Perception is a process that begins with consumer exposure and attention to marketing
stimuli and ends with consumer interpretation. As we will see, exposure and attention are
highly selective—meaning that consumers process only a small fraction of the available
information. And as the opening example suggests, interpretation can be a highly subjective
process. Thus reality and consumer perceptions of that reality are often quite different.
Marketers wishing to communicate their brand message effectively to consumers must
understand the nature of perception and the many factors infl uencing it.