Alternative Response Hierarchy Models

The Response Hierarchy Models explains the consumer responses and behaviour to the advertising process. The Models provide a complete understanding of the responses of a customer through all stages of his path from unaware of the product to the purchase action.

The article throws light on the five main Models of Response Hierarchy that explain the consumer behaviour across three awareness stages- Cognitive Stage, Affective Stage and Behavioral Stage. The five Response Hierarchy Models are as follows

• AIDA Model
• Hierarchy-of-Effects Model
• Innovation-Adoption Model
• Information Processing Model and
• Operational Model

Innovation-Adoption Model

Innovation-Adoption Model was developed by Rogers in 1995. He postulated various stages in which a target customer sails through from the stage of incognizance to purchase. The 5 stages of the Innovation-Adoption Model are Awareness, Interest, Evaluation, Trial, and Adoption.

AWARENESS

This is the primary stage of Innovation-Adoption Model. takes action is the awareness stage of the model where the consumer becomes aware of a brand or a product mostly through advertisements.

INTEREST

This is the second phase of the Innovation-Adoption Model. This is a stage in which the information about the brand or a product multiplies in the market and triggers the interest of the potential buyers of the product to gain more knowledge and information about the product.

EVALUATION

Evaluation is the third stage of the Innovation-Adoption Model that supplements the necessary information regarding the product to the consumers. In this stage, the consumers evaluate and try to gain a deeper understanding of the product that stimulated interest in them.

TRIAL

In this stage, the customers try the product before making the final choice to purchase the product.

ADOPTION

Adoption is the final stage of the Innovation-Evaluation Model. In this stage, the customer accepts the product, makes a purchase decision and finally purchases the product.

In the Innovation-Evaluation Model, the Awareness happens at the Cognitive Stage, developing an interest and evaluation phases fall under the conviction phase, and the trial of the product and the actual adoption fall in the Behavioral phase.

Information Processing Model

The Information-Processing Model is a structure used by cognitive psychologists to define the mental processes. This model links the human thought process to the computer functions. It signifies that the human mind, like the computer takes in information, organizes, and stores the information to be repossessed later. It claims that just like the computer possesses an input device, a processing unit, a storage unit, and an output device, the human mind also has a parallel framework. The Information-Processing Model comprises of 6 stages namely the Presentation, Attention, Comprehension, Yielding, Retention and the Behavioral stage.

PRESENTATION

The presentation is the fundamental stage in the Information-Processing Model. This is the awareness phase where the consumer becomes aware of his needs and seeks a product to satiate his needs.

ATTENTION

This is the second stage of the Information-Processing Model, where the product seizes the attention of the potential customers.

COMPREHENSION

In this stage of the Information-Processing Model, the consumer compares and evaluates various products of different brands accessible in the market to ascertain the product that actually meets his requirement.

YIELDING

This is a stage in which the customer figures out what exactly he wants and the brand and its product that balances his needs to its specifications.

RETENTION

This is the fifth stage in the Information-Processing Model. This is the stage in which the customer remembers the key features and attributes, the benefits and all the positive aspects of the products that he is seeking to purchase.

BEHAVIOR

This is the last stage of the Information-Processing Model in which the purchase action of a product of a particular band takes place.

In the Information-Processing Model, the Presentation, Attention and Comprehension take place in the Cognitive stage, Yielding and Retention of information fall under the Affective stage, and the final Behavioral action takes place in the Behavioral stage.

Operational Model

Operational Model is a strategic framework that works by three activities namely the Non-Evaluative Thinking, Evaluative Thinking, and Action.

NON-EVALUATIVE THINKING

This is the first stage of the Operational Model. In this stage, the consumers are exposed to the different brands and the multiple products that they offer. This is the awareness stage which creates awareness among the potential consumers.

EVALUATIVE THINKING

Evaluative thinking is the second stage of the operational model. This is an evaluation phase wherein the potential customers evaluate different products and juggle the same with similar products of various brands to make that one choice amongst the various alternatives available.

ACTION

The action is the last stage in the Operational Model. This is a stage wherein a consumer makes the final purchase decision and purchases the product.

In the Operational Model, Non-Evaluative thinking takes place in the Cognitive Stage, Evaluative Thinking falls under the Affective Stage, and the Action falls under the Behavioral Stage.