CHAPTER 2

PERCEPTION
Multiple Choice
1. The immediate response by our eyes, ears, nose, mouth, or fingers to such basic
stimuli as light, color, sound, odor, and texture is called:
a. reception.
b. awareness.
c. perception.
d. sensation.
Answer: (d) Difficulty: (E) Fact Page: 49
2. ________________ is the process by which sensations are selected, organized,
and interpreted.
a. Reception
b. Sensation
c. Perception
d. Awareness
Answer: (c) Difficulty: (M) Fact Page: 49
3. Jin Franklin is driving through a crowded shopping district when she smells the
wonderful aroma of fresh baked bread. She looks to see if a bakery or restaurant is
nearby but sees nothing except clothing stores. Trying to find and then clarify
meaning in this case would be an exercise in:
a. reception.
b. sensation.
c. perception.
d. fact finding.
Answer: (c) Difficulty: (H) Application Page: 49
4. Exposure, attention, and interpretation make up the process of:
a. consumption.
b. perception.
c. retention.
d. stimulus referral.
Answer: (b) Difficulty: (M) Fact Page: 49, Figure 2.1
5. Which of the following would be the best illustration of sensory data emanating from
the external environment?

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a. A young man remembers the taste of a favorite ice cream.

b. An older woman remembers what it was like to bake a birthday cake for her
children.
c. A student daydreams about scoring a winning run in a ballgame.
d. A student smells fresh flowers from a teachers desk.
Answer: (d) Difficulty: (M) Application Page: 49
6. Nadia Ali loves the feel of her new sweater and the smell of her leather car seats on a
crisp fall day. As she passes a billboard, she sees an ad for Baskin-Robbins ice cream
and immediately does a U-turn into the shopping center where she knows the famous
ice cream store is located. In the above example, Nadia is responding to:
a. sensory inputs emanating from the external environment.
b. sensory inputs emanating from the internal environment.
c. emotional outputs.
d. decision sequences dictated by sensory outputs.
Answer: (a) Difficulty: (H) Application Page: 49
7. Hedonic consumption has been seen as:
a. the art of rational consumption and decision-making.
b. purely social interaction and this interactions ability to influence decision-making.
c. the multi-sensory, fantasy, and emotional aspects of consumers interactions with
products.
d. consumption motivated by subliminal suggestion.
Answer: (c) Difficulty: (M) Fact Page: 49
8. Marketers rely heavily on visual elements. Meanings are communicated on the visual
channel through a products color. In many Eastern societies, the color ___________
is associated with mourning.
a. yellow
b. purple
c. white
d. black
Answer: (c) Difficulty: (M) Fact Page: 50-51
9. Colors often look duller to older people. Because of this fact, car companies often
make adjustments in color selections aimed at older consumers. Since Lexus sells to
many mature consumers, which of the following car colors accounts for 60 percent
of all Lexus sales?
a. Black.
b. Blue.
c. Red.
d. White.

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Answer: (d) Difficulty: (M) Application Page: 51

10. Color plays a dominant role in Web page design. Assume that you were the
marketing manager for a start-up dot.com business and wanted to capture a
Web surfers attention quickly. To capture attention, which of the following colors
would you most probably want to use for your opening Web pages background?
a. Black.
b. Pastel Blue.
c. Green.
d. White.
Answer: (c) Difficulty: (H) Application Page: 52
11. In a recent court case, Kodak successfully defended its right to protect the Kodak
colors (yellow, black, and red) from competitor infringement. When a company is
strongly associated with a color or combination of colors it is called the companys:
a. color lock.
b. trade dress.
c. hue orientation.
d. color right.
Answer: (b) Difficulty: (M) Fact Page: 53
12. __________ can stir emotions or create a calming feeling.
a. Vibrations
b. Taste
c. Odors
d. Subliminal advertising
Answer: (c) Difficulty: (H) Fact Page: 54
13. With respect to sensory stimulation, research has shown that __________ is a direct
line to good or bad feelings, hunger, and even memories of happy times. This sense is
processed by the limbic system, the most primitive part of the brain and the place
where immediate emotions are experienced.
a. smell
b. sight
c. touch
d. taste
Answer: (a) Difficulty: (M) Fact Page: 54-55
14. The marketing world has embraced smell as a dynamic sensory stimulation process.
All of the following are now part of what is called scented marketing (a $90 million
business) EXCEPT:

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a.
b.
c.
d.

scented clothes.
scented cars and planes.
scented advertisements.
scented emails.

