Consumer Behavior

Chapter 17 : Marketing Communication and Persuasion

+Nature of Communication

+Factors Affecting Communication

+Developing Persuasive Communication

Chapter Summary

Communication is an essential element of marketing. The main elements of a communication model are the sender, the message, the channel, the receiver, and the feedback. The sender or the marketer (commercial or non-profit organization) encodes the message (generally a marketing communication) and sends it to the receiver (target audience) through a medium (newspaper, radio, television, the Internet, etc.).

In response to this message, the receiver gives feedback to the sender on the basis of which the sender can gauge if the message has been understood properly or whether it needs to be modified. The message can be verbal (spoken or written words), nonverbal (visuals, signs, body language, expressions, etc.), or symbolic (brand color, logo, punch lines, etc.) in nature.

Credibility of the source is an important variable which influences the interpretation of the marketing communication by the target audience as it leads to positive brand association. The target audience measures the credibility of the source based on numerous factors like past performance, public image and reputation, quality of goods and services, initiatives taken for social welfare, the brand ambassador, and the image of the medium.

The comprehension and mood of the target audience is another important factor that influences the interpretation of marketing communication. The comprehension depends on characteristics of message, the ability of the receivers to process it, their motivation to process it, and their personal characteristics like past experience and learning, attitude, personality, perception, etc. The consumer mood can impact the interpretation of the message and can be influenced through the use of various advertising appeals.

Communication is often not perceived the way it is intended by the marketers due to some barriers to communication like selective viewing (channel surfing, interrupted viewing, etc.) and noise (disturbances in the message which are not included by the marketer).

To develop persuasive marketing communication, marketers must first identify the target audience (users, nonusers, etc.) they want to address through the communication. They then have to decide on the objectives of the communication (build reputation, increase sales, brand recall, etc.), message design (structure and presentation), and media planning (print, television, radio, etc.).

Next Chapter>>