Consumer Behavior
and E-Commerce
MKTG 417
Knowledge, Involvement,
Attention and Comprehension
Chapters 4-5
Eat Popcorn!
COGNITIVE
PROCESSES
Environment
Interpretation
(Attention & Comprehension)
New Knowledge
Integrate Information
(To Form Attitudes, Intentions,
and Choices Among Options)
Consumer Behavior
Memory
(Stored
Knowledge)
Attention
How do marketers
get our attention?
Attention
•
•
Three Key Characteristics
• Is Selective
• Can Be Divided
• Is Limited
To stand out from the sea of marketing stimuli:
• Make stimuli personally relevant
• Appeal to target’s values, goals, needs, or interests
• Use sources that are similar to the target
• Use Pleasant Stimuli
• Attractive models, music, humor
• Make stimuli surprising
• Create “unexpected” stimuli
• Use a puzzle that consumers must solve
• Make stimuli easy to process
• Prominent, concrete, contrasting, and simple (not cluttered)
• Keep it fresh (to avoid “habituation”, aka the wear out effect)
Play 
Are these ads effective?
If so, why?
COGNITIVE
PROCESSES
Environment
Interpretation
(Attention & Comprehension)
New Knowledge
Integrate Information
(To Form Attitudes, Intentions,
and Choices Among Options)
Consumer Behavior
Memory
(Stored
Knowledge)
Associative Network
Accessibility of Knowledge Structures
• Priming
• Temporary activation of an “associative network”
which influences interpretation, encoding, decision-
making, behavior
• Chronic Accessibility
• Constructs which are almost always highly accessible
(e.g., based on individual differences)
Focus on Research
Can We Process Information
Beyond Conscious Awareness?
And can this impact consumers?
A Fascinating Study on PRIMING
James Vicary &
Movie Theater Manipulation?
Drink Coke!
Eat Popcorn!
Karremans et al. (2006, JESP)
Priming Method
500 milliseconds
XXXXX
“Orienting Stimulus”
Prior to Each Set of Bs
23 milliseconds!
Lipton Ice
“Lipton Ice” or
“Npeic Tol” Prime
500 milliseconds
XXXXX
“Orienting Stimulus”
Prior to Each Set of Bs
300 milliseconds
BBbBBB
5 trials: how many ‘b’?
25 total trials of B strings
XXXXX
Lipton Ice
XXXXX
BBbBBB
Also rated
Intention to drink
Coke and Spa Rood
Karremans et al. (2006, JESP, Study 1)
Priming Preference for Lipton Ice Tea
(vs. Spa Rood)
Karremans et al. – Study 2
“Moderation”
Under What Conditions is A Relationship Stronger?
Lipton Ice Prime
Condition
Thirst
Self-Reported (Study 1)
Experimentally-Manipulated (Study 2)
Lipton Ice
Intentions
Conclusion?
Vicary’s Claim Was a Hoax
BUT…
It Appears He Was Right
(Under Certain Circumstances)
We Can’t Create Desire Subliminally
But if Desire is Present, We Can
Influence Which Product is Chosen
Another Examples of Priming
What’s With those Frog Wines?
Labroo et al. (2007, JCR)
Semantic Priming & Perceptual Fluency
Experiment 1
Think about:
Then shown:
Frog or
Frog Wine &
Control Wine for
Control Word
16 milliseconds or
3 seconds
Select
Preferred
Wine
Out of 8
Test Trials
Labroo et al. (2007, JCR)
Semantic Priming & Perceptual Fluency
Experiment 3
Circle Words:
Then shown:
Related to Dogs
Shampoo
With or
Without
Picture of a dog
Or Control Words
Rate how easy
It was to process product
And liking of product
“Mediation”
Why Semantic Priming
Improves Product Evaluation
Condition
(controls vs.
experimental)
Processing
Fluency
Product
Evaluation
Conclusion?
Words (like frog) can semantically
prime consumers to process
marketing stimuli more easily
(i.e., fluently) and this feeling of
fluency results in more favorable
product evaluations
Another Interesting Study
Does Art Impact
Perceptions of Luxury?
Hagtvedt & Patrick (2008, JMR, Study 1)
The Art Infusion Effect
The Product
Product
Evaluation:
Mean = 5.41
Product
Evaluation:
Mean = 4.47
Mediation:
Why Art Increases Product Evaluation
Presence
of Art
Perceptions
of Luxury
Product
Evaluation
Conclusion?
Art leads to a perception
that a product is luxurious
and perceptions of luxury
enhance product evaluations
Time to bring in Van Gogh!