Because learning changes everything.
CHAPTER 5
The
Communication
Process
© McGraw Hill LLC. All rights reserved. No reproduction or distribution without the prior written consent of McGraw Hill LLC.
Learning Objectives
LO5-1 Describe the communication process and its role in IMC.
LO5-2 Describe the basic model of the communication process.
LO5-3 Discuss the role of word-of-mouth influence, viral
marketing, and influencer marketing.
LO5-4 Analyze receivers' responses to marketing
communications and their implications for promotional
planning and strategy.
LO5-5 Describe the influence of social media on the consumer
decision process.
LO5-6 Discuss consumers' cognitive processing of marketing
communications.
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The Nature of Communication
Communication
• Passing of information.
• Exchange of ideas.
• Process of establishing a commonness of thought between sender
and receiver.
• Success depends on many factors.
• Nature of message, audience’s interpretation, environment, receiver’s
perception of source and medium used to transmit message, etc.
• Language is a major barrier to effective communication.
• Challenging for companies marketing their products abroad.
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Exhibit 5-1
This ad from the
California Milk
Processor Board is
directly targeted to
appeal to
multicultural,
millennial parents.
This “got milk”
campaign uses
Spanish language
ads to appeal to the
market.
© McGraw Hill Source: Rachel Murray/Getty Images 4
Figure 5-1 A Model of the Communication Process
Access the text alternative for slide images.
© McGraw Hill 5
Basic Model of Communication 1
Source Encoding
• Source:
• Person or organization
that has information to
share with another
person or group of
people.
• Encoding: Tennis star Naomi Osaka is a source in this
• Putting thoughts, ad for Citizen watches who reflects the
“Better Start Now” brand statement.
ideas, or information
into symbolic form.
© McGraw Hill Source: Citizen 6
Basic Model of Communication 2
Message
• Contains information or meaning the
source hopes to convey.
• Verbal, nonverbal, oral, written, or
symbolic.
• Marketers must determine content,
structure, and design.
This Coach ad uses only a picture of
Megan Thee Stallion to deliver its
message of joy and optimism found in
a new generation. The image
projected by an ad often
communicates more than words.
© McGraw Hill Source: Coach 7
Basic Model of Communication 3
Channel
• Method by which communication travels between sender and receiver.
• Nonpersonal channel or mass media.
• Lacks direct, interpersonal contact between sender and receiver.
• Includes print and broadcast.
• Personal channels or direct communication between two or more persons.
• Word-of-mouth (WOM): Informal communication among consumers about
products and services or other methods such as social media.
• WOM conversations, Electronic WOM, Online reviews, Engineered WOM.
• Buzz marketing: Generating positive word-of-mouth discussion.
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Basic Model of Communication 5
Channel continued
• Viral marketing: Propagating marketing-relevant messages with the
help of individual consumers.
• Factors affecting success:
• Message characteristics.
• Individual sender or receiver characteristics.
• Social network characteristics.
• Schema Disruption
• Seeding: Identifying and choosing initial group of consumers who will start
spreading the message.
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White & Gold?
Black & Blue?
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Basic Model of Communication 6
Channel continued
• Influencer marketing: Uses social media to leverage the influence of
individuals with a dedicated social media following.
• Social media influencers
• Popular social media personalities.
• Constantly create and disseminate useful, organic content.
• Project authentic personae.
• Curate intimate relationships with a large following.
• Wield influence over the purchasing decision.
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Basic Model of Communication 7
Channel continued
• Integrating word of mouth with IMC.
• Consumers ascribe high credibility to information from others. (Earned
Media)
• Pass-along benefits from consumers talking favorably about a brand.
• Marketers must develop creative advertisements and communication that
trigger conversations and are worthy of sharing.
• Word of Mouth Marketing Association sets rules and guidelines for
marketers.
• Federal Trade Commission requires anyone endorsing a product or
service through social media to disclose if they have a relationship with
company or brand.
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Basic Model of Communication 8
Receiver/Decoding
• Receiver: Person with whom sender shares thoughts or information.
• Decoding: Transforming sender’s message into thought.
• Heavily influenced by receiver’s field of experience:
• Experiences, perceptions, attitudes, and values a person brings to the
communication situation.
• Effective communication requires you to establish common ground.
• Marketers and advertisers often have different fields of experience
than the consumers they are trying to reach.
• People differ in location, education level, social status, age, etc.
• Ageism (other -isms as well) is a major problem in the industry.
(Marvel)
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Basic Model of Communication 9
Noise
• Unplanned distortion in the communication process.
• Errors in the encoding process.
• Distortion in a radio or tv signal.
• Fields of experience of sender and receiver don’t overlap.
Response/Feedback
• Response: Receiver’s set of reactions after seeing, hearing, or
reading the message.
• Feedback: Receiver’s response that is communicated back to the
sender.
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Analyzing the Receiver
Identifying the Target Audience
• Individuals: Specific needs; communication must be specifically
tailored.
• Groups: People who make or influence purchase decision.
• Market niches: Very small, well-defined groups of customers.
