OK.... So continuing from the previous blog aboutAttention and Interpretation, I discussed the fact that mmarketers will consider the contrast, movement, repetition, juxtapositions and size in their adverts to attract attention and also use shock tactics Now there is a chance to introduce and discuss the more scientific theory about advertising.
According to Chisnall, P. M., (1995) in order for a human to perceive an object, the brain will need to see the whole image of it so that we can appreciate it. Therefore this leads to marketers leaving part of their advertisements unexplained, this means the consumer are more likely to interpret it. To make consumers pay attention to an advertisement, the advertisers will present an incomplete image so that a consumer can use their brain and natural instinct to create something whole. This is described by Solomon et al., (2010), he states that the brain will create meaning from the entire set of stimuli rather than just one individual stimulus. This is known as Gestalt Psychology and this is broken into 4 different sections:
1) Figure and Ground - The terms figure and ground explain how we use elements of a scene to make a whole. The figure is the element which captures the persons attention whilst the background is usually undistinguished. The human eye naturally creates a figure using the foreground and ground (the background). This can be done now by looking at the computer screen , everything behind the screen is blurred. But if you look past the computer screen into the background which is now in focus, whilst the screen is blurred.
This image is a classic example of Figure and Ground. Focus on the centre and the brain will see a white vase, then focus on the two black faces and the vase has moved into the background.
2) Grouping - According to usask (2011) the principle of similarity states that products which share visual characteristics such as; shape, size, colour, texture, value or orientations will usually be seen by the human eye as belonging or 'grouping' together. Solomen et al., (2010) states that the items who are grouped together will form an "Integrated Whole." Therefore marketers and advertisers have discovered that to make a more visual effect they should group their products together.
This image shows grouping well, as it groups all similar products and colours together to make it visually appealing. Personally I think this display would catch my attention and would make want to stop and look. If they were to be displayed individually I doubt I would notice them as an individual product.
3) Closure - This is the principle which applies to when a person sees complete figures even when part of the information is missing.
This image is an example of closure as the human eye can see the three black circles covered by the white triangles. The eye naturally draws the lines to complete the whole circles. This is known as closure. An advertiser may decide to create an incomplete image as they know that a consumer can create a complete image once looked at it. The panda at the top of the page is also in this closure category.
4) Stimulus Ambiguity - An advertiser may create an image or product known as a stimulus which may not be directly related to a recognisable shape or form so that the customer has to put it into their own context to understand it. This will help engage the consumer as they will try and make sense of what the image is.
In this image, a women is lying down on the grass, it seems as though she is pregnant, however it actually presents the new Volkswagen beetle which is made from the yellow "jumper" of the women. The brain is confused quickly as it tries to make sense of the image. This helps captures a consumer's attention and leads to them becoming curious about what is being sold.
These are all different effective ways of grabbing a consumer's attention. Gestalt psychology is a way of manipulating the brain and utilising the way it works to make an advertisement stand out. Combined with other methods used within advertising a successful campaign can be created.
Perceptual Set
The perceptual set is used with the Gestalt Psychology and many other advertising campaigns. The perceptual set theory is an idea of perception which involves selection. inference and interpretation. The perceptual set is usually developed over time as is usually influence by personal experiences, upbringing, values, beliefs etc, it is a natural and individual way of thinking. Every individual has a unique perceptual set and no two people has lived the same life. The perceptual set is personal and deep rooted however it can be changed by marketers. For example below is an RSPCA advert:
This may change the way people think about Cruelty to Animal. For somebody who does not really think about animal cruelty, may change the way they think and may make them think about getting involved or perhaps may alter the way they think about the subject. For another person who hits their pet and never saw it as an issue, may reconsider and think twice about their actions. They may also choose t help and consequently change their beliefs. Therefore this means through the use of marketing material someones perceptual set can change.
