleeper message and discounting cue, resulting
in little or no opinion change. After a
Effect delay, as the association between
message and discounting cue weakens,
the recipient may remember what was
said without thinking about who said it.

What are the implications

for the marketers?
 What are the implications
for the marketers?
- During political election campaigns, often, the
candidates of the opposing party are targeted
via negative remarks, advertisements, or
news. This largely affects the undecided
voters, who initially dismiss these
occurrences as being slanderous attempts,
Sleeper but later, due to the sleeper effect, retain only
the memory of the message but not the
Effect source, causing them to vote against the
defamed candidates.

- The sleeper effect is evident in the case of

word of mouth marketing. Product reviews
are often spread this way. It may either be a
friend telling you about it, or a salesman. The
same can occur on websites and forums as
well.

- Social media applications can act as

platforms for the propagation of untruths or
propaganda against or in support of an
individual or entity.
The Target Audience (receivers)
• Unintended audiences – Not the target ones
• Personal characteristics – self concept, life style, personality,
perception
• Motives – What motivates target audience to talk about or consider
your product, the opinion leadership
• Involvement and congruency – Nature of product, the target
audience and the context (program) in which the ad is shown)
• Mood – Emotional or rational motives to target and how does this
affect consumers.
• Barriers to communication
– Selective exposure to messages
– Psychological noise (distraction that share attention)
 Advertising Effectiveness
Research
• Media and message exposure
measures
– How many consumers received the
message
– Which consumers received the message
– Reach
– Frequency
– CPRP
– GRPs
 Advertising Effectiveness
Research
• Reach - % of target audience exposed at least once to
the advertisers message during a specified time frame
• Frequency – No. of times a person is exposed to the
advertisement
• CPRP & CPC
• GRPs - GRPs measure the total of all Rating Points
during an advertising campaign. A Rating Point is one
percent of the potential audience. For example, if 25
percent of all targeted televisions are tuned to a show
that contains your commercial, you have 25 Rating
Points. If, the next time the show is on the air, 32 percent
are tuned in, you have a total of 25 + 32 = 57, and so on
through the campaign.
 Designing Persuasive
Communications
• Type of message – verbal, non-verbal or both

• Message objective and media selection

• What could be the objectives – Awareness of a product

or service, sales, encouraging or discouraging a
behavior, reducing post purchase dissonance, creating
favorable image

• How would receiver decode it – What we have learned in

perception and learning
Persuasive Capabilities and Limitations
of Major Media (Magazines)
• Long lead
Highly selective
time
• Selective
High clutter
binding possible
• High quality
Delayed and production
indirect feedback
• High credibility
Rates vary based on circulation and
• selectivity
Long message life
• High pass-along rate
Persuasive Capabilities and Limitations
of Major Media (Television)
• Low
Largecosts per contact
audiences possible
••Long lead
Appeals totime
many senses
••
High clutter
Emotion and attention possible
••
Short message possible
life
Demonstration
•
Viewers can avoid exposure with
•
Very highetc.
costs overall
zapping,
• Day-after recall tests for feedback
 Designing Persuasive
Communications
Message Structure
and Presentation
• Resonance • Stimuli’s interpretation
based on viewers
• Message framing experience
• Comparative
• Wordplay
advertising
• Order effects • Used to create a double
meaning when used
• Repetition with a relevant visual
 Designing Persuasive
Communications
Message Structure
and Presentation
• Resonance • Positive framing
• Message framing • Negative framing
• Comparative • One-sided vs.
advertising two-sided i.e.
• Order effects dealing with
predisposed
• Repetition
assumptions vs
those who tend to
 Designing Persuasive
Communications
Message Structure
and Presentation
• Resonance • Marketer claims
• Message framing product
• Comparative superiority over
advertising another brand
• Useful for
• Order effects
positioning
• Repetition
 Designing Persuasive
Communications
Message Structure
and Presentation
• Resonance • The most effective advertisement are
those that are that the beginning and
• Message framing those that are the ends. Make your
important points first to capture the
attention of the viewer. Then list the
• Comparative rest of the points in order of what you
consider important. Research also
advertising indicates that having the brand name
in the beginning is beneficial for recall.
• Order effects This depends on your specific
advertisement, however. If you are
• Repetition doing a TV commercial and want to
create suspense or surprise, then it
might be better to wait for the brand
name to appear.
 Designing Persuasive
Communications
Message Structure
and Presentation
• Resonance • Important for
• Message framing learning
• Comparative • From short term
advertising to long term
• Order effects memory
• Advertising wear
• Repetition
out
Emotional Advertising Appeals

Fear
Humor
Abrasive advertising
Gender /Sexual motives
in advertising