ASSIGNMENT

Assignment

Assignment

Section 1

The different ways stores and goods are displayed play a great role for the consumer when out shopping. The sales staff can also influence the costumers a great deal in a purchase decision. It is therefore critical for company's to be aware of all the steps the consumers undergo before actually buying a product.

'Perception is the process by which an individual selects stimuli from his or her environment, organizes (sic) information about those stimuli, and interprets the information to form a coherent, meaningful view of the world' (Wells and Prensky, p.257)

So, perception not only occurs when we register a stimulus by one of our five senses but it also relates to the view that that is developed as a result of the stimulus.

However, a person's reaction to stimuli and the perceptions that they form as a result of a stimulus often depends on past experiences and the expectations that they have built up as a result. Police witness reports are often conflicting as two people see the same incident in different ways. In a similar way, two people who see a McDonald's advert may react to it in very different ways but it is up to the marketing manager to try to appeal to as many of the target audience as possible.

If a person has had a good experience with a McDonald's meal then it is likely that they will think of this pleasurable experience when they see something that they associate with McDonald's, for example the 'Golden Arches' logo. This is because of 'classical conditioning', as people have learnt to associate the logo of McDonald's with a pleasurable meal.

If, however, a consumer contracted food poisoning from McDonald's then they would not react to the sight of the McDonald's trademark in the same way: the logo would remind them of their previous negative experience. This is an extension of Pavlov's famous experiment with his salivating dogs, and although it is highly unlikely that anyone would salivate merely at the sight of a the Golden Arches, the theory is ultimately the same.

Marketing managers are well aware of the way the brain subconsciously associates things together and this is why almost every consumer product has a logo, catchphrase or advertising jingle. Through repetition in advertising and the media we have learnt to associate the product with the slogan and so whenever we hear or read the slogan again we think of the product. If at that time we are at a pre-purchase stage for that type of product then we will be more aware of the brand in question and, in theory, more likely to purchase it.

In the question that was set, four stages of the consumption process were given, the first being 'search'. However, this assumes that the consumer has already decided that they want the product, and it is up to the marketers to convince the consumer to choose their particular brand or product over a competitors. I think that it could be said that a function of a ...