Often when we think of advertising, we just think of great ads that make us laugh or engage us in some manner. We tend to judge ads by these simple criteria. However, a far more powerful way to look at advertising is by understanding that advertising is a communication task, with specific communication objectives, and therefore we need to understand how communication works.
The starting point is an audit of all the potential interactions target customers may have with the product and the company. For example, someone interested in purchasing a new computer would talk to others, see television ads, read articles, look for information on the intranet, and observe computers in a store. The marketer needs to assess which experiences and impressions will have the most influence at each stage of the buying process. This understanding will help marketers allocate their communication budget more efficiently. To communicate effectively, marketers need to understand the fundamental elements underlying effective communication.
On the basis of the communication importance, there were eminent personalities who made the communication models, which help a marketer to understand, how he should go about communicating his product to the target audience.
All these communication models are centered on the three stages of the buying behaviour of consumers.
The three stages are:
Cognitive Stage
The cognitive component deals with cognition, or knowledge; it is the power of knowing, perceiving or conceiving ideas about the product. It is dealing with the basic information that a consumer needs to know. A customer needs to be exposed to the product and understand its usage before he actually purchases it.
Affective Stage
The effective component deals with the affections/emotions. For example, feelings of likes or dislike towards objects are dealt on the effective plane. It is at this stage that the consumer will either have preference or liking towards the product or he will develop a dislike. This stage shows his attitude towards the product, whether he is for or against the product.
Behaviour Stage
This is the stage when the consumer, after having the knowledge and developing the liking or disliking towards the product, will ultimately lead into a purchase of the product or rejection of the product. He would first try the product and develop loyalty towards it or he is completely convinced that the product is good and would purchase the product.
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