Ever wonder what it is that motivates you to purchase the products and/or services that you do? For a long time now, businesses and marketing teams have had a difficult task in creating communication messages that will serve their purpose. Let’s face it, consumers do not always comprehend the idea of the marketing message being promoted to them, so why is that?
Why is it?
There are several factors that contribute towards the comprehension, or the way people cognitively assign meaning to things they encounter, of consumers and purchasing decisions. The first factor would be the internal factors within consumers that influence the comprehension process. So for example, if one lives a lavish lifestyle then they would not be prone to purchasing the older Apple iPhone 4S, instead they would purchase the iPhone 6.
Secondly, comprehension could also be due to the signal theory, which states that communications provide information in ways beyond the explicit or obvious content. In other words, consumers are not always in-tune with the messages! meaning they do not always get it; although they will act on what they do get. For example, Home Depot offers “competitor price match” on their items hoping that consumers will capture the signal that prices are at a low. With that in mind, is that what you captured from the signal of a “competitor price match?”
Last but not least, the characteristics of a message affect consumer learning significantly. Below is a breakdown:
Examples of physical characteristics:
- intensity– The greater the movement, the larger the picture, or the louder the sound the most likely a consumer will comprehend the message. For example,when you see a shelve at a store with a sign including large numbers, it usually implies low prices.
- Color– It will affect the probability of gaining consumer’s attention. For example, cooler colors are associated with higher quality, while warm colors get attention but are perceived as lower quality.
Simplicity-complex:
- The simpler the message is, the more likely a consumer will be prone to comprehend the meaning/intention of the message. See the Heinz advertisement below!
Message congruity:
- The extent to which a message is internally consistent and fits surrounding information. In other words, if the content within the message is congruent with the actual message, it will lead to improved comprehension.
So what?!
So, the big question pops up, why does it matter if us as consumers comprehend messages being sent out by businesses? well simply put it this way, if you had friends coming over and they saw your home for the first time, what would they comprehend about you? how are you branding yourself?
Now, apply that from a business perspective. When an individual walks into a retail store, the retail store hopes that the consumer will perceive a high comprehension of what the store represents, or what the retail brand means. Every single business out there based on their atmosphere sends out strong signals signifying the meaning of the brand. According to the atmospheric message that the store creates, the consumer will create a positive or negative comprehension of the brand. With that being said, when consumers accurately comprehend the brands message it implies that the brand is sending out comprehensive messages, meaning that the brand is in good shape from a marketing perspective.
The Consumer Biz World 