Chapter 2:
The communication process
1
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
• After studying this chapter, you should be able to understand and explain:
1
2
3
4
2
How the elements of the communication process transfer meaning from the sender to the receiver.
The nature of meaning in marketing communication using a perspective known as semiotics.
How marketing communicators use the three forms of figurative language, (simile, metaphor and allegory).
The basic features of the two models of consumer behaviour: the consumer processing model (CPM) and the hedonic, experiential model (HEM).
ELEMENTS IN THE
COMMUNICATION PROCESS
3
MARKETING COMMUNICATIONS
AND MEANING
• Semiotics is:
– the study of signs
– the analysis of meaning-producing events. 4
THE NATURE OF SIGNS
• A sign:
– is something physical and perceivable that signifies something (the referent) to somebody (the interpreter) in some context – means different things to different people at different times and in different contexts and is subject to change over time. 5
MEANING
• Meaning is:
– the perceptions (thoughts) and affective reactions (feelings) to stimuli evoked within a person when presented with a sign (e.g. a brand name) in a particular context. 6
MEANING TRANSFER: CULTURE
TO OBJECT TO CONSUMER
• Marketing communicators draw meaning from the culturally constituted world and transfer it to products and service.
• When exposed to an ad, a consumer draws information from it while actively assigning meaning to the advertised brand.
7
SYMBOLS AND FIGURATIVE
LANGUAGE IN MARKETING
COMMUNICATIONS
• A symbol relation is formed when an object (brand) becomes a symbol of something else (referent).
• Simile
– uses comparative terms, such as like or as, to join items from different classes of experience
– e.g. ‘like sands through an hourglass, so are the days of our lives’.
8
SYMBOLS AND FIGURATIVE
LANGUAGE IN MARKETING
COMMUNICATIONS (CONT.)
• Metaphor
– differs from simile in that the comparative term (e.g. as or like) is omitted
– creates a picture in the consumer’s mind and taps into meaning shared by the advertiser and the consumer
– e.g. Weetbix is ‘the breakfast of champions’.
9
SYMBOLS AND FIGURATIVE
LANGUAGE IN MARKETING
COMMUNICATIONS (CONT.)
• Allegory
– is a form of extended metaphor
– conveys meaning in a story-beneath-astory, in which something other than what is literally represented is also occurring.
10
SYMBOLS AND FIGURATIVE
LANGUAGE IN MARKETING
COMMUNICATIONS (CONT.)
• Personification
– is often used to advertise potentially offensive and mundane products
– e.g. the Michelin Man personifies wellconstructed vehicle tyres.
11
BEHAVIOURAL FOUNDATIONS OF
MARKETING COMMUNICATIONS
• Behavioural foundations are based on the ways consumers:
– process and respond to marketing communications stimuli
– make choices among brands.
12
BEHAVIOURAL FOUNDATIONS OF
MARKETING COMMUNICATIONS
• Consumer behaviour is too complex and diverse to be explained by two extreme models.
• Models instead offer two bipolar extremes that anchor a continuum of possible behaviours.
13
BEHAVIOURAL FOUNDATIONS OF
MARKETING COMMUNICATIONS
14
Consumer processing model (CPM)
Hedonic, experiential model (HEM)
• Behaviour is based on pure reason and is seen as rational, cognitive, systematic and reasoned. • Behaviour is based on pure feelings and is seen as passionate, spontaneous and irrational. THE 8 STAGES OF CONSUMER
INFORMATION PROCESSING
4
Agreement with comprehended information
1
2
3
Exposure to information Selective attention Comprehension of attended information 5
6
7
8
Retention of accepted information
Retrieval of
Decision making from alternatives Action taken on the basis of the decision 15
information from memory
CONSUMER INFORMATION
PROCESSING
STAGE 1: EXPOSURE TO INFORMATION
• Exposure occurs when consumers come in contact with the marketer’s message.
• Gaining exposure is essential but won’t ensure communication success.
•