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Belch: Advertising and
Promotion, Sixth Edition
III. Analyzing the
Communication Process
5. The Communication
Process
Low-involvement advertising appeals prevail in much of the advertising we see for
frequently purchased consumer products: Wrigley’s Doublemint gum invites consumers
to “Double your pleasure.” Bounty paper towels claim to be the “quicker
picker-upper.” Oscar Mayer uses the catchy jingle, “I wish I were an Oscar Mayer
wiener.” Each of these appeals is designed to help consumers make an association without
really attempting to formulate or change an attitude.
Another popular creative strategy used by advertisers of low-involvement products
is what advertising analyst Harry McMahan calls VIP, or visual image personality. 18
Advertisers often use symbols like the Pillsbury doughboy, Morris the cat, Tony the
tiger, Speedy Alka-Seltzer, and Mr. Clean to develop visual images that will lead consumers
to identify and retain ads. Eveready began using the pink bunny in ads for its
Energizer batteries in 1989, and he has helped sales of the brand keep going and going
for over 14 years.
Implications of the Alternative Response Models
Advertising and consumer researchers recognize that not all response sequences and
behaviors are explained adequately by either the traditional or the alternative response
hierarchies. Advertising is just one source of information consumers use in learning
about products, forming attitudes, and/or making a purchase decision. Consumers are
likely to integrate information from advertising and other forms of marketing communication
as well as direct experience in forming judgments about a brand. For example,
a study by Robert Smith found that advertising can lessen the negative effects of
an unfavorable trial experience on brand evaluations when the ad is processed before
the trial. However, when a negative trial experience precedes exposure to an ad, cognitive
evaluations of the ad are more negative. 19 More recent research has also shown
that advertising can affect consumers’ objective sensory interpretation of their experiences
with a brand and what they remember about it. 20
The various response models offer an interesting perspective on the ways consumers
respond to advertising and other forms of marketing communications. They
also provide insight into promotional strategies marketers might pursue in different
situations. A review of these alternative models of the response process shows that
the traditional standard learning model does not always apply. The notion of a
highly involved consumer who engages in active information processing and learning
and acts on the basis of higher-order beliefs and a well-formed attitude may be
inappropriate for some types of purchases. Sometimes consumers make a purchase
decision on the basis of general awareness resulting from repetitive exposure to
advertising, and attitude development occurs after the purchase, if at all. The role of
advertising and other forms of promotion may be to induce trial, so consumers can
develop brand preferences primarily on the basis of their direct experience with the
product.
From a promotional planning perspective, it is important that marketers examine
the communication situation for their product or service and determine which type of
response process is most likely to occur. They should analyze involvement levels and
product/service differentiation as well as consumers’ use of various information
sources and their levels of experience with the product or service. Once the manager
has determined which response sequence is most likely to operate, the integrated marketing
communications program can be designed to influence the response process in
favor of the company’s product or service. Because this requires that marketers determine
the involvement level of consumers in their target markets, we examine the concept
of involvement in more detail.
© The McGraw−Hill
Companies, 2003
Over the past two decades, consumer behavior and
advertising researchers have extensively studied the concept
of involvement. 21 Understanding Involvement
Involvement is viewed as a variable
that can help explain how consumers process advertising information and how
this information might affect message recipients. One problem that has plagued the
study of involvement has been agreeing on how to define and measure it. Advertising
managers must be able to determine targeted consumers’ involvement levels with their
products.
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Chapter Five The Communication Process