Answer: (d) Difficulty: (M) Fact Page: 56

15. The Muzak Corporation estimates that its recordings are heard by 80 million people
every day. If a company wishes to counteract a lull in consumer activity, Muzak can
program their music to increase tempo gradually to offset consumer inactivity. In
formal terms this technique would be called:
a. stimulus progression.
b. stimulus input.
c. stimulus polarity.
d. stimulus recession.
Answer: (a) Difficulty: (H) Application Page: 57
16. The Japanese are tuned to using sensory mechanisms and stimulations in the
construction of their cars. The Japanese usage of what they call Kansei engineering
is associated with which of the following sensory elements?
a. Taste.
b. Smell.
c. Sight.
d. Touch.
Answer: (d) Difficulty: (M) Application Page: 57
17. Males and females have different appreciations of textures (touch sensitivity). When
feeling fabrics, which of the following fabrics is evaluated as high class by males?
a. Wool.
b. Silk.
c. Denim.
d. Cotton.
Answer: (a) Difficulty: (M) Application Page: 57, Table 2.1
18. Changes in our culture also determine the tastes we find desirable. There is a
greater appreciation of ethnic dishes than before. Which of the following best
reflects a current trend with respect to the American consumers taste preferences?
a. Fish-flavored chips.
b. The desire to find the ultimate pepper sauce.
c. The desire for more bland-tasting foods to aid in the consumers desire to lose
weight.
d. Pork-flavored sandwich meats.

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Answer: (b) Difficulty: (M) Fact Page: 58, 59

19. _______________ occurs when a stimulus comes within range of someones
sensory receptors.
a. Exposure
b. Attention
c. Selection
d. Elaboration
Answer: (a) Difficulty: (E) Fact Page: 59
20. Ben Perez is driving along a mountain road. In the distance, he sees a road crew
working on a fallen tree that has blocked the highway. When Ben first sees the road
crew, which of the following perceptual processes has been engaged?
a. Exposure.
b. Attention.
c. Comprehension.
d. Interpretation.
Answer: (a) Difficulty: (E) Application Page: 59
21. The science that focuses on how the physical environment is integrated into our
personal, subjective world is known as:
a. sensation dynamics.
b. psychographics.
c. subliminal persuasion.
d. psychophysics.
Answer: (d) Difficulty: (H) Fact Page: 59
22. A threshold for a receptor is:
a. the edge beyond which no one can return.
b. the parameters for the receptor.
c. the ability to jump between scientific disciplines.
d. the lowest intensity of a stimulus that can be registered on a sensory channel.
Answer: (d) Difficulty: (M) Fact Page: 59
23. A billboard is positioned correctly beside a busy highway. However, the merchant
that has purchased the billboard is complaining that no response is being generated by
his advertising message. Upon closer inspection, the billboard company determines
that the typeface used is too small to be effectively read by a motorist going 60+ mph
on the highway. Which of the following sensory thresholds would be most
appropriate to explain the failure of this advertisement to connect with motorists?
a. The differential threshold.
b. The absolute threshold.

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c. The intensity threshold.

d. The relative threshold.
Answer: (b) Difficulty: (H) Application Page: 59
24. The ______________ refers to the minimum amount of stimulation that can be
detected on a sensory channel.
a. absolute threshold
b. differential threshold
c. intensity threshold
d. relative threshold
Answer: (a) Difficulty: (M) Fact Page: 59
25. The _________________ refers to the ability of a sensory system to detect changes or
differences between two stimuli.
a. absolute threshold
b. differential threshold
c. intensity threshold
d. relative threshold
Answer: (b) Difficulty: (E) Fact Page: 60
26. A producer of a candy product wants to be the sweetest candy on the market,
but he has found that consumers are having difficulty telling exactly which of several
competing candy products is really the sweetest. This producer might be having
difficulty with which of the following sensory thresholds?
a. Absolute threshold.
b. Differential threshold.
c. Intensity threshold.
d. Relative threshold.
Answer: (b) Difficulty: (M) Application Page: 60-61
27. The minimum difference that can be detected between two stimuli is known as the:
a. bare minimum.
b. gradual differentiation.
c. j.n.d. (just noticeable difference).
d. graded difference.
Answer: (c) Difficulty: (M) Fact Page: 60
28. Shaun and Sam were talking in class, but so was everyone else. As they continued to
discuss their days adventures, it suddenly became clear to them that the teacher was
staring at them. They didnt realize that the class had been called to order and what
was once only one conversation among many was now disruptive. Shaun apologized

