The hierarchy of effects model is a depiction of the process customers go through from their exposure to a product. Understanding the way customers become aware of and process product information helps your company formulate marketing and advertising plans and strategies. The general goal is to hit customers with the right messages at the right times to influence their buying behavior.
The hierarchy of effects model was conceived in 1961 by Robert J. Lavidge and Gary A. Steiner. Their original model had six steps: awareness, knowledge, liking, preference, conviction and purchase. The general premise was that consumers first become aware of your product, and then they gain knowledge of its capabilities, formulate an attitude toward it and -- ideally -- buy it. Since this original model, many subsequent models have been developed, ranging from three to seven steps.
A premise of the hierarchy of effects is that consumers generally behave in three basic stages of buying behavior: cognitive, affective and conative. During the cognitive stage, consumers absorb information and messaging to gain knowledge of the product. During the affective stage, they formulate feelings and attitudes about the brand. During the conative stage, the consumer purchases the product, assuming he had favorable feelings toward it in the affective stage.
The first step for most companies in advertising is to create brand or product awareness. This means making people aware of your product and trying to impress upon them a particular brand image, such as top quality, durability, versatility or patented features. During the affective stage, companies invest money to convince customers that their benefits are superior to competitors with the hope of invoking strong feels and likeness. At the point-of-purchase, capturing customer data and delivering a friendly purchase experience is the common objective.
Understanding the basic stages consumers go through in assessing a product is just a starting point in effective marketing. Market research is useful to gain insight into the specific benefits desired by prospect market segments you think would have an interest in your product. Identifying a specific segment and targeting consumers in it with customized ad messages can increase your effectiveness as consumers move from thinking and feeling to buying conviction.
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