Frame of reference (marketing)

Perception is a mental process that people undergo in which they choose, arrange and interpret information in order to create a personalised and coherent understanding of what they are experiencing or witnessing.[4] In a consumer's purchase journey the consumer will assign meaning to a product or brand upon their initial contact with the product or brand,[5] and this meaning will be based upon their experiences, beliefs and attitudes towards the product or brand.

Perceptions are the foundation of brand value and marketing effectiveness.[6] Marketing communications are conceived and executed with the explicit intention of engaging with consumers to influence and shape their perceptions of a product or brand. This is done to build a positive image, meaning behind, or experience associated with a product or brand for continued future transactions between retailer and consumer. If a customer understands and identifies with the meaning behind a product or brand, they are more likely to see value in the offering and perceive that product or brand as aligning with their ideals, wants, needs, beliefs, and attitudes.

Consumers can develop completely differing and opposing perceptions of the same product or brand due to their vastly different sensory experiences within the world, and also by how they interpret any information presented to them. Three perceptual processes can affect how a consumer cultivates their perception of a product or brand.

Due to the immense amount of advertising a consumer will be exposed to during the day, consumers engage in “selective attention” in order to prioritise their attention towards advertising material that relates to offerings that will specifically interest them, or fulfill their wants or needs. This means that they will filter out and ignore other advertisements or marketing messages deemed unimportant or unnecessary to them, making it much harder for marketing communicator's to attract their attention. “Selective distortion” involves a consumer unconsciously altering or shaping received information to fit to the personal meaning they already have regarding a product or brands attached message. Depending on their personal capacity to remember messages or information, a consumer may engage in “selective retention” by simply forgetting or remembering the message being marketed to them. This requires marketing communicator's to focus on highlighting positive points regarding their market offering, which are more likely to remain in the consumer's memory.[7]

People accumulate beliefs and attitudes through their actions and learning processes, and these can influence their buying behaviour.[4] Beliefs can be based upon a person's opinions, faith, or knowledge (regardless of whether the knowledge is correct or incorrect).[8] One of a marketing communicator's primary objectives is to inform the consumer with correct information in order to affirm or reaffirm a positive belief that the offering they are marketing is the desired destination for the consumer's purchasing journey. Pre-existing beliefs regarding a product or brand can impact a customer's purchasing behaviour though, as a consumer who has been previously misinformed about an offering will hold a negative or incorrect belief that the offering isn't suitable for them.

Attitude is used to describe a consumer's feelings or tendencies towards an offering, and will usually be reflected in that consumer's purchasing behaviour, specifically in regards to whether they do or do not either purchase the product or emotionally invest in the message on offer.

Attitudes can be difficult to change due to the amount of time it takes to develop and cultivate them, and therefore it is best to try and aim the marketing message towards consumers with a similar attitude.[4] A huge part of marketing communications concerns changing people's attitudes, and instilling a new belief within them that their product, brand, or message is the most suitable and desirable offering available to the consumer.