*****Use Key Terms physiological measures, attitudinal measures, day-after recall tests
Here; Use Review and Discussion Question #7.11 and #7.12 Here *****
REVIEW AND DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
7.1 Explain the differences between feedback from interpersonal communications and
feedback from impersonal communications. How can the marketer obtain and use each
kind of feedback?
Interpersonal communication enables the sender to obtain immediate feedback. In personal
selling situations, for example, the salesperson can obtain immediate verbal and nonverbal
reactions from the prospect, which enable him or her to modify, repeat, or explain in greater
7.2 List and discuss the effects of psychological noise on the communications process. What
strategies can a marketer use to overcome psychological noise?
Psychological noise refers to issues such as competing advertising messages or distracting
thoughts. Most consumers are bombarded daily with more messages than any one person
could possibly comprehend; this clutter of competing commercial messages constitutes
7.3 Discuss the strategic differences between traditional media channels and new media.
New media is considered alternative or non-traditional media while mass media uses
traditional avenues for advertisements such as newspapers, billboards, radio, television and
magazines.
7.4 Compare broadcasting and narrowcasting and explain why marketers are moving away
from using broadcasting and into narrowcasting and addressable marketing.
Advertisers are unhappy with the current broadcast media because they are reaching
increasingly smaller and more fragmented audiences and getting fewer “eyeballs” for the
money spend for TV ads. Advertisers prefer the advantages gained via a narrowcast model.
7.5 How can marketers construct and transmit addressable ads? Illustrate with a
promotion of a product or service of your choice.
Addressable advertising consists of customized messages sent to particular consumers. These
messages are based mostly on the consumers’ prior shopping behavior, which marketers have
observed and analyzed. Some of this data comes from data aggregators that use data from
7.6 Should marketers use more verbal copy than artwork in print ads? Explain your
answer.
In general, the answer is no. A picture is worth a thousand words, and verbal information is
more effective at communicating when it is accompanied by images. Consumers are more
7.7 For what kinds of audiences would you consider using comparative advertising? Why?
Comparative advertising should be used if the audience is critical or unfriendly (e.g., if it
uses competitive products), if it is well educated, or if it is likely to hear opposing product
claims from competing marketers. A friendly audience (e.g., one which uses the advertiser’s
7.8 What are the advantages and disadvantages of using humor in advertising?
Some key findings related to the use of humor in advertising include:
2. Humor does not harm the comprehension of ads, and, in some cases, it actually aids
comprehension. (advantage)
3. Humor does not always increase an ad’s persuasive impact or a source’s credibility. For
5. Humor is more effective in ads for existing products than in ads for new products, and
6. Using humor is more appropriate for advertising low-involvement than high-involvement
products. (advantage or disadvantage, depending on consumers’ involvement with product)
8. The impact of humor is related to the receiver’s personality. For example, higher sensation
seekers were found to be more receptive to humorous appeals than lower sensation seekers.
(advantage or disadvantage, depending on personality of receivers)
7.9 Why and how must marketers use fear appeals in advertising cautiously? How can
they do so?
7.10 Do sexual appeals work better than other appeals? Explain your answer and
illustrate with examples.
Sexual themes have attention-getting value, but studies show that they rarely encourage
actual consumption behavior and are only effective with sex-related products. Often, sexual
advertising appeals detract consumers from the message content and tend to interfere with
7.11 How is communications feedback related to measurement of persuasion and sales
effects?
Because marketing communications are usually designed to persuade a target audience to act
in a desired way (e.g., to purchase a specific brand or product, to vote for a specific
candidate), their ultimate test is the receiver’s response. Communication feedback is an
7.12 A marketer of a new car model launched with commercials during the Super Bowl
intends to use attitudinal measures, as well as day-after recall tests, to estimate the
commercials’ effectiveness. How should the company do so?
Attitudinal measures gauge consumers’ cognitive responses to messages, including their
levels of engagement and involvement with the messages tested. Semantic differential and
HANDS-ON ASSIGNMENTS
7.13 Find two print advertisements – one illustrating a one-sided message and the other a
two-sided message. Which of the measures discussed in the chapter would you use to
evaluate the effectiveness of each ad? Explain your answers.