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quickly and the teacher resumed her normal activities. This would be a good example
of how a consumers ability to detect a difference between two stimuli is ________.
a. absolute.
b. negligible.
c. relative.
d. gender specific.
Answer: (c) Difficulty: (M) Application Page: 60-61
29. A retailer decides to reduce the price of a sport coat that normally costs $98. The
reduction in price is $3. The storeowner believes that the reduction will catch the eye
of the value shopper. If the sport coat does not sell, the retailer might wish to consider
which of the following before making another price change?
a. Hermanns theorem.
b. Packards Law.
c. Sensory theory.
d. Webers Law.
Answer: (d) Difficulty: (M) Application Page: 61
30. __________ occurs when the stimulus of the message is below the level of the
consumers awareness.
a. Webers Law
b. Packards Law
c. Subliminal perception
d. Psychodocumentation
Answer: (c) Difficulty: (M) Fact Page: 61
31. A consumer sees a magazine ad for chocolate chip cookies. The ad shows a child
laying out in an open field staring up at the clouds in the blue sky. If the consumer
were to look very closely, there is a message in the puffy white clouds. The message
reads how about a cookie? If this ad actually occurred, the advertiser would be
using which of the following techniques to try and influence consumers?
a. Gestalt psychology.
b. Freudian psychology.
c. Subliminal perceptual persuasion.
d. Pseudopsychodrama.
Answer: (c) Difficulty: (H) Application Page: 61-63
32. Which of the following statements concerning the state of auditory subliminal
perception or suggestion BEST characterizes the impact of such hidden messages on
the average consumer?
a. There is a strong indication that behavior can be modified by subliminal message
stimulation through auditory channels.

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b. There is mounting evidence that the subliminal technique actually works when
applied to auditory channels.
c. There is little evidence that desired changes actually occur because of the
subliminal messages that are carried on auditory channels.
d. There is conclusive evidence that subliminal messages are useful in modifying
behavior through auditory channels.
Answer: (c) Difficulty: (H) Fact Page: 63
33. ____________________ refers to the extent to which processing activity is
devoted to a particular stimulus.
a. Exposure
b. Attention
c. Comprehension
d. Retention
Answer: (b) Difficulty: (E) Fact Page: 64
34. The average adult is exposed to about 3,000 pieces of advertising information every
single day. These adults are often exposed to far more information than they can or
are willing to process. This phenomenon is often described as being one of:
a. advertising bombardment.
b. sensory overload.
c. sensory shifting.
d. circuit overcapacity.
Answer: (b) Difficulty: (E) Fact Page: 64
35. The primary goal of ecommerce business is to attract eyeballs, not dollars, to an
Internet businesss Web site. This goal is explained by which of the following terms
or phrases?
a. The psychic economy.
b. The adaptation process.
c. Attention filters.
d. The attention economy.
Answer: (d) Difficulty: (M) Fact Page: 65
36. Because the brains capacity to process information is limited, consumers are very
selective about what they pay attention to and attend to only a small portion of stimuli
to which they are exposed. This process is called:
a. perceptual vigilance.
b. perceptual defense.
c. perceptual selection.
d. adaptation.

