Extra Credit Project 5 Student-Created High (Cognitive) Involvement Ad & Related Discussion Find a video ad that you believe epitomizes a firm’s attempt to tap High (Cognitive) Involvement. Include the link so that I can watch it.

Extra Credit Project 5 – Student-Created

High (Cognitive) Involvement Ad & Related Discussion

Find a video ad that you believe epitomizes a firm’s attempt to tap High (Cognitive) Involvement.  Include the link so that I can watch it.

1. Discuss the High (Cognitive) Involvement Model. List the sequential steps in the process.
2. Discuss effort involved in the purchase related to the ad and product which you chose.
3. Discuss cognitive processing done of the ad’s arguments (i.e., attributes, tied to consumer needs).
4. Discuss aspects of the source which could facilitate acceptance of the message arguments.
5. Discuss the “type of appeal” used. Refer to your text (Ch. 8).  If you are still a bit unsure of various appeal types in advertising, there is a Power Point by N. Nijax entitled “Types of Advertising Appeals” at http://www.slideshare.net/sanah08/different-types-of-advertising-appeals-25855442?related=2 .  His slide 16-25 discuss some of the more common types of appeals. This is not an Integrated Marketing Communications (i.e., Promotional Strategy) class.  I don’t expect a highly detailed discussion of the theory behind use of such an appeal.  Just discuss the type, and a credible reason for its choice by this firm in the ad you found.

I have inserted (next page) the project done by a previous student, who “created” this extra credit project.  It often helps in answering posed questions to see a concrete example.  However, since she did not have the assignment (she made it up!), she did not break questions up and letter them (i.e., A, B, etc.).  To make it easier to grade, please letter or number each portion of your responses to the questions.

Consumer Behavior

Extra Credit Project – High (Cognitive) Involvement Ad & Related Discussion

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ez2lbB6pgGQ

The student’s included ad is no longer available.  The picture shown is from another 2014 Outlander ad, “Ms. Autokoto,” at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7KCxNn4yrJU , which is probably both high affective & high cognitive involvement.

Chapter 5 (closest in the Solomon text is Ch. 8) discusses how consumers form attitudes towards brands and products based on the level of processing they put into considering it. Some decisions can’t be based on your mood alone, or how the commercial catches your subconscious, but require real effort and time. How good is the company? What does this brand offer me? How do I feel about this product after the research? How does this ad pertain to me? High effort attitudes follow the cognitive, affective and conative model. You think about it, you develop a feeling about it, and you act on that feeling.

Buying a vehicle requires high effort, especially with a family. You want to research it, test drive it, listen to others talk about it, and make an assessment. You also want to try a couple different vehicles, just to compare. This is an advertisement for the 2014 Nissan Outlander. It’s a mother and her child, driving on the freeway, being distracted by a wreck on the side of the road, almost getting into one themselves, and the car stopping her just in time. The ad engages the consumer using a fear appeal and the terror management theory. This gives the firm an advantage over other competitors. It reminds the viewer that we are vulnerable to these accidents because we all do what the mother did in this video, whether it’s just looking at a wreck, looking at something else, or paying attention to the child in the back seat.

Cognitively, parents would see this ad, ponder support or counterarguments, and think “I need a car like that,” or “the flashing light and noise would distract me even more.” Already, parents will have a positive attitude toward the product and ad (??), because it focuses on the common value of safety. It doesn’t elaborate on any minute details, just that this car will help reduce the chance of an accident, and keep your family safe. The ad doesn’t have a credible source for the message, but the company does have a good reputation for placing emphasis on family values, like reliability and safely. However, the message was only one-sided. It didn’t talk about anything except the safety features, which means it may have drawbacks in other areas.

The process this ad uses is the affective, cognitive, conative approach. First, it makes consumers feel engaged with a hedonic dimension. They feel attached to the ad because they are parents too and are concerned for the safety of their children. They feel vulnerable to the severity of the situation shown before them. It creates a positive feeling toward the brand. Then they inquire about the car. They start asking questions, test driving, and consider the brand. They find it’s safe and reliable. Finally, they act on it. It could be they don’t have the funds, or don’t need a new car yet, but they may or may not buy the car. This step is situational.

Overall, this ad gives a great advantage over other companies because it uses the fear appeal. Most competitors appeal to the eco-friendliness of the vehicle, or the aesthetics of it. Families will see this commercial and it will stick in their memory more because that is a situation everyone has been in, no matter how safe you think you drive.

Note:

  Her ad may have been “2014 Mitsubishi Outlander Accident Commercial — ‘The New Safety’,” now found at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1PN8u5amg7I.