Instructor’s Discussion
A one-sided (or supportive) message is often used with audiences who are friendly (e.g., who
are brand loyal to the product being advertised), who are not highly educated, and who are
not likely to hear negative comments about the product. Two-sided (or refutation) messages
7.14 Find print ads using each of the following advertising appeals: fear, sex and humor.
Discuss their effectiveness and persuasive value in class.
Instructor’s Discussion
Students’ analyses will vary widely. There should be some gender differences in perceptions.
This may be an opportunity to help each gender understand how the other perceives
7.15 Watch an hour-long TV program and its commercials, without writing any notes. A
day later, list all the commercials you can recall seeing. For each commercial, identify
(a) the message framing approach used and (b) whether the message was one-sided or
two-sided. Discuss the information you remembered in the context of selective exposure
and psychological noise.
Instructor’s Discussion
This exercise is designed to illustrate the effect of message framing and one-sided versus
S.T.A.R. PROJECTS
Ethical Issues in Consumer Behavior
S.T.A.R. Project #1
One of the most important aspects of consumer communication, whether it is impersonal or
interpersonal, is that it be built on an ethical pillar. Company after company in the early twenty–
first century faced ethical dilemmas with respect to public communications and disclosures.
Some fared well with their dilemmas and some did not. Worldcom, Andersen, Enron, Dynegy,
and Bridgestone-Firestone were among those that faced their communication and ethics
problems poorly. To learn more about these classic difficulties visit the Colorado State
University E-business Ethics Center Web site at www.e-businessethics.com. Once there, observe
the several company stories found on the Web site’s case studies. Pick one company and
investigate its difficulties with respect to consumer communication difficulties. Report your
findings. Comment on what the company in question did right and what they did wrong. How do
you feel about what you read?
Instructor’s Discussion
S.T.A.R. Project #2
The credibility of the message initiator (source) is an important aspect of an effective
communication process. The credibility of the source affects the decoding of the message. When
the spokesperson for a marketer’s message is a celebrity or an endorser, the credibility as well as
the acceptability of the message is affected. Obviously, because of the power that a celebrity (or
endorser) has to impact acceptance, ethics can be an important factor in these message forms.
Using the facts about spokespersons and endorsers contained in the chapter, find one ad that
displays what you perceive to be good ethical behavior by a spokesperson or celebrity endorser.
Find one ad that displays what you perceive to be poor ethical behavior by a spokesperson or
celebrity endorser. Explain your categorization and comment on the ethical behavior involved. In
the case of the poor ethical behavior, how could the situation be corrected?
Instructor’s Discussion
Small Group Projects
S.T.A.R. Project #3
Feedback is an important aspect of effective communication. Prompt feedback permits the
sender to reinforce, to change, or to modify the message to ensure that it is understood in the
intended way. The Internet provides an excellent way to provide almost instantaneous feedback
to the communicator. Your group’s assignment is to review the process of feedback by
undertaking an interesting experiment. A current popular collegiate Web site is Hot or Not (see
www.hotornot.com). This Web site has been featured in People, Newsweek, Time, and USA
Today. The Web site is simple in its makeup. Interested males and females submit a digital
picture of themselves to the Web site and visitors to the Web site then vote on whether the
person is attractive (hot or not). A running counter lets the viewer know how many other people
have voted on the featured person and what the overall rating score is. The voting is not scientific
but it is fun. Have your group review this process for its feedback value. How could it be
improved? What are biases that might be involved? How could the males and females who score
low improve their scores using effective communication principles?
Instructor’s Discussion
This Web site may not be for everyone, however, most students seem to have fun admiring and
poking fun at their peers. Beyond the fun, the Web site does illustrate how that effective
S.T.A.R. Project #4
One of the best sources of credibility evaluation with respect to products and services is
Consumer Reports. This impartial organization rates products and services and then reports these
findings to the consuming public. The analysis of the products and services under investigation is
detailed, often scientific, and lengthy. Many consumers, whether they subscribe to the Consumer
Reports magazine or not, frequently use the organization’s findings in assessing potential
purchases. Your group’s assignment is to go to the Consumer Reports Web page (see
www.consumerreports.o). Pick a product or service category and investigate the credibility of the
product or service. Write a short report about your findings. Next, go to a store that carries or
supplies the product or service. Evaluate the product or service in the store environment the way
a consumer normally would (i.e., talk to a sales or service person, observe, read, listen, etc.).
Compare the two different approaches to gaining information about the product or service. Write
a short evaluation of what you have done and what you have learned.
