ABSTRACT
The suffix ‘-ology’ is used to mean either ‘the study of’ or ‘the science of’. This chapter is about the science of consumption (or buying). It addresses the role of the mind, how it influences buying and brand choice, and how to go about measuring it. The chapter discusses four distinguishable components or fragments that can potentially be stored in memory. These fragments are: the ad execution (girl with glass asking for more calcium); the product category (fruit juice); the brand (Minute Maid); and the message (healthy/good—kids ask for it). These four elements of any ad experience that need to be represented in memory as fragments bound together by connections can be depicted. The most common problem in advertising is, without doubt, registering the (correct) brand in memory. It is staggering how much advertising fails because it doesn’t successfully connect up everything else with the (correct) brand in memory.