So now we have moved away from Perception onto the next subject; Attention and Interpretation. According to an article in The Guardian, an average person will see around 3,500 marketing messages per day. This article also explains that a London Commuter on a 45 minute journey will be exposed to around 130 adverts which feature 80 different products.Wow that's a huge amount of adverts!However apparently only around 1% of these we will remember, therefore a massive 99% make little or no impact at all.
Advertisers use adverts as a promotional tool for products and services. They create advertisements which are used to grab the attention of a potential consumer, after this, an individual will usually interpret the campaign. Previously discussed in the Perception Blog, was the fact that the way a person perceives or interprets a product or service is totally individual and personal, "Just as people differ in terms of the stimuli that they perceive, the eventual assignment of meanings to these stimuli varies as well," (Solomon et al 2010 p132). Therefore an advert which may attract my attention for example, may be completely different to one that attracts my mum's. This usually occurs when the advertisers are trying to target and grab attention from a particular group of people, for example; men, women, children, adults etc.
A good example of target marketing would be the Snickers advert staring Mr T in a tank:
This advert is clearly targeted at males and is used to grab their attention. It incorporates many interests of an average man, such as; football, a big vehicle, aggressive language and uses a very masculine character.
Whereas this Coco Pops advert is clearly aimed at children due to the use of cartoon characters, a fun catchy jingle, fast editing and bright colours. Even though this can be considered as stereotyping, many marketers will stereotype so that they can correctly target their audience. Many advertisers will 'group' people by age, class, gender, ethnicity, occupation or social role and target them through a common interest, "stereotypes act like codes that give audiences a quick, common understanding of a person or group of people." In advertising, marketers will use a common interest or concept within a group of people to attract their attention within a marketing communication. For example; the use of flowers, light colours such as; pinks and lilacs are usually shown in adverts for women. A good example of this is the Sheila's Wheels adverts.
According to Solomon et al (2010) Attention is the degree a consumer will focus on an exposed stimuli. Due to the fact that people are shown so many advertising stimuli means that marketers have to be increasingly creative to grab the attention of a potential customer. Marketers will use different methods to grab the attention of a broader range of people and not just a certain target group, but every one who sees the advert. The biggest way they do this is by using shock tactics on the audience. Shock tactics are "the use of shocking images or descriptions to force people to think about something or to do something," (macmillandictionary 2009). Marketers do this by incorporating disturbing photographs, pictures or footage into their advertisements. They usually probe a question which helps make the audience think about the message that they are trying to create. Due to the fact that most of these adverts are so shocking to the consumer, they are more likely to continuously think about it. Advertisers have used these in a number of campaigns such as;
The 'think' adverts use shock tactics continuously within their advertising campaigns. They use these to make people think about road safety and the potential impact it has. They use graphic footage and it definitely grabs attention.
The technique of shock tactics is often used by charities to help gain support and donations from the public. Many small companies who have spent little money on advertising often use them as well as people will often complain about the images and the media will report about them, which leads essentially to free advertising as the the advertisement is becoming well known through the press and word of mouth. Child abuse advertisements use shock tactics increasingly:
Another way marketers try to grab the attention of an audience is when they pose a question to the consumer (rhetorical questions) or makes a statement that makes them think about it. A good classic example of this type is the got milk? campaign which is regularly shown in America. This type of advertising is used for healthy living. It is used to make people think about the nutrients in their body and if they are receiving enough calcium. They use the phrase got milk? to make people think.
Marketers will also consider the contrast, movement, repetition, juxtapositions and size in their adverts to attract attention in a more controversial way than shock tactics.
The use of Large billboards in random places will have an impact on consumers:
Repetition is important in advertising as it is "through repetition that you establish your credibility, [and] establish brand familiarity." It continuously reminds the consumer of a brand and stimulates brand recognition. Usually with advertisements, marketers will use the same colours and images in all adverts. For example:
Due to the fact that it is very difficult to achieve an effective and attractive campaign that grabs the attention of a large proportion of the audience, marketers are continuously using new techniques to achieve this. That is the reason why adverts today have evolved so much from 10 years ago, new and old products need to grab the attention of the consumers to sell and product or service. This can be done by using a combination of techniques identified above.
