Lecture 4 involvement

Topics for Today

• _{What is Involvement?}

• _{What are the Sources of Involvement?}

• _{Advertising Implications?}

• _{The Role of Heuristics}

How do people go through the

purchase process?

• _{Do consumers learn facts about}

products/services deliberately or at random?

• _{Do consumers seek information?}

• _{Do consumers form an active or a passive}

audience for advertisers?

• _{Do consumers evaluate products/services}

A Traditional View of the Consumer

• _{Consumers are deliberate information}

processors.

• _{Consumers are information seekers.}

• _{Consumers form an active audience, so the}

effect of advertising is weak.

A Traditional View of the Consumer

• _{Reference groups influence consumer behaviour}

because of the importance of the purchase to group norms and values.

Problem Recognition

Search

Alternative Evaluation

Purchase

Consumption

A new view of the consumer

• _{Consumers learn at random.}

• _{Consumers are information gatherers.} • _{Consumers are a passive audience for}

advertisers, therefore the effect of advertising is strong.

• _{Consumers buy first and then (perhaps)}

evaluate the purchase.

• _{Important others influence consumption}

Definition of Involvement

• _{The number of “connections” - conscious}

bridging experiences or personal references per minute - that the subject makes between the content of the persuasive stimulus and the contents of his/her life. (Krugman, Public

In English, this means . . .

• _{Involvement = personal relevance. i.e. how}

relevant & interesting something is to you personally.

• _{Keep in mind, that there are 2 main types:}

The Dimensions of Involvement

Antecedents of

involvement

Possible results of involvement

Person Factors

- needs

- importance - interest

- values

Object/Stimulus Factors

- differentiation of alternatives

- purchase/use - occasion

Involvement

with ads

with products

with purchase decisions

counter arguments effectiveness of ad importance of product

class

perceived differences in attributes

preference of brand influence of price

Advertising Implications?

• _{Some media suit presenting high or low involvement}

information.

• _{High involvement?}

– _{Focus on Product benefits to persuade.}

– _{Medium? Print ads Web sites brochures Sales Reps} • _{Low involvement?}

– _{Focus on Image & Brand Recognition}

Important Point to Note

• _{While we often refer to “high” & “low”}

involvement products, we are talking not so much about the product but the level of active thinking it generates in the consumer.

• _{Involvement is individual-specific, hence we}

Involvement and the Hierarchy of Effects

Figure 10.6

High Involvement

Hierarchy

Cognition

Attitude

Behaviour

Low Involvement

Hierarchy

Cognition

Behaviour

Low Involvement Heuristics

• _{Definition: - mental short-cuts or “rules}

of thumb.” Also called cues.

• _Examples:

SUMMARY

• _{Research has broadened the view of the consumer}

beyond High Involvement processing.

• _{Involvement = degree of personal relevance.}

Influences decision-making