DISCUSS THE AIETA MODEL INTRODUCED BY EVERETT ROGERS IN 1962 IN HIS BOOK “DIFFUSSION OF INNOVATION”.

Everett Rogers in 1962 propounded a model of communication for solving communication tasks between organizations and their consumers. The model named the AIETA explains consumer behavior. The name AIETA connotes the hierarchical procedures undertaken to solve a communication task. AIETA which stands for Awareness, Interest, Evaluation, Trial and Adoption.
Communication advocates suggests that there should be a series of stages between a product or brand and the ultimate purchase or sales of a particular brand. Consumers must not jump from one state of disinterest to a state of convinced purchases but rather, they must go through a series of steps to that threshold of purchase.
They should move from a level of unawareness of the existence a product to an awareness of the existence of the product; they should also know the benefit of   the product or what it has to offer and other favorable attitudes towards the product.
According to Thomas E. Barry, advertising is effective when it sells therefore advertisers must carefully and creatively plan a communication objective with measurable goals so that it can sell or appeal to the consumer. Also how an individual adopt a new product or brand is very keen, this where the idea of diffusion of innovation comes in. The human keeps changing as time goes by and must adopt new products that meet their preferences.
Diffusion of innovation as talked about by Everett Rogers tries to understand consumer behavior in adapting to a new product or brand. They must be moved from a state of unknowing to the state of awareness since advertising aims at create awareness. It requires acceptance from the consumer to be successful but they also require them to change their existing behavioral patterns and habits.
The diffusion of innovation is therefore explained as the tendency of new products, practices or ideas to spread among people .Usually, when new products or ideas come about, they are only adopted by a small group of people initially, many innovations spread to other people. The diffusion takes a bell shape curve which illustrates the rate of adoption of a new product. Cumulative adoptions are reflected by the s-shaped curve and the saturation point is maximum proportion of consumers likely to adopt a product.
The first task in promoting any new product is to create awareness (perception) that a product exists. The second is to provide enough compelling information(learning and persuasion) about the product for prospective customer to find interest and make an informed decision .Finally ,you want your advertising to stimulate customers (motivation) to satisfy their needs and wants by trying the product. These are personal processes of the consumer behavior.
The adoption process consists of five stages of consumer decision making, that is, which normally takes place after awareness has been created.  This can be done through campaigns, internet banners, jingles or slogan. Interest is generated by the consumer through information ads which gives the vital information or details of the product .Image ads can also trigger interest through image ads that gives compelling and aesthetic appeals that creates an interest. After interest has been triggered, the consumer evaluates the product or brand to know the reality about the benefits of the product compared to other competing ones. A consumer must also have a mental disposition so as to accept the product and eventually buy it. The evaluation can be done by the consumer through aids like testimonials from people who have truly tired and tested the product, comparative ads as well as persuasion ads. Trial must be made by the consumer through marketing mixes such as sales promotions and also point of purchase material like mounting of stands and the like. Adoption can only be guaranteed if the advertiser has convinced the consumer beyond reasonable doubts of why he or she must adopt the product and the benefits at stake in using the product and the product can also be rejected if that persuasion was not so convincing or persuasive.

REFERENCES:
 Rogers, E, Diffusion of innovation, 1983(3rd ed).
 Orr, G, (2003)
Krugman, P, AIETA model, 1977 (18).
Lars, P, Marshall School of Business, University of Southern California.
Rothschild, M, L, Advertising, 