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Answer: (c) Difficulty: (M) Fact Page: 65

37. __________, which is the result of acquiring and processing stimulation over time, is
one factor that determines how much exposure to a particular stimulus a person
accepts.
a. Selection
b. Stimulus monitoring
c. Duration analysis
d. Experience
Answer: (d) Difficulty: (M) Fact Page: 65
38. Consumers are more likely to be aware of stimuli that relate to their current needs.
This is called:
a. perceptual vigilance.
b. perceptual defense.
c. perceptual selection.
d. adaptation.
Answer: (a) Difficulty: (M) Fact Page: 65
39. Based on past experiences, we many times block out certain pieces or types of
information that appear to threaten us in some way. When this occurs, which of
the following processes is at work?
a. Perceptual vigilance.
b. Perceptual selection.
c. Perceptual defense.
d. Adaptation.
Answer: (c) Difficulty: (E) Fact Page: 65
40. Mary Stuart walks the same way to work everyday. She notices advertisements in
store windows when the ads first go up. However, after a few days, Mary no longer
pays any attention to these ads because they have become familiar. Which of the
following personal selection factors is affecting Mary Stuart?
a. Perceptual vigilance.
b. Perceptual defense.
c. Perceptual selection.
d. Adaptation.
Answer: (d) Difficulty: (H) Application Page: 65
41. With respect to factors that lead to adaptation, the factor of _____________
applies when consumers do not pay attention to simple stimuli because they have
become habituated in not paying attention to these small details.
a. intensity

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b. duration
c. discrimination
d. relevance
Answer: (c) Difficulty: (M) Fact Page: 65-66
42. __________________ refers to the meaning that we assign to sensory stimuli.
a. Exposure
b. Interpretation
c. Retention
d. Attention
Answer: (b) Difficulty: (E) Fact Page: 69
43. Rusty Thompson was very excited about a new seafood restaurant that just opened
across from his college campus until he saw the featured menu itemfried squid.
Rusty had been taught from childhood that squirmy things should not be put in your
mouth. Rustys bias against even trying the restaurants featured menu item was
probably due to a set of beliefs from his past. This set of beliefs is best described as
being:
a. action articles.
b. schema.
c. evaluation purpose.
d. directional bias.
Answer: (b) Difficulty: (H) Application Page: 69
44. __________ roughly means whole, pattern, or configuration, and this perspective is
best summarized by the saying the whole is greater than the sum of its parts.
a. Freudian traits analysis
b. Marshallian psychology
c. Gestalt
d. Hobbesian pattern analysis
Answer: (c) Difficulty: (H) Fact Page: 70
45. With respect to Gestalt psychology, the _______________ states that people tend to
perceive an incomplete picture as complete. That is, we tend to fill in the blanks
based on our prior experience.
a. principle of similarity
b. figure-ground principle
c. interpretational principle
d. closure principle
Answer: (d) Difficulty: (M) Fact Page: 70

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46. A new Green Giant ad campaign relied on the __________ when it used a redesigned
package for Green Giant products that showed all Green Giant in a sea of green.
It was felt that the Green Giant products were now unified under a common design
banner.
a. principle of similarity
b. figure-ground principle
c. interpretational principle
d. closure principle
Answer: (a) Difficulty: (M) Application Page: 71
47. The field of ____________ examines the correspondence between signs and symbols
and their role in the assignment of meaning.
a. semiotics
b. enunciation
c. pronunciation
d. logo design
Answer: (a) Difficulty: (M) Fact Page: 73
48. For years, the Marlboro cowboy gave the idea that smoking meant freedom, rugged
individualism, and cool. When Marlboro used the famous cowboy in its ads,
which of the following components of a semiotic perspective was used?
a. Object.
b. Interpretant.
c. Sign.
d. Declarative.
Answer: (c) Difficulty (H) Application Page: 73
49. A common practice among advertisers is to create new relationships between objects
and interpretants by inventing new connections between products and benefits. A
classic example of this was equating Marlboro cigarettes with the American frontier
spirit. Which of the following terms best describes this practice?
a. Subliminal persuasion.
b. Figure and ground projection.
c. Hyperreality.
d. Consumer-modeling connections.
Answer: (c) Difficulty (M) Fact Page: 74
50. A _________________ is a fundamental part of a companys marketing efforts as it
uses elements of the marketing mix to influence the consumers interpretation of its
meaning.
a. segmentation strategy
b. positioning strategy