Personality and Self Concept is part of every human being. Due to the fact that everyone is different, an individuals personality and self concept in completely unique. It may be similar to someone else's, however it will never be the same. It is quite difficult to distinguish between personality and self concept. The simple definitions would be;
Personality - is the way a person that presents themselves outwardly. Personality is "the sum total of the psychical, mental, emotional, and social characteristics of an individual," (dictionary.com 2011). A persons personality is made from a variety of characteristic from thoughts, feelings and behaviours, which help make a person unique.
Self Concept - this relates to how a person feels about themselves inwardly. According to simplypsychology (2011) self concept is how we think or evaluate ourselves in different ways such as; physical, morally, personally, family and in social situation dimensions.
Usually the personality and self concept of a person will be dramatically different. The way a person sees another person may be completely different to how a person perceives themselves. So how does personality and self concept of a person relate to marketing?
Through using Kotler's model of buyer behaviour it shows the major influences for buyers. In the personal column it indicates that Personality and Self Concept influences the buyer in marketing.
According to ideastoday (2011) every individual has a unique personality which influences his or her buying behaviour. This means that many marketers will use a persons self-concept which is related to personality to sell them a product or service. It is important for marketers to know what buyer decisions consumers will make based on self concept. A Self concept buyer decision could be, for example an older women buying anti-wrinkle cream to make her feel younger. Marketers may decide not to sell a product to a person but to sell it to the person they inspire to be. Examples are:
This product here would be sold to someone who wants to look younger.
This product here would be used to sell to consumers who would like to be slimmer and lose weight.
A good example of a self concept product would be the Blackberry Phone this product is targeted for those who just want a fully functioning mobile phone whilst also targeting those who want the most current and in trend mobile. If two customers were to go into a t-mobile store and both view a blackberry phone compared with an ordinary similar phone, which has the same functionality, colour and size, there would a difference in self concept of the person who would buy the ordinary phone compared to one that would pay a little more for the blackberry brand. Due to the fact that both would feel different about the person they are trying or should be. A personal example of this would be my mum and I when buying an MP3 player. I would prefer to go for the more expensive Apple brand due to the fact that I would want to be considered 'trendy' whilst my mum would completely base it on price and functionally.
Most companies will try and ‘humanise’ their branded products with certain characteristics and a personality that will appeal to the consumers such as; being honest, friendly, and trustworthy these will all help to build stronger relationships with customers, (Brassington and Pettitt, 2007).This shows that if the image of a brand is good then it will build stronger relationships between the supplier and customer and they can identify the brand values.
An example of brand personality would be Chanel. This would be labelled as having a sophisticated personality due to the image it presents through the advertisements used. Within the television adverts they use A list celebrities such as; Kiera Knightley and Nicole Kidman, to present the upper class, rich and famous. Whilst the surroundings of the advert are usually grand rooms, with expensive silk, ornaments and bright expensive lights. Finally the actors are usually wearing expensive jewellery and clothes and are portrayed as being charming and elegant, this all helps identify and characterise the Chanel brand. Below is the TV advert:
Theorist have created a number of different concepts to help describe the relationship between personality, self concept and marketing. Here are some of these theories:
1) Cattell's trait theory of personality - According to about.com (2011), in 1936 psychologist
Gordon Allport discovered that there were 4000 English words that described personality therefore he categorised these into three levels:
Cardinal Traits are traits that dominate an individuals life, these usually are used to describe a person and they will usually become well know for it. Allport suggested that these traits were rare and developed in later life.
Central Traits are the general characteristics of a person that forms their personality, they are some of the major but not most dominate traits that help describe a person. Words such as intelligent, honest, shy and anxious are described as central traits.
