Study Note 11: Central and Edge Paths

Philip Kotler mentioned in his classic book "Marketing Management" that the decision path of consumers is divided into the central decision path and the edge decision path.

Central Path : It means that when people have high motivation and ability, they will think y about all the information, it is a kind of high discernment. Consumer decision-making behavior for products comes from a lot of serious and rational thinking about the target product information. Therefore, it is important to communicate with consumers by highlighting the product's own selling points and utilizing logic, expertise, data, detailed reasoning and deep thinking.

Edge Path : It refers to the fact that when people lack motivation and ability, they are persuaded by subjective impressions, *** knowledge and other marginal information, which belongs to low thinking. Consumers' decision-making behavior on the product is not based on rational and adequate thinking, but on their own positive or other marginal information to form a judgment on the product. Therefore, it is necessary to highlight the use of the product's scene, dig deep into the consumer's emotional **** chirping point, emphasize the product's values, tone, and establish an emotional connection between the consumer and the brand.

If the motivation and the ability to understand the message are present: the central path

If the motivation and the ability to understand the message are not present: the marginal path

Elements affecting motivation and ability:

1 . Advertising medium : the more control you have over the steps of displaying the ad, the more likely you are to follow the central path.

2. Engagement or motivation : the more interested in the content of the ad, the more likely to develop a central path attitude.

3. Knowledge of the item : Knowledgeable people are more likely to form a central path attitude than those who lack knowledge.

4. Understanding : The better the understanding of the advertising message, the more likely to form the attitude of the central path.

5. Attention: The more attention one pays to an advertisement, the more likely one is to form a central path attitude.

6. Emotions: The more positive the emotions are when viewing an advertisement, the more difficult it is to form a centralized path attitude.

7. Need for awareness: The more willing one is to think about a problem, the easier it is to develop a centralized path attitude.

In ordinary use, there is no clear boundary between the two. The central path is rational, the edge path is emotional, and the two are complementary.

Therefore, as a good operation and marketing personnel, must not just try to persuade the user through a variety of rational logic, such as how good my product performance, cost-effective, but also insight into the user's consumer values, behavior, psychological gap, emotional appeal.