Lectures - Tentamenstof Marketing Communication
Lecture 1 - Effective Marketing Communication
The seven hurdles = multiple psychological challenges advertisers need to consider when
trying to influence consumers
1. How consumers acquire and process information from advertising
2. How advertising affects consumers memory
3. How to target attitudes, the “forgotten” effectiveness indicator
4. How consumers yield to advertising (persuasion)
5. How to bridge the intention-behavior gap
6. How to nudge consumer behavior change
7. How to persuade the online consumer
Advertising = any form of paid communication by a (non-)identified sponsor aimed at
informing and/or persuading a target audience about an organization, product, service or
idea
Consumer responses to advertising (ABC) = three types; occur independently or together
1. Cognitive responses = thought-related responses
→ beliefs, evaluations, inferences, awareness, preferences, attitudes
2. Affective responses = emotion-related responses
→ feelings about the brand, moods and emotional reactions
3. Behavioral responses = actual actions towards the brand
→ trial and habit/repeat purchase, usage, disposal
→ hierarchy-of-effects = advertising influences consumers in a sequence: first thinking
(cognitive), then feeling (affective), then acting (behavior)
Advertising appeals Advertising functions Advertising strategies
1. Informational/ 1. To inform = changing non 1. Alpha strategies =
Argument-based = focus on evaluative consumer increase attractiveness and
rational arguments and responses approach motivation (eg
information (product → knowledge and beliefs improving product image,
features or benefits, about a product emphasizing benefits,
comparisons or evidence) 2. To persuade (!) = change emotional storytelling,
2. Affect-based/Emotional evaluative consumer appealing design)
appeal = using responses and preferences 2. Omega strategies =
affect/emotion to create reduce resistance or
feelings associated with the avoidance motivation →
brand (storytelling, imagery, remove barriers to buying
music, emotional narratives) (eg free trials, discounts,
simplifying decisions)
, Hurdle 1: How consumers acquire and process information from
advertising
Information processing model (McGuire) = hierarchy-of-effect model assuming that
persuasive communication is processed through different stages
→ level of processing depends on consumer involvement/degree of motivation to process
information
1. Preattentive analysis = unconscious/automatic exposure
→ important stage for ad placement strategies, brand visibility and repeated exposure
2. Focal attention = consciously noticing the advertisement
- Voluntary attention = deliberate, goal-directed; consumers actively focus on
the ad (eg searching for information about a product)
- Involuntary attention = stimulus driven; consumers are seduced by the
stimulus (eg a surprising/emotional advertisement)
3. Comprehension = interpreting and understanding the message
→ Truth effect = people’s tendency to initially and uncritically accept information,
even when certain elements are not fully comprehended.
→ people are more likely to believe information when: it is repeated, they are not
fully attentive, and they have limited cognitive resources
4. Elaborative reasoning = deep thinking and evaluation
→ Inference making = linking new advertising information with existing brand
knowledge stored in memory
Hemispheric lateralization = different brain hemispheres process different types of
information
1. Left side = text processing → place text on right side
2. Right side = picture processing → place visuals on left side
Factors triggering involuntary attention
1. Salience = extent to which a stimulus stands out from its environment (eg bright
colors, unusual shapes, contrast with surroundings)
2. Vividness = extent to which information is emotionally interesting, concrete, image
provoking, vivid (eg storytelling, dramatic imagery, emotional scenes)
3. Novelty = extent to which information is new/unexpected → often occurs when
information violates consumer expectations (eg surprising advertisements formats,
unexpected humor)
Lecture 1 - Effective Marketing Communication
The seven hurdles = multiple psychological challenges advertisers need to consider when
trying to influence consumers
1. How consumers acquire and process information from advertising
2. How advertising affects consumers memory
3. How to target attitudes, the “forgotten” effectiveness indicator
4. How consumers yield to advertising (persuasion)
5. How to bridge the intention-behavior gap
6. How to nudge consumer behavior change
7. How to persuade the online consumer
Advertising = any form of paid communication by a (non-)identified sponsor aimed at
informing and/or persuading a target audience about an organization, product, service or
idea
Consumer responses to advertising (ABC) = three types; occur independently or together
1. Cognitive responses = thought-related responses
→ beliefs, evaluations, inferences, awareness, preferences, attitudes
2. Affective responses = emotion-related responses
→ feelings about the brand, moods and emotional reactions
3. Behavioral responses = actual actions towards the brand
→ trial and habit/repeat purchase, usage, disposal
→ hierarchy-of-effects = advertising influences consumers in a sequence: first thinking
(cognitive), then feeling (affective), then acting (behavior)
Advertising appeals Advertising functions Advertising strategies
1. Informational/ 1. To inform = changing non 1. Alpha strategies =
Argument-based = focus on evaluative consumer increase attractiveness and
rational arguments and responses approach motivation (eg
information (product → knowledge and beliefs improving product image,
features or benefits, about a product emphasizing benefits,
comparisons or evidence) 2. To persuade (!) = change emotional storytelling,
2. Affect-based/Emotional evaluative consumer appealing design)
appeal = using responses and preferences 2. Omega strategies =
affect/emotion to create reduce resistance or
feelings associated with the avoidance motivation →
brand (storytelling, imagery, remove barriers to buying
music, emotional narratives) (eg free trials, discounts,
simplifying decisions)
, Hurdle 1: How consumers acquire and process information from
advertising
Information processing model (McGuire) = hierarchy-of-effect model assuming that
persuasive communication is processed through different stages
→ level of processing depends on consumer involvement/degree of motivation to process
information
1. Preattentive analysis = unconscious/automatic exposure
→ important stage for ad placement strategies, brand visibility and repeated exposure
2. Focal attention = consciously noticing the advertisement
- Voluntary attention = deliberate, goal-directed; consumers actively focus on
the ad (eg searching for information about a product)
- Involuntary attention = stimulus driven; consumers are seduced by the
stimulus (eg a surprising/emotional advertisement)
3. Comprehension = interpreting and understanding the message
→ Truth effect = people’s tendency to initially and uncritically accept information,
even when certain elements are not fully comprehended.
→ people are more likely to believe information when: it is repeated, they are not
fully attentive, and they have limited cognitive resources
4. Elaborative reasoning = deep thinking and evaluation
→ Inference making = linking new advertising information with existing brand
knowledge stored in memory
Hemispheric lateralization = different brain hemispheres process different types of
information
1. Left side = text processing → place text on right side
2. Right side = picture processing → place visuals on left side
Factors triggering involuntary attention
1. Salience = extent to which a stimulus stands out from its environment (eg bright
colors, unusual shapes, contrast with surroundings)
2. Vividness = extent to which information is emotionally interesting, concrete, image
provoking, vivid (eg storytelling, dramatic imagery, emotional scenes)
3. Novelty = extent to which information is new/unexpected → often occurs when
information violates consumer expectations (eg surprising advertisements formats,
unexpected humor)