Secondary traits usually only appear during certain circumstances such as when someone gets anxious talking to a group of people, or irritated whilst waiting in a queue.
After this, Raymond Cattell reduced the original 4000 traits into 161, then reduced this again down to 16 and then developed a well known personality assessment known as the 'Sixtenn Personality Factor Questionnaire (16PF).
2) Hollander's Concentric Ring Theory - Hollander believed that a person's personality could be represented by 3 concentric rings, with the inner ring being the most difficult to penetrate.
The three rings are:
1) Psychological Core - This is the real person. the core concept and personality that individuals are usually unwilling to reveal.
2) Typical Responses - This section represents how people will respond in a situation.
3) Role Related Behaviour - This is how a person will respond to a specific situation and may present an uncharacteristic behaviour.
From Hollander's theory it shows that personality is built from a persons belief and values, and how they interact with other people. Both his theory and Cattell's reflect the fact that personality has different levels in comparison to the core and personality traits of a person may change in different situation. Also the revelations of a specific personality trait will occur at different times.
3) Freudian Theory - Another theory is the Freudian Psycho dynamic theory. He believed that a person's personality has 3 components; ID, EGO and SUPEREGO. These all work together to create complex human behaviours," (About.com 2011). These three components are as followed:
ID - Represents the basic instincts, and is driven by the pleasure principle which helps gratify a persons desires, wants and needs. If a human was ruled by this personality element they would most likely be disruptive and socially unacceptable
SUPEREGO - This is part of our personality holds a persons moral standards and ideals. This element will give us a sense of right and wrong. It provides guidelines for making judgements.
EGO - This is the element between both the ID and SUPEREGO. It will help satisfy the ID but in a way which satisfies the SUPEREGO as well by making sure it is not disruptive and unacceptable.
A good example of this theory would be a teenage being set a curfew for 10, however they want to stay out for an hour longer this is because of the ID element, however their SUPEREGO element believes that they should arrive home on time so they do not get into trouble. Therefore the EGO will compromise and the teenage will decide to go home within 15 minutes after the curfew as they know it will not cause too much trouble.
There are many personality tests all over the Internet which can apparently determine personality traits you have. This was a theory called 'The Big Five Scale of Personality Type.' Researchers gathered information on people with certain traits to determine which were the five main personality categories that many people would fall into. I completed one through BBC and my results were as followed:
I received a 3.3 out of 5 for openness, this apparently means that I will usually stick to things that I know rather then becoming overly enthusiastic about trying new things.
I scored 4 out of 5 for Conscientiousness. This describes how dependable, organised and hardworking a person is likely to be. According to this I am extremely dependable and organised.
I scored 2.8 out of 5 for Extroversion. This section is all about pleasure-stimulating and risk taking activities and how important they are in someones life. People who are high in this section are likely to lead risky lifestyles and take greater risks, apparently I am not like this.
I scored 3.7 out of 5 for Agreeableness. This measures how sympathetic and considerate a person is. According to this I am likely to show concern for feelings and will be inclined to help those in need.
Finally I scored 3.5 out of 5 for Neuroticism. This section measures a persons response to threatening or stressful situations. My scores show that I may occasionally feel tense or anxious.
So there we are. Apparently a simple test on the Internet can summarise me as a person... However I do think I have some right to disagree. I believe that I have aspects that a test cannot prove and characteristics that marketers will never be able to understand.
On the other hand, I do think that the test has shown parts of my personality correctly. The Conscientiousness, openness and Agreeableness section has definitely matched the perception I have of myself in that area. So Well Done BBC 3/5 correct!
STP...What is it and how does it relate to marketing? Well first things first, we need to understand what STP stands for:
S = Segmentation T = Targeting P = Positioning
Marketers will use STP when considering their target market. They need to firstly identify a market and find the right potential customers this can be achieved by usingSegmentation,Targeting andPositioning.
