3. Psychological factors influencing advertising

3.1 Overview of factors

At some point consumers are playing role of valuable asset for companies but can be costly to acquire and refrain. Customers’ differences in relationships with enterprises are represented in level of their payments to the company value throughout possession. Indeed scientist and professors proved that companies should invest not to acquire any customer, but the “right” type of customer, and on a line with individual sellers ask themselves what the advertising should be like and how should it affect the customer. Therefore, following issues should be explored: what should the ad be, where, what visual design should be used, what psychological impact should it have on our customer?

Mentioning psychological factors of advertising impact on consumer different views were formed. The classic model of creating any advertising in marketing communication message is the AIDA model (D. Dolak, 2007), which includes attention, interest, desire and action. While according to Ph. Kotler (2003), there are four main psychological processes – motivation, perception, learning and memory (consumer’s attitude). D. Jokubauskas (2007) also attributes the cognitive aspects, i.e. senses, reasoning, language and perception, to the psychological impact of advertising, although the author does not present the hierarchy of these aspects. Therefore based on other authors hierarchical division the cognitive aspect can be separated as follows: first the customer attention is manifested, after the perception follows as understanding, analyzing, including feelings and emotions, reasoning takes place and leads to the final advert assimilation. Afterwards there is a forth statement regarding model of advertising by Keith (2006) – DAGMAR, which distinguishes awareness, comprehension, conviction, action.

Since all models mentioned above determine equal aspects arriving when the customer sees adverts I would like to focus on one of them and explore it in details.

3.1.1. Ph. Kotler’s model of advertising.

Motivation is the inward drive we have to get what we need. In the mid-1900s, Abraham Maslow, an American psychologist, developed the hierarchy of needs. That represents his theory of people fulfilling their basic needs- like the need for sleep, air, food, water- before they are able to fulfill additional, high-level needs. People’s needs can be repeating, like need for food, as we can feel hungry at least 3 times per day, but also there are other needs that tend to be enduring, as need to have shelter, clothes, safety. There are known social-needs that are affected by changes in life-style or getting older. Needs of a teenager are totally different from, for example, needs of senior. At some point successful individual can realize the Maslow’s state of self-actualization: You will believe you have become the person in life that you feel you were meant to be. (J.F.Tanner Jr. and M.A. Raymond)

Professional marketing specialist heed the Maslow’s theory and take the need for people to feel secure and safe.

Perception is interpreting the world around and making sense of it in brain. The process is happening through stimuli affecting different sense- hearing, sight, touch, smell and taste and creates combinations that make differences in comprehension. Using various kinds of stimuli, advertisers try to make people more perceptive to their products whether they need them or not. According to Kalle Lasn (Culture Jam: The Uncooling of America, 1999) the average consumer is exposed to about three thousand advertisements per day, which makes marketing professionals challenge more difficult. Many people are more perceptive to advertisements for products they need. Regarding to M.A. Raymond, there is selective perception which is the process of filtering out information based on how relevant it is to you. It’s been described as a “suit of armor” that helps consumer filter out information he/she doesn’t need. At other times, people forget information, even if it’s quite relevant to them, which is called selective retention. Usually the information contradicts the person’s belief. A longtime chain smoker who forgets much of the information communicated during an antismoking commercial is an example.

To be confident that the consumer receives information without ignoring it repetition method has been effectively used. Or the technique of surprising the stimuli considered as a shock advertising, it startles the consumer aiming to get attention. At the same time subliminal advertising, which is not apparent to consumer but thought to be perceived subconsciously by them, and the opposite of a shock advertising. It presupposes subjected customers to marketing stimuli – messages, photos, ads, etc. – by furtively investing them in movies, ads and other media.

In a positive outcome of expectations consumer is able to change opinion or behavior after receiving information or experience of a product. This process is causing one time purchase of a crummy product. This phenomena is called learning and it doesn’t affect preferences on a certain good or service but the way of purchase. People without experience of a product are tend to think of a purchase and seek out and analyze more information about it more often that people who have used it before. Considering this an important factor companies try to make their customers learn about the product in different ways, which includes free-trial versions and operant conditioning, which occurs as rewarded repetition of behavior.

The last factor enumerated by Ph. Kotler is customer’s attitude. Attitude distinguishes mental positions or emotional feelings people have about products, services, companies, ideas, issues or institutions. (“Dictionary of marketing terms” October 14, 2009) Affectations incline to be continuing, and since they are founded on people’s values and beliefs, they are difficult to adjust. Which doesn’t stop producers from trying, they are aiming to achieve positive rather than negative feelings from people about their offerings.

As аn exаmple, аccording to ICN magazine, a few years ago, KFC begаn running аds to the еffect that friеd chickеn was heаlthy—until the U.S. Fedеral Tradе Commission told the company to stop. Wеndy’s slogаn to the effеct that its products аre “wаy bеttеr thаn fаst food” is аnother exаmple. Fаst food hаs a negаtive connotation, so Wendy’s is trying to get consumers to think аbout its offerings аs being bеttеr.