Marketing Management, 16th Edition

Perception

Perception is the process by which we select, organize, and interpret information inputs to create a meaningful picture of the world.33 A motivated person is ready to act. How this person will act is influenced by his or her perception of the situation. In marketing, perceptions are more important than reality because they affect consumers’ actual behavior.

Perception depends not only on physical stimuli but also on the stimuli’s relationship to the surrounding environment and on conditions that exist within each of us. One person might perceive a fast-talking salesperson as aggressive and insincere, whereas another might regard the salesperson as intelligent and helpful. Each will respond to the salesperson differently. People emerge ...