Juana looked at the September issue of her favorite fashion magazine and did not find anything particularly interesting despite the fact that the magazine had several advertisements that were targeted at Juana’s demographic. The only thing that interested her was an article about an upcoming fashion show. Which consumer behavior is being illustrated in this instance?
A) subliminal advertising
B) groupthink
C) selective attention
D) social loafing
E) consumer ethnocentrism
The correct answer and explanation is :
The correct answer is C) selective attention.
Explanation:
Selective attention refers to the process by which individuals focus their attention on specific stimuli while ignoring others. In this case, Juana is looking through a fashion magazine that contains multiple advertisements targeted at her demographic, yet she only finds one article interesting — the one about an upcoming fashion show. Despite the fact that the magazine’s advertisements are designed with her in mind, Juana’s attention is focused on a specific article, while she disregards the rest of the content, demonstrating selective attention.
Selective attention occurs because people are not capable of processing all incoming information at once. Instead, they tend to focus on certain elements that align with their interests, needs, or current mindset. In Juana’s case, even though the magazine presents multiple ads that cater to her demographic, they do not capture her attention as the article about the fashion show does. This illustrates that individuals choose to focus on certain information based on their preferences and priorities.
This behavior is common in consumer behavior, as individuals are bombarded with a vast amount of advertising and media content every day. Consumers are likely to ignore messages that they don’t find personally relevant or engaging. For example, in marketing, advertisers often try to create content that grabs the audience’s attention by tailoring their messages to specific consumer segments, knowing that selective attention will play a significant role in determining whether the message is noticed or not.
Other options do not accurately fit the scenario:
- A) Subliminal advertising refers to hidden or subconscious messages that are not consciously noticed by the consumer.
- B) Groupthink involves making decisions as a group that discourage individual creativity or critical thinking.
- D) Social loafing refers to people exerting less effort in a group task than when working alone.
- E) Consumer ethnocentrism describes a belief that one’s own culture or country is superior to others when purchasing goods.
Thus, selective attention is the correct concept here.