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c. attribute strategy
d. psychostrategy
Answer: (b) Difficulty: (M) Fact Page: 75
True/False
51. Perception refers to the immediate response of our sensory receptors to such basic
stimuli as light, color, and sound.
Answer: (False) Difficulty: (M) Fact Page: 49
52. The perceptual process focuses on how sensations are selected, organized, and
interpreted.
Answer: (True) Difficulty: (E) Fact Page: 49
53. If a behavioral researcher is studying how consumers use multi-sensory, fantasy, and
emotional interactions in selecting products, the researcher is studying what is called
hedonic consumption.
Answer: (True) Difficulty: (M) Fact Page: 49
54. The first step in the perception process is attention. Without attention, nothing
happens.
Answer: (False) Difficulty: (M) Fact Page: 49, Figure 2.1
55. The reason that Owens-Corning Fiberglass Corporation makes its insulation pink is
so the products color will fit with the companys spokesperson (The Pink Panther).
Answer: (False) Difficulty: (M) Application Page: 50-53
56. Fragrance is processed by the limbic system, the most primitive part of the brain
and the place where immediate emotions are experienced.
Answer: (True) Difficulty: (H) Fact Page: 55
57. Marketers have generally failed in their efforts to introduce scented marketing
practices and products to the American consumer.
Answer: (False) Difficulty: (M) Fact Page: 56
58. Kansei engineering allowed the Japanese automobile manufacturers to introduce
Muzak features and Bose speakers into all of their cars.

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Answer: (False) Difficulty: (M) Application Page: 57

59. According to female reactions to fabrics, silk is the fabric that is most often
considered to be high class.
Answer: (True) Difficulty: (E) Fact Page: 57, Table 2.1
60. Attention is the degree to which people notice a stimulus that is within range of
their sensory receptors.
Answer: (False) Difficulty: (M) Fact Page: 59
61. The science that focuses on how the physical environment is integrated into our
personal, subjective world is known as psychophysics.
Answer: (True) Difficulty: (M) Fact Page: 59
62. The terminal threshold refers to the ability of a sensory system to detect changes or
differences between two stimuli.
Answer: (False) Difficulty: (M) Application Page: 59-60
63. The sound emitted by a dog whistle is too high to be detected by human ears. This
is an illustration of a stimulation that is beyond our absolute threshold.
Answer: (True) Difficulty: (E) Application Page: 59-60
64. Sarah Palmer realizes she just made a big mistake. In her hurried shopping trip, she
picked up the yellow plastic squeeze bottle from the grocery store shelf assuming that
it was Frenchs Mustard. To her dismay, it was the store brand. Her confusion is an
illustration of what happens when there is a problem with the difference threshold in a
consumers decision.
Answer: (True) Difficulty: (M) Application Page: 60
65. A consumers ability to detect a difference between two stimuli is relative.
Answer: (True) Difficulty: (M) Fact Page: 60
66. Webers Law states that the intensity of the stimulus is four times as great if it is
accompanied with a monetary reward.
Answer: (False) Difficulty: (H) Fact Page: 61
67. Subliminal perception occurs when the stimulus is below the level of the consumers

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awareness.
Answer: (True) Difficulty: (E) Fact

Page: 61

68. In the last several years, researchers have been able to prove that subliminal
perception does indeed work and is often used as an advertising technique.
Answer: (False) Difficulty: (M) Fact Page: 63
69. Attention refers to the extent to which processing activity is devoted to a particular
stimulus.
Answer: (True) Difficulty: (E) Fact Page: 64
70. Consumers are more likely to be aware of stimuli that relate to their current needs.
This is an example of perceptual vigilance.
Answer: (True) Difficulty: (M) Fact Page: 65
71. A consumer who rarely notices car ads will become very much aware of them when
he or she is in the market for a new car. This is an example of perceptual defense.
Answer: (True) Difficulty: (M) Application Page: 65
72. Interpretation refers to the meaning that we assign to sensory stimuli.
Answer: (True) Difficulty: (E) Fact Page: 69
73. Semiotics examines the correspondence between signs and symbols and their role in
the assignment of meaning.
Answer: (True) Difficulty: (M) Fact Page: 73
74. Hyperreality is a new term used in advertising on the Internet to mean the
connection between everyday low prices and reality.
Answer: (False) Difficulty: (M) Fact Page: 74
75. A good illustration of a company using the lifestyle approach to positioning strategy
is the Grey Poupon mustard commercials that say that Grey Poupon is a higher class
condiment.
Answer: (True) Difficulty: (M) Application Page: 75
Essay Questions

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76. What is the difference between sensation and perception?

