Investigating Effects of Advertising and Marketing in Human Memory - Research Proposal Example

? Investigating effects of Advertising and Marketing in Human Memory of Memory is the ability to remember information about past experiences or knowledge. Sensory memory is the first stage of memory. The information gathered from the environment through sensory perception is referred as sensory memory. Short-term memory is a system for temporarily storing and retrieving information necessary in performing complex tasks such as learning and comprehension. The information stored in this system last for a couple of minutes only. On the other hand, the Long-term memory is responsible of storing information for longer period of time. Human memory plays the most important role in advertising and marketing. Marketers have found that autobiographical memories may be spontaneously activated within the context of an advertising message (Baumgartner, Sujan, &Bettman, 1992; Krugman, 1967). Advertising and Marketing industries spend great amounts of resources to study and understand human mind. The consumers’ mental activities, especially, the memory are the key to victory in these businesses. Memory greatly influences the customer’s decision makings, thus knowing how and when to trigger and affect a customer’s mind means more likely a successful deal. Advertisers manipulate consumers’ memories and emotions through the use of autobiographical referencing. The use of such referencing can cause consumers to focus less on rational product information and more on the feelings evoked by their recollected memories (Sujan, Bettman, &Baumgartner, 1992).To be considered effective, an advertiser wants an excited and eager response from a potential customer. The greater response from potential customers means greater possibility of a successful deal. Critical Literature Review According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, memory is the ability to remember past experiences or learned information, involving advanced mental processes such as learning, retention, recall, and recognition and resulting from chemical changes between neurons in several different areas of the brain, including the hippocampus. Encoding, storage, and retrieval are the processes involved in memory. Encoding is the first step in creating memory. It is a biological process that begins with the sensory perception. The information about a thing we see, hear, smell, taste, and/or feel combines into a single idea, the idea of that particular “thing”. In this manner the idea is registered to the brain as a cluster of information about that specific thing (“How Human Memory Works”). Experts believe that the brain is also responsible for analyzing and deciding if this sensory information is worth remembering. They may become part of the long-term memory if the brain decides to. Although a memory begins with perception, it is encoded and stored using electrical impulses and chemical messages. These impulses and messages are also responsible for retrieving data when the brain wishes to (“How Human Memory Works, Memory Encoding”). There are three stages human brain stores information. The first stage is the sensory stage where the perceived information is stored for the shortest time. Immediate memory lasts for just a few seconds. Then if it is determined to be stored a little longer then it will go in the short-term memory. In Freudian psychology, short-term memory can also be referred to as the conscious. Short-term memory stores information that has been minimally processed and is available only for a few minutes. Short-term memory is transferred into long-term memory, which can last for many years. In Freudian psychology, long-term memory is called the preconscious and unconscious. Repeated use of the information allows it to be retained in the memory. As time passes, bits of information stored in our brains are erased to avoid too much information, since they’re capacity are finite (“How Human Memory Works, Short-Term and Long-Term Memory”). According to Chan Yun Yoo, an assistant professor at the University of Kentucky's School of Journalism and Telecommunications, humans store information in two different types of memory: explicit and implicit. Explicit memory involves data gathered through conscious interaction and exposure to the information, while implicit memory involves unconscious retention. Examples of explicitly remembered information are slogans, product benefits and claims, etc. On the other hand, implicit memory might only come into play when external stimuli trigger concepts. For example, a consumer might only recall a certain brand of shampoo he or she seen from a television ad when he or she see it while browsing in a grocery store. The consumer might develop an unconscious affinity for a certain brand despite not knowing specific details about the product (“How Ads Affect Our Memory”). Research Questions 1. What are the roles of advertising and marketing in human memory? 2. How Advertising and Marketing affect human memory? 3. Is it an effective way to advertise and influence human memory? The primary purpose of this experiment is to investigate what the effects of Advertising and Marketing in Human Memory are and how these factors affect human memory. The motivation of this study is to investigate whether or not it is possible for the advertisers and marketers to influence people to purchase their products. And finally, to determine if using advertisement is effective in influencing human memory. Hypotheses It is hypothesized that advertisers and marketers can influence human memory and emotions through the use of various forms of ads such as slogan ads, television ads, and web ads to persuade people’s decisions in purchasing their products. Methods There will be fifteen participants in this experiment; the sample population can be increased if the resources will permit. The age range for the participants will be from 18 to 65 years old. The participants should be a local citizen of (insert specific location) and will be randomly selected. The income and gender of each participant will not be factored into this experiment. The participants will be randomly assigned into groups A, B, and C. With five members each group. Group A will be asked to watch only specific television channels for one week, these channels will present a certain group of television ads every specified time interval. Group B will do the same thing but with different television channels and ads. And lastly, Group C will be asked not to watch any television ad for a week. After this, each of the participants will be given same amount of money to be spent on a store. After one hour, the participants will be asked to present all the things they bought and will be asked to answer a questionnaire. The method can be modified by using other forms of advertisements. This way determining the most effective form of advertising in influencing consumers will be achieved. Predicted Results The participants from Groups A and B will purchase majority of the products they saw in the advertisements they were asked to watch for one week. On the other hand, participants from Group C purchased a wide variety of products. The results in this experiment will show that advertisements influence consumers in purchasing goods, by affecting and influencing human mind, especially the memory. Conclusion Therefore we can conclude that Advertisers and Marketers can manipulate consumers’ memories and emotions through the use of autobiographical referencing and advertisements. The use of such referencing can cause consumers to focus less on rational product information and more on the feelings evoked by their recollected memories while other advertisements influence its viewers by making them familiar and seem to feel connected to the product. Summary Memory is the ability to remember information taken from experiences. Human memory plays a vital role in advertising and marketing industries. Knowing this, marketers found that autobiographical memories may be spontaneously activated within the context of an advertising message. Memory greatly influences the customers’ judgment, thus being able to influence the prospect customer’s mind will likely lead to a successful deal. The experiment will show how advertisements influence the purchasing behavior of participants from Groups A and B. In contrast, participants from Group C purchased a wide variety of products showing no influence of advertisements. The results in this experiment will show that advertisements influence consumers in purchasing goods, by affecting and manipulating human mind. This experiment that is going to be performed will support the hypothesis that advertisers and marketers can manipulate human memory and emotions through the use of various forms of ads such as slogan ads, television ads, and web ads to influence people’s judgment in purchasing a product. Therefore it will be concluded in the end of the experiment that Advertisers can manipulate consumers’ memories and emotions through the use of autobiographical referencing. The use of such referencing can cause consumers to focus less on rational product information and more on the feelings evoked by their recollected memories. 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