Segmentation is "the division of a market into different homogeneous groups of consumers," (quickmba 2010). This means marketers will identify a need that a certain group of customers have. Therefore marketers will not offer the same marketing mix to vastly different customers, but through segmentation they are able to tailor the marketing mix to a specific target marketing this leads to better matching of customer needs, enhanced profits for the business, better opportunities for growth, and retaining more customers. A market segment should be; measurable, accessible by communication and distribution channels, durable, substantial and different in its response to a marketing mix. There are four elements which may segment a consumer market:
Geographic Segmentation- People will be grouped due to Region, Climate, Population Density and Population Growth.
Demographic Segmentation- Many people are grouped by marketers due to their Age, Gender, Ethnicity, Education, Occupation and Income.
Psycho graphic Segmentation- This groups peoples by Values, Attitudes and Lifestyles.
Behavioural Segmentation- Finally people are grouped by Usage Rate and Patterns, Price Sensitivity, Brand Loyalty and Benefits Sought.
Examples of Segmentation: An example of demographic segmentation could be the marketing of toothpaste. Marketers design, package and promote the product different to attract different consumers. This is shown in both adults and children toothpaste. There is a complete contrast between the two.
On the right hand side it shows a toothpaste for adults, which is quite normal in shape and colour, it does not stand out and is not eye catching. Whilst the toothpaste on the left is aimed for children. They use bright colours, a funky package design and cartoon characters on the packaging. These two products are made by the same brand but appeal to a different audience. Children enjoy bright colours and cartoon characters, whilst adults are more brand loyal, therefore they will probably buy this brand of toothpaste as they know it is good and will be good for their teeth.
Another good example of demographic marketing based on income is Aldi. This will appeal directly to consumers will low incomes as it is a discount food retailer.
During this advert they compare the price of two different brands of beans, Heinz beans and their own Aldi beans. The children then say which one they prefer. This appeals to a low income person due to the fact that they can save money on beans which are shown as being a similar quality to a leading brand. The main tag line is "Aldi. Like brands. Only cheaper." which will also appeal to a consumer with low income.
"Jamie"
After a marketer has segmented the market based on a customer need, marketers will use profilers which are the descriptive, measurable customers characteristics which is used to segment a group. Profiling means that a brand can create their ideal customer and base their advertising campaigns around what this fictional character wants and does. For example, if Calvin Klein produces a new underwear range for men, targeting young, successful and healthy men. Their profile could be called Jamie. He is a young businessman, working his way to the top of the business, he enjoys swimming, football and the gym in his free time. He wears expensive, tailored suits at work and enjoys sophisticated clubs and bars in London. He has many friends similar to himself, each wear tailored suits and are young businessmen. Therefore the Calvin Klein adverts will be placed in high end magazines, advertisements such as; Posters and Billboards will beseen near public transport located in London. Whilst the television adverts will be shown during Jamie's favourite programmes, such as; Dragon's Den and The apprentice. There will be a launch party for the underwear and Jamie will be invited to this. This fictional character has all the characteristics of the potential target audience of Calvin Klein.
The use of segmenting in marketing is important to a company due to many different factors. Firstly it better matches a customers need, this will help create brand loyalty as the customer will be continuously happy to purchase the product as it is specifically targeted for their needs more than maybe other competitors. This can help gain profits for the business as people are more willing to pay for a product which they believe are more tailored for their needs. It also helps retain customers. Marketers need to identify the fact that consumers are changing continuously, they grow older, form families and change employment. Therefore by marketing products that appeal to customers at specific stages of their life means a business can continue to retain their original customers, and they do not need to switch to a competitor. Finally bigger market shares can be gained through creating a more likable product than the competitors. Segmentation does not mean an increase in market size by the market share of a company can be strengthened by targeting a smaller company in a large market.