Answer:
Sensation is the immediate response of sensory receptors (such as the eyes, ears, nose,
mouth, and fingers) to such basic stimuli as light, color, and sound. Anything that
activates a receptor is called a stimulus.
Perception is the process by which basic stimuli such as sights and smells are selected,
organized, and interpreted. The eventual interpretation of stimulus allows it to be
assigned meaning. It is of critical importance to marketers.
Difficulty: (E) Fact Page: 49
77. List the three stages of the perception process and give a brief definition of each.
Answer:
The three stages are exposure, attention, and interpretation.
(a) Exposurethe degree to which people notice a stimulus that is within range of their
sensory receptors.
(b) Attentionthe extent to which processing activity is devoted to a particular stimulus.
(c) Interpretationthe meaning that we assign to sensory stimuli.
Difficulty: (M) Fact Page: 49 (Figure 2.1), 59, 64, 69
78. How do marketers manipulate sensory inputs on each of the five sensory systems?
List each system and briefly discuss each.
Answer:
(a) Visionmarketers rely heavily on visual elements in advertising, packaging, and
store design. They can communicate meanings on the visual channel through a products
size, styling, brightness, and distinctiveness from competitors. Colors are especially rich
in symbolic value. Color is very important in web page design.
(b) Smellodors can stir emotions or create a calming feeling; they can invoke
memories or relieve stress. The fragrance industry is huge. Scent-oriented advertising is
now estimated to be over $90 million per year.
(c) Soundnot only do consumers buy millions of dollars worth of sound recordings
each year, but marketers use jingles in their ads to maintain brand awareness; they use
background music to create desired moods for their messages.
(d) Touchalthough little research data are available, logically it would seem that tactile
cues are important. Certainly in evaluating fabrics, the feel conveys symbolic qualities.
(e) Tastefood and beverage companies go to great lengths to ensure their products
taste good. They keep flavor houses busy developing new tastes.
Difficulty: (H) Application Page: 49-59

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79. Define and briefly discuss the concept of thresholds and the two primary forms of
thresholds.
Answer:
A threshold is the lowest intensity of a stimulus that can be registered on a particular
sensory channel.
The absolute threshold refers to the minimum amount of stimulation that can be detected
on a sensory channel.
The differential threshold refers to the ability of an individuals sensory system to detect
changes or differences between two stimuli.
Difficulty: (M) Fact Page: 59-60
80. Evaluate subliminal persuasion and messages. Be sure to demonstrate your
knowledge of the evidence on the success of the technique as presented in the text.
Answer:
Under very specific conditions, some clinical psychologists suggest that people can be
influenced by subliminal messages. However, the technique seems unlikely to be of use
in marketing contexts; effective messages must be tailored to specific individuals rather
than to mass markets.
It has also been found that there are wide differences in individual threshold levels. In
order for a message to avoid conscious detection by consumers who have a low
threshold, the message would have to be so weak that it would not reach those with a
high threshold.
Next, advertisers lack control over where consumers are positioned in relationship to the
source of the message; perhaps only a few would be within range of the stimulus.
Lastly, consumers typically shift their attention when watching television or a movie.
They might not even be looking at the screen when the message was flashed.
Contrary to the above, most consumers believe that subliminal persuasion is being used
on them in some form.
Difficulty: (M) Application Page: 61-63
81. Some marketing analysts suggest that the Internet has transformed the way business is
donethey claim we are now operating in an attention economy. Explain what this
means with respect to perception.
Answer:
This means that the primary goal is to attract eyeballs, not dollars, to a Web site. The
idea is that the amount of information companies can provide to consumers online is
infinitebut theres only so much time people can devote to accessing it. So, a goal of
interactive media is to buy and sell attention, as when a firm is paid to divert the traffic on
one Web site to another site.
Difficulty: (M) Fact and Application Page: 65

