Advertising and Perception

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What is perception? Why does each consumer see a product differently? How does this affect the consumer decision making process?

Perception is the way that consumers view a product. It is tied into their prior experiences, their attitudes, their preferences and their tastes. Perception differs amongst consumers since everyone sees products in a different way due to their upbringing, socio-economic status, education... In reality, no two people will perceive a product in the same way.

Perceptions are very subjective in nature. Let me elaborate with an example. We can have two purses on a table. One is a generic purse sold at walmart, and one is a designer hand made leather creation. Two different people will have two different views and perceptions of each product. One person might like the fact that the walmart purse is economical and they see it as utilitarian. They see the designer purse as a waste of money. The other person however would never be caught dead wearing the walmart purse and takes pride in their designer ware.

So each person sees each product in a different light. This could be due to many factors:
- their upbringing: the person who values the designer purse might have been taught to appreciate finer things in life
- their financial situation: the person who likes the walmart purse might never be able to afford to pay upwards of 10K on a purse
- their social circle: the person who likes the walmart purse might associate with people who are economically sound and practical, while the person who likes the designer purse probably associates with people who are like-minded in their fashion trends

So the way a person is shaped influences how they see a product. Advertising might play a role in this as well - the marketers for the walmart purse will push the economical and practical aspect of the purse, while the designer advertising will focus on the art work and beauty of the purse.

The consumer decision making process starts off with need recognition. Both people realize that they need a new purse. Then is the information search. This is were perceptions and attitudes start to shape how people search for their information. Based on their perceptions and attitudes, they will seek information from different sources. This will lead them down different paths.

Next is evaluation of alternatives. The person who likes the walmart purse might also seek out cheap alternatives from k-mart or target, while the designer purse consumer might look at Gucci, parada, louis vuitton... ...