Since our knowledge of everyday life is structured in terms of what we perceive to be relevant to us and our actions are governed by what's relevant to us, it makes sense that, for advertising to be effective, it must be relevant to us. Advertising may reach the esteemed level of relevance if it is deemed to speak to "immediate pragmatic interests of [yours]" or to your "general situation in society" (Berger & Luckmann, 1967, p.45). Furthermore, it is not until the point where what is relevant to you intersects with the relevance structure of advertising that you feel the advertising has something interesting to say to you. Thus, we see that the essential element needed for involvement is perceived personal relevance (Petty & Cacioppo, 1981; Richins & Bloch, 1986).

When the receiver perceives the information supplied by advertising as relevant, the advertising has the opportunity to be effective. However, when the intention and the perception do not meet up, the advertising has missed its target. Relevance is, in part, determined by how well the new information fits with what is already "known" by the individual. The incoming message is judged according to how 'close' or how 'far' it is from the beliefs of the person receiving the message (Petty & Cacioppo, 1981, p. 122).

That which does not come 'close' to the attitudes of the person receiving the message, according to Festinger, creates dissonance. He notes that "dissonance is psychologically uncomfortable and an individual will seek to reduce it" (1957). What makes dissonance uncomfortable is the same thing that can make a shoe that's too small uncomfortable: it simply doesn't fit. In this case, information 'far' from the receiver's currently held attitudes doesn't fit with those perceptions that have already been defined as "facts." In the case of cognitive dissonance, this misfit manifests itself as an unpleasant psychological tension. Berger and Luckmann postulate that we utilize selective perception in order to not only avoid this tension but to relieve it as well (1967).

As self-referencers, we selectively perceive advertising based upon how it relates to our self-concept. If advertising helps us to perceive that a product is not only relevant, but also instrumental in helping us to achieve goals that assist in the maintenance of our selective perceptions, then it has achieved its goal. The advertising has become self-related and congruous with our selves (Celsi & Olson, 1988).

However, according to Celsi and Olson (1988), this perspective "explicitly recognizes that a consumer's perception or feeling of personal relevance for an object or event is an acute state that only occurs in certain situations. Even objects or events that are extremely important to an individual are not experienced as personally relevant at all times." Thus enters integrated marketing communication or IMC.

IMC, simply put, is "the coordination of messages for maximum impact" (Thorson & Moore, 1996, p. 333). These messages are coordinated in context and placed within a number of channels. Thus, the basic message is the same throughout the overall message structure but the delivery method varies. The ultimate goal of IMC is to achieve linkages in the mind of a consumer that allow a message to have more impact than it would if it was on its own.

IMC incorporates the idea of synergy, which suggests that, the "entire structure of messages, creates meaning and impact" (Thorson & Moore, 1996, p.333). This structure of messages is effective because not only do we not perceive all things relevant at all times, but not all channels of message transmission (stimuli) are effective at all times. In other words, if the twelve-year-old had just listened to a Britney Spears' CD one hundred times in a row he may not have been so mesmerized by the Pepsi commercial.

Because of an increasing abundance of physical stimuli generated by competing messages, it's getting more difficult for advertisers to get through to consumers in order to initiate the information processing phases. IMC provides a way in which the consumer can eventually be reached while recognizing his need for cognitive consistency by providing the consumer with many channels in which to receive the same message (Moore & Thorson, 1996, p. 334).

IMC is like buying lottery tickets: the more you buy the greater are your chances of winning something. Furthermore, if we get more than one winning ticket (i.e. IMC makes it through to us via more than one channel) then we've hit the jackpot. When this happens, an advertiser utilizing IMC has a greater chance of being selected for perception in the future; because of IMC's inherent makeup it satisfies our internal need for consistency, repetition and validation of that which was previously interpreted. According to Moore and Thorson, "consumer responses, then, are governed by the interaction of new information with the complex structure of previously acquired information" (1996, p. 335).

To Sum It Up

When one understands selective perception and how it works, one must also recognize what an important role it plays in advertising. A major goal of advertising is consumer involvement - the more involved the consumer becomes the more he or she is motivated to comprehend the information being presented. This motivation creates a path that paves the way for more elaborate information processing with regard to the advertiser's message (Minor & Mowen, 1998). In other words, the more involved the consumer is, the better chance the advertiser has of getting through both the perceptual vigilance and perceptual defense of said consumer. If the advertising makes it through and is a cognitive match, well, it could be a match made in heaven...

...if you doubt me, go ask that 12-year-old.

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