• Market segments: Broader classes of buyers who have similar needs
and can be reached with similar messages.
• Mass markets: Large numbers of present or potential customers.
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Figure 5-4 Levels of Audience Aggregation
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The Response Process 1
Traditional Response Hierarchy Models
• AIDA model:
• Stages a buyer passes through in personal selling process, including
attention, interest, desire, and action.
• Innovation adoption model:
• Stages a consumer passes through in adoption process for an innovation,
including awareness, interest, evaluation, trial, and adoption.
• Hierarchy of effects model:
• Stages a consumer passes through in transition from no awareness to
eventual action, including awareness, interest, evaluation, trial, and
adoption.
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Figure 5-5 Hierarchy of Effects Model
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© McGraw Hill 18
The Response Process 2
Alternative Response Hierarchies
• Traditional hierarchy models go through three basic stages:
• Cognitive stage: what receiver knows or perceives about product or brand.
• Affective stage: receiver’s feelings or affect level for brand.
• Behavioral stage: consumer’s action toward brand.
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The Response Process 3
Alternative Response Hierarchies continued
• The standard learning hierarchy.
• Standard learning model: Consumer goes through response process in
sequence depicted by traditional communication models, including learn,
feel, and do.
• Likely when consumer is highly involved (active participant in the
communication) in purchase process and perceives much differentiation
among competing brands.
• Even case-studies work with active participants.
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The Response Process 4
Alternative Response Hierarchies continued
• The low-involvement hierarchy.
• Low-involvement hierarchy: Receiver passes from cognition to behavior
to attitude change, including learn, feel, and do.
• Likely when involvement in the purchase decision is low, there are minimal
differences among brand alternatives, and mass-media advertising is
important.
• Consumer engages in passive learning and random information catching
rather than active information seeking.
• Advertisers use catchy jingles, repeat simple product claims.
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The Response Process 5
Implications of the Response Process Models
• Delineate steps involved in taking potential purchasers from
unawareness to readiness to purchase.
• Identify which stage in hierarchy a potential buyer is in.
• Useful as intermediate measures of communication effectiveness.
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The Response Process 6
Implications of the Response Process Models continued
• Why are these models important? They provide insight into
promotional strategies marketers might pursue in different situations.
• Marketers should analyze:
• Involvement levels and product/service differentiation.
• Consumers’ use of various information sources.
• Consumers’ levels of experience with product or service.
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The Response Process 7
The Social Consumer Decision Journey
• The environment for evaluating brands has changed dramatically.
• Through social networking, consumers can access and retrieve
information, connect with one another, discuss products/services, and
interact with marketers.
• Consumer decision journey framework:
• Four basic stages: Consider, evaluate, buy, and enjoy-advocate-bond.
• Marketers should:
• Target stages in decision journey.
• Consider role of owned media and earned media. (Hint: What is the
POEM model?)
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Figure 5-6 The Social Consumer Decision Journey
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Cognitive Processing of Communications 1
The Cognitive Response Approach
• Cognitive responses:
• Thoughts that occur to individuals while reading, viewing, and/or hearing a
communication.
Access the text alternative for slide images.
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Cognitive Processing of Communications 2
The Cognitive Response Approach continued
• Product/message thoughts.
• Counterarguments:
• Thoughts recipient has that are opposed to the position taken in the
message.
• Relate negatively to message acceptance.
• Support arguments:
• Thoughts recipient has that affirm information or claims the source
hopes to convey.
• Relate positively to message acceptance.
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Exhibit 5-12
Consumers often
generate support
arguments in response to
ads for quality products.
(“Ultra Tide looks like a
really good product—I
think I’ll try it.”)
© McGraw Hill Source: Tide by Procter & Gamble 28
Cognitive Processing of Communications 3
The Cognitive Response Approach continued
• Source-oriented thoughts.
• Source derogations:
• Negative thoughts about spokesperson or organization making
the claims.
• Leads to lower message acceptance.
• Source bolsters:
• Positive thoughts about spokesperson or organization making
the claims.
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Cognitive Processing of Communications 4
The Cognitive Response Approach continued
• Ad execution thoughts.
• Ad execution-related thoughts:
• Contains the information or meaning the source hopes to convey.
• Attitude toward the ad:
• Represents receivers’ feelings of favorability or unfavorability toward
the ad.
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Summarizing the Response Process and the Effects of
Advertising 1
Criticisms of Hierarchy of Effects Models
• Three critical intermediate effects between advertising and purchase:
• Cognition: “thinking” dimension.
• Affect: “feeling” dimension.
• Experience: feedback dimension based on purchasing and usage
outcomes.
• Effects of advertising should be evaluated using these three
dimensions.
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Figure 5-9 Framework for Studying How Advertising Works
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© McGraw Hill 37
Summarizing the Response Process and the Effects of
Advertising 2
Value of Hierarchy of Effects Models
• Despite limitations, hierarchical models do help predict behavior.
• Important to learn as much as possible about target audience and
how it may respond to advertising and other forms of marketing
communication.
© McGraw Hill 38
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