NAME: ONIWON MOROLAKE | REGISTRATION NUMBER: P19DLBA80583
Consumer response refers to the positive or negative feedback which an organisation receives
about its products, services or business ethics. Every effective marketer/marketing manager
must also know how his/her target market is likely to respond to various sources of
communication or different types of messages. The marketer must understand consumer
responses and the response process which a customer may go through in progressing towards
a specific behavior, such as buying a product. Also, the marketer must know how the
organisation’s promotional efforts influence consumer responses. According to Belch (2001),
consumer response can range from non-observable actions such as storing information in
memory to observable actions such as actual product purchase
Consumer reactions and behaviour to the promotional efforts can be explained using Response
Hierarchy Models. There are a number of Response Hierarchy Models that depict consumer
response stages, which span across three stages of awareness – Cognitive (Thinking) Stage,
Affective Stage (Feeling), and Behavioural (Conative) Stage. The following four are the best
known models.
1. THE AIDA MODEL
The AIDA model is one of the most established models amongst all the Response Hierarchy
Models and it explains that there are the four stages that customers go through when they are
exposed to an advertisement. AIDA stands for Attention, Interest, Desire, and Action. The
AIDA Model suggests that the most important function of any promotional effort is to
ATTRACT customers using pictures, color, sound, style, scale, interesting tag lines, and
celebrities. Once the promotional effort grabs attention, it must the hold consumer’s
INTEREST towards the product. Thereafter, the promotional effort must establish DESIRE
in the consumer's mind to use the product. This can be created by establishing an emotional
bond with the customer or highlighting product benefits. Finally, the consumer must be
encouraged to take a favorable ACTION to satiate his/her desire. In this model, the Attention
occurs in the Cognitive stage, Interest and Desire occur in the Affective Stage and Action is
the Behavioural/Conative Stage.
2. THE HIERARCHY-OF-EFFECTS MODEL
The Hierarchy-of-Effects model was created by Robert J. Lavidge and Gary A. Steiner in their
1961 article A Model for Predictive Measurements of Advertising Effectiveness and suggests
that consumers progress towards a purchase behavior through a sequential six- step process as
they are exposed to advertisements. The steps are AWARENESS, KNOWLEDGE, LIKING,
PREFERENCE, CONVICTION and PURCHASE. This model suggests that marketers must
recognize the stage at which the consumer is and take actions to emphasize and satisfy
consumer needs according to the stage they are in. An effective marketer is to prompt the
customer to endure all the six stages According to this Model, Awareness and Knowledge of
the product/service happens in the Cognitive Stage, Liking, Preference and Conviction occur
in the Affective Stage where the customer develops a liking for the product, prefers the product
and makes up his/her mind to buy the product/service. The final Behavioural Stage is where
the customer purchases the product.
3. THE INNOVATION-ADOPTION MODEL
The Innovation-Adoption Model was developed by Rogers in 1995 and represents stages that
a consumer must pass through in adopting a new product. This model is based on the diffusion
of innovations. According to this model, a target customer passes through five stages from
incognizance to purchase. The 5 stages are AWARENESS, INTEREST, EVALUATION,
TRIAL, and ADOPTION. This model encourages trial by using demonstration or sampling
programs or allowing the consumer to use the product or service with the minimum
commitment. According to the model, where organisations may experience the main challenge
is in creating awareness and interest among its consumers and encouraging them to evaluate
the product favorably. Here, Awareness is the Cognitive Stage, Interest and Evaluation occur
at the Affective Stage and Trial and Adoption occur at the Behavioural/Cognitive Stage.
4. The INFORMATION-PROCESSING MODEL of advertising effects was developed
by William McGuire. Cognitive psychologists use this structure to describe mental
processes. The human thought process is linked to computer functions in this model. It
means that the human mind, like a machine, takes in information, organizes it, and
stores it for later retrieval. This model assumes the receiver in a persuasive
communication situation like advertising is an information processor or problem solver.
This stage is important since most promotional campaigns are designed not to motivate
consumers to take immediate action but rather to provide information they will use later
when making a purchase decision. Here, the consumer goes through the following
stages: PRESENTATION, ATTENTION, COMPREHENSION, (Cognitive Stages),
YIELDING, RETENTION (Affective Stages) and BEHAVIOR.
REFERENCES
Belch (2001). Advertising and Promotion – An Integrated Marketing Communications
Perspective, 5th ed., McGraw-Hill, New York
Hassan A Z et al. (n.d). BUAD 828: Marketing Management and Strategy. Nigeria: Ahmadu
Bello University (ABU) Zaria.