Chapter - 5

Through this chapter we will get an understanding of the following topics in IMC :
1. To understand the basic elements of the communication process and the role of communications in marketing.
2. To examine various models of the communication process.
3. To analyze the response processes of receivers of marketing communications, including alternative response hierarchies and their implications for promotional planning and strategy.
4. To examine the nature of consumers’ cognitive processing of marketing communications.

Understanding the elements of the Communication Process 

Communication has been variously defined as the passing of information, the exchange of ideas, or
the process of establishing a commonness or oneness of thought between a sender and a receiver.1 These definitions suggest that for communication to occur, there must be some common thinking between two parties and information must be passed from one person to another (or from one group to
another). As you will see in this chapter, establishing this commonality in thinking is not always as easy as it might seem; many attempts to communicate are unsuccessful.The sender might have send the message with a particular idea in mind  but through the entire communication process , the essence of the message may be lost due to unavoidable noise and clutter and the receiver interprets the message completely different from the sender.Let us visualize the situation through the following diagram.

Model of the Communication Process

We see from the above illustration the impact of Noise which can distort the message content being sent from the Sender to the Receiver.Hence, it is essential that the Source is  continuously receiving the Feedback from the Receiver and making the necessary corrections for achieving the desired response.

To better understand the message, marketers use the symbolic meaning that might be conveyed in a communication. Advertising and marketing researchers have begun focusing attention on semiotics,
which studies the nature of meaning and asks how our reality—words, gestures, myths,
signs, symbols, products/services, theories—acquire meaning .Consumer researcher Michael Solomon notes: “From a semiotic perspective, every marketing message has three basic components: an object, a sign or symbol and an interpretant. The object is the product that is the focus of the message (e.g., Marlboro cigarettes). The sign is the sensory imagery that represents the intended meanings of the
object (e.g., the Marlboro cowboy). The interpretant is the meaning derived (e.g., rugged, individualistic, American).”

A note on Channel

Personal channel - Communication which is direct interpersonal (face-to-face) contact with target individuals or groups. Salespeople serve as personal channels of communication when they deliver their sales message to a buyer or potential customer. Social channels of communication such as friends, neighbors, associates, co-workers, or family members are also personal channels. They often represent word-of-mouth communication which is a powerful tool for communication.

Nonpersonal channels of Communication - Communication that carry a message without interpersonal contact between sender and receiver. Nonpersonal channels are generally referred to as the mass media or mass communications, since the message is sent to many individuals at one time.For eg, TV , Radio and the likes are mass media of communicating.

An important element in the entire communication process is NOISE which is  an extraneous factor that can distort or interfere with the message reception.Noise may also occur because the fields of experience of the sender and receiver don’t overlap. Lack of common ground may result in improper encoding of the message— using a sign, symbol, or words that are unfamiliar or have different meaning to the receiver

Identifying the Target Audience

When designing the marketing communication process, identification of the target audience is very important since it will determine the promotional program and the associated budget planning.The audience could we as wide as the Mass Market or Selected group of Audience as shown in the below diagram.

Levels of Audience Aggregation

However , no matter who and what scale our target audience is , there is guarantee that the information will will be attended to, processed, comprehended,or stored in memory for later retrieval. Even if the advertising message is processed, it may not interest consumers or may be misinterpreted by them. Studies by
Jacob Jacoby and Wayne D. Hoyer have shown that nearly 20 percent of all print ads and even more TV commercials are mis-comprehended by readers.This is where the marketer needs to understand the Response Process which the Receiver may go through in moving toward a specific behaviour and how a promotional effort of the marketer influence consumer response.

The Traditional Response Hierarchy Models have been developed to to depict the stages a consumer may pass through in moving from a state of not being aware of a company, product, or brand to actual purchase behavior as shown in the below diagram.

Response Process Models

These models AIDA, Hierarchy of effects model etc, all are similar in the sense they relate to the three stages involved in the consumer buying process - Cognitive, Affective and Behavorial.The step begins with Attention which has to be translated to Conviction and finally leads to Purchase. An experential marketing or Trial stage can be created as in Innovation Adoption Model 

Free Refill Pack for All Out Mosquito liquid Repellant

As evident from the above advertisement, the company is aiming to push the sales of repellant by providing a free refill pack with every purchase to ensure a Repeat Purchase.