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82. Identify what perceptual selection is and comment on the types of barriers that
prevent clear perception and reception of marketing stimuli.
Answer:
Perceptual selection means people attend to only a small portion of stimuli to which they
are exposed.
Perceptual filters, based on our past experiences, influence what we decide to process.
For example, perceptual vigilance occurs because consumers are more likely to be aware
of stimuli that relate to their current needs. The flip side is perceptual defense. This
means that people see what they want to see--and dont see what they dont to see.
Adaptation is the degree to which consumers continue to notice a stimulus over time.
Factors that influence adaptation are intensity, duration, discrimination, exposure, and
relevance.
Difficulty: (H) Fact Page: 65-66
83. There are a variety of ways to get consumers to notice the differences between stimuli
(products and services). According to the text, this contrast can be created in four
specific ways. List and briefly describe each of the contrast forms.
Answer:
Contrast can be achieved by:
Sizethe size of the stimulus itself in contrast to the competition helps to
determine if it will command attention.
Coloras we have seen, color is a powerful way to draw attention to a product or
to give it a distinct identity.
Positionnot surprisingly, stimuli that are in places we are more likely to look
stand a better chance of being noticed.
Noveltystimuli that appear in unexpected ways or places tend to grab our
attention.
Difficulty: (H) Fact and Application Page: 67-68
84. The German word gestalt roughly means whole. Briefly discuss the three principles
as cited in the text that relate to the way stimuli are organized.
Answer:
(a) The closure principle states that people tend to perceive an incomplete picture as
complete. We tend to fill in the blanks based on our prior experience.
(b) The principle of similarity tells us that consumers tend to group together objects that
share similar physical characteristics.
(c) The figure-ground principle states that one part of a stimulus will dominate (the
figure) while other parts recede into the backdrop (the ground).

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Instructor Note: For additional difficulty, require examples. See the chapter for
demonstrations of these techniques.
Difficulty: (M) Fact Page: 70-71
85. Briefly, discuss the field of study known as semiotics. Next, create an original
example that illustrates the meaning of the three basic components of a semiotic
perspective. Carefully link each component to its associated illustration.
Answer:
Semiotics examines the correspondence between signs and symbols and their role in the
assignment of meaning. Semiotics is important to the understanding of consumer
behavior because consumers use products to express their social identities. Products have
learned meanings; we rely on marketers to help us figure out what those meanings are.
From a semiotic perspective, every marketing message has three basic components: an
object, a sign or symbol, and an interpretant. The object is the product that is the focus of
the message (e.g., Marlboro cigarettes). The sign is the sensory imagery that represents
the intended meanings of the object (e.g., the Marlboro cowboy). The interpretant is the
meaning derived (e.g., rugged, individualistic, American). Marlboro was the example
used in the chapter.
Students should use a different example from the one shown above to demonstrate that
they have understood the concept. Give whatever directions are necessary to ensure the
accomplishment of this objective.
Difficulty: (H) Fact and Application Page: 73-74
86. Define and then discuss the concept of positioning strategy.
Answer:
A positioning strategy is a fundamental part of a companys marketing efforts as it uses
elements of the marketing mix (i.e., product design, price, distribution, and marketing
communications) to influence consumers interpretation of its meaning. For example,
although consumers preferences for the taste of one product over another are important,
this functional attribute is only one component of product evaluation.
To increase the difficulty of this question, require an illustration or combine with
Question 86 below.
Difficulty: (E) Fact and Application Page: 75
87. There are many dimensions that can be used to establish a brands position in the
marketplace. List four of these dimensions and give an illustration of each.
Answer:

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The chapter lists eight dimensions. They (along with examples) are as follows:
(a) LifestyleGrey Poupon mustard is a higher class condiment.
(b) Price leadershipStore brands are often the same product as a national brand but
significantly cheaper.
(c) AttributesBounty paper towels are the quicker picker upper.
(d) Product classThe Mazda Miata is a sporty convertible.
(e) CompetitorsNorthwestern insurance is the quiet company.
(f) OccasionsWrigleys gum is an alternative at times when smoking is not permitted.
(g) UsersLevis Dockers are targeted primarily to men in their 20s-40s.
(h) QualityAt Ford, Quality is Job 1.
To avoid confusion, be sure to set parameters or ground rules on your expectations for
examples. Note that this question could be combined with Question 85 above.
Difficulty: (M) Fact and Application page: 75-76

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