Perception research carried out in first assignment

There are a variety of views on perception according to different theorists. One theory – the Howard and Sheath model explains long-term brand preferences by looking at the reactions of an individual to a range of stimuli. The stimuli come from the social environment and are categorised into three parts: the elements of the brand, such as price; the message delivered by advertising and promotion of the product; stimuli presented by social groups. Society affects the behaviour of the consumer a great deal as society dictates trends. A hierarchy of personal needs adapted from Maslow, Motivation and Personality shows that social belonging needs ranks third. For example, if a consumer were considering what phone to purchase, they are more likely to drift toward an iPhone, BlackBerry or other smart phone, as these are the current trend in the mobile telephone market. With the packaging selected as an example, Walkers Extra Crunchy crisps are currently priced at ninety-nine pence per packet. This price is deemed reasonable considering it is a new product and one that is perceived to be a more luxurious alternative to the standard Walkers crisps. As it is a new product, Walkers use penetration pricing, they are have placed an introductory price on the packets of ninety-nine pence to gain market share. As Walkers already have forty-two per cent of the share in the British crisps market, they are already a well-known and popular brand. However, this is a new product and a consumer would prefer to purchase the more luxurious looking Walkers crisps instead of the standard Walkers crisps if they are the same price. If the Walkers Extra Crunchy crisps prove to be a success then they can increase the price. As far as promotion goes, Walkers have famous ex-sportsman Gary Lineker as the face of the brand and have introduced Lionel Richie into the promotions. They have now automatically targeted two major markets – the sports fans and the music fans. The message being delivered in this series of advertisements is that Gary Lineker and Lionel Richie consume this product; this sparks the feeling of wanting to imitate celebrities, which is a very successful way of promoting a product.

Gibson’s theory of perception was that humans directly perceive their environment through visual stimulation. Known commonly as an ‘ecological’ theory. Gibson proposes that perception consists of the five senses – sight, smell, touch, taste and sound. When promoting a product it is important to access the five senses to ensure a reaction. Walkers Extra Crunchy crisps are in tune with the senses as the packet is different to most packets of crisps. It features a minimalist look, with a simple colour scheme - this is eye-catching as it differs from the other packets on the shelf that are more often than not brightly coloured to ensure they grasp attention from potential consumers. The texture of the packaging is different to that of a normal bag of crisps. The packaging is a lot thicker, and has a matte finish to it rather than a glossy finish to ensure the appearance of a luxury product. The product manages to target taste and sound using the packaging by using onomatopoeia in the name – ‘Crunchy’. The taste is offered in the typography used when stating the flavour and the image on the front of the packet.