Alternate Response Hierarchies Model

This model has been designed based on perceived product differentiation and product involvement and are classified as :

1. The Standard Learning Heirarchy
2. The Dissonance/Attribution Heirarchy
3. The Low-Involvement Heirarchy

The Standard Learning Heirarchy consists of a Learn->Feel->Do sequence where information acquired about various brands acts as the premise for developing of effects and feelings that guide what the consumer will do.This happens when there is high involvement and much differentiation occurs across the brands.

Alternate Response Heirarchies

A second response hierarchy Dissoance/Attribution Heirarchy proposed by Ray involves situations where consumers first behave, then develop attitudes or feelings as a result of that behavior, and then learn or process information that supports the behavior. This dissonance/attribution model, or do →feel→learn, occurs in situations where consumers must choose between two alternatives that are similar in quality but are complex and may have hidden or unknown attributes.

The Low-Involvement Hierarchy Perhaps the most intriguing of the three response hierarchies proposed by Ray is the low-involvement hierarchy, in which the receiver is viewed as passing from cognition to behavior to attitude change. This learn → do → feel sequence is thought to characterize situations of low consumer involvement in the purchase process. Ray suggests this hierarchy tends to occur when involvement in the purchase decision is low, there are minimal differences among brand alternatives, and mass-media (especially broadcast) advertising is important.

Implications of the Alternative Response Models

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.However none of these models can assure a perfect mechanism to study the consumer response mechanism and predict the response to the next stimuli.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.

The Cognitive Response Approach is one of the most widely used methods for examining consumer's cognitive processing of advertising messages is assessment of their cognitive responses, the thoughts that

occur to them while reading, viewing, and/or hearing a communication.

Model of Cognitive Response

Product/Message Thoughts :  The first category of thoughts comprises those directed at the product or service and/or the claims being made in the communication. Much attention has focused on two particular types of responses, counterarguments and support arguments. Counterarguments are thoughts the recipient has that are opposed to the position taken in the message.Other consumers who see this ad may generate support arguments, or thoughts that affirm the claims made in the message.The first recipient will question the credibility of the message and outrightly reject it whereas the other consumer will be enthusiastic about experimenting with the product.

Source-Oriented Thoughts : A second category of cognitive responses is directed at the source of the communication. One of the most important types of responses in this category is source derogations, or negative thoughts about the spokesperson or organization making the claims. Such thoughts generally lead to a reduction in message acceptance. If consumers find a particular spokesperson annoying

or untrustworthy, they are less likely to accept what this source has to say.

Ad Execution Thoughts: Many of the thoughts receivers have when reading or viewing an ad do not concern the product and/or message claims directly. Rather, they are affective reactions representing the

consumer’s feelings toward the ad. These thoughts may include reactions to ad execution factors such as the creativity of the ad, the quality of the visual effects, colors, and voice tones. Ad execution-related thoughts can be either favorable or unfavorable. They are important because of their effect on attitudes toward the advertisement as well as the brand.

The Elaboration Likelihood Model

The Elaboration Likelihood Model focuses on understanding the Recipients psychology and then deciding whether to go by the Central route or Peripheral route.The ELM shows that elaboration likelihood is a function of two elements, motivation and ability to process the message. Motivation to process the message depends on such factors as involvement, personal relevance, and individuals’ needs and arousal

levels. Ability depends on the individual’s knowledge, intellectual capacity, and opportunity to process the message. For example, an individual viewing a humorous commercial or one containing an attractive model may be distracted from processing the information about the product. If the consumer has less ability and less motivation for processing the information then they will not spend enough attention to the message and look for peripheral benefits of the advertisement which needs to be present in the advertisement.

Elaboration Likelihood Model

Implications of ELM - With respect to involvement , ELM has important implications for marketing communications.For example, if the involvement level of consumers in the target audience is high, an

ad or sales presentation should contain strong arguments that are difficult for the message recipient to refute or counterargue. If the involvement level of the target audience is low, peripheral cues may

be more important than detailed message arguments. An interesting test of the ELM showed that the effectiveness of a celebrity endorser in an ad depends on the receiver's involvement level.When involvement was low, a celebrity endorser had a significant effect on attitudes. When the receiver’s involvement was high, however, the use of a celebrity had no effect on brand attitudes; the

quality of the arguments used in the ad was more important.

 To sum up, the those responsible for planning the IMC program should learn as much as

possible about their target audience and how it may respond to advertising and other forms of

marketing communications.