An example:
When segmenting a market, it is targeting the 'High End' section of this image. In relation to Clothes Retailers, 'Primark' would be in the 'Mass' section. Whilst 'Dorothy Perkins' could be considered 'Main Stream' and a family clothes shop could be 'High End'. The Family clothes shop is small and has a distinct market, which is those who will pay for high quality, handmade garments, rather than mass produced cheap clothes from 'Primark.'
Targeting is the second stage within the STP process. According to marketingteacher (2011) once the marketer has segmented the market, they will then choose a segment or group of segment and try and 'Target' it or them. This is done by evaluating the segments, usually based on profitability and desirability (eurekafacts). This means each segment will be analysed to conclude if it is a profitable and worthwhile market. Targeting is completed to "select which ones we are best off trying to serve," (consumerpsychologist 2011) and will be good for both the consumer and business. The several factors which help decide which segment to target include:
How are existing segments served by other manufacturers? - This is important as it helps discover which segments are currently be targeted. It is more difficult to appeal to a segment that is continuously being targeted, than one where consumers needs are not being served at all.
Secondly, how large a segment is, and how will it grow? - Due to the fact that certain segments may gain competitors, such as a large, rapidly growing one.
Finally, does a company have strengths which help appeal to a group of consumers? - This could include brand loyalty and also companies already with an established reputation. A good example of this is McDonald's. They are known for fast, convenient, mediocre quality food, therefore it would be more difficult for them to convince consumers that they now offer gourmet, high quality food.
FinallyPositioning, after a marketer has segmented a market, targeted a consumer they would then proceed to position the product within a market. This is done to show how a consumer will rate that certain product/service compared to a competitor. Marketingteacher (2011) explains that positioning is all about perception and this differs from one person to another. To compare and contrast products and services in relation to each other a tool such as a 'Perceptual Map' also known as a 'Positioning Map' can be used. A marketer will use this to decide on a competitive position to distinguish their own products against the competitors. The map below is an example of a perceptual map. This is a simple version of a perceptual map and is based around price and quality on different chocolate bars.
This shows that Twix is labelled as being both Low Quality and Low Price, whilst Belgium Chocolates are shown as being High Price and High Quality. Even though this is very vague, but for the purpose of seeing how a brand compares to another, Perceptual Mapping works. If we used this Map for the "Jamie" Calvin Klein Product, it would be in High Quality and 3/4 of the way in High Price. Whereas compared to Asda 'George' brand, the underwear would be Low Price and Low Quality.
Other Perceptual Maps:
The different labels can be more specific such as; 'Classy,' 'Practical,' etc.
This is used to identify where a brand's particular focus should be on.
Positioning of a product should also involve making a brand stand out against any competitor. A marketer can do this by:
1) Finding an Unoccupied Position, this means creating a product that will provide things that competitors do not. An example of this was when the Dyson Ball came out. This was the first hoover to be able to bend, turn corners and rotate.
2) Reposition the competition, this is used to convince a customer to view their competition in a different way. Recently supermarkets have been using this by explaining that they are 'Cheaper than each other.' This makes people reevaluate the supermarkets that they shops at.
3) Strengthen the current position, this is used to improve a product so that it is shown as being better quality or 'cooler' than the rest. A good example of this is the iPhone, which has been created to be shown as the 'coolest' phone around, it is an improved mobile product. However it also strengthens the current position by re-releasing updated versions. There has been iPhone 3gs, iPhone 4 and a later release in 2011 of the iPhone 5.
4) Head to Head, this is competing directly with brands and products offering similar things. An example of this could be Go Compare and Compare the Market. They are both insurance agencies that compete with promotion for customers.
STP then leads to the 4Ps, Product, Price, Place and Promotion. From this point the product will be sold to the target market and if the STP is executed good, the product should sell efficiently.
In this image, a women is lying down on the grass, it seems as though she is pregnant, however it actually presents the new Volkswagen beetle which is made from the yellow "jumper" of the women. The brain is confused quickly as it tries to make sense of the image. This helps captures a consumer's attention and leads to them becoming curious about what is being sold.
