Understanding the Consumer and How Advertising Works

Understanding the Consumer and How Advertising Works

Humbling Revelations About Consumers Brands and the consumers’ loyalty to them are not nearly as important as they are to marketers Consumer needs are neither logical or clearly defined

Humbling Revelations About Consumers nor are they as complex in product decision-making as marketers would hope In general, consumer decisions occur at a low-level of cognitive processing Product choices are managed at the ‘good enough’ level

Humbling Revelations About Consumers ‘Brand loyalty’ is a notion marketers aspire to, but that rarely exists Evoked set loyalty Outlet loyalty

Humbling Revelations About Consumers Advertising’s effectiveness is generally unpredictable due to The need to economize consumer decisions The state of the market The brand’s position State of play of the brand/category at a given time Other elements of the marketing mix

The New Rules for Engagement

The Audience Is Not the Audience Consumers may not be using television media as an information source, but as a means for “vegging” As an advertising audience, they are largely inattentive – not watching, not listening

The Consumer Is Not Engaged Consumption is passive and centered in the moment of purchase or use People have the energy to be constantly engaged with product marketing, packaging, choice, competition, or advertising

The Category Isn’t “The most powerful brands have an emotional role that transcends their historical category usage.” Starbucks culture, community Wonderbra confidence Disney World childhood dreams

The Category Isn’t Marketers may, in fact, be limiting their own potential by ‘thinking in a box’ that limits a product to a specific function or use

So, Why Use Advertising? Used over time, it increases brand familiarity, attention builds brand associations (emotive and cognitive) conveys information about the brand

Why Use Advertising? improves accuracy of brand knowledge acts as a forum for advancing brand perspectives” reinforce brand choice

Advertising is an investment in Brand identity Brand prominence Brand salience Brand resonance

Advertising does not work in a vacuum but it does add value to a product over time

Communication’s Other Role Marketers have to go beyond just the idea of communication toward an idea of engagement “seizing Must the audience’s imagination ” look for relevance within or outside of the specific category

The Role for Advertising Research to worry less about what advertising does and more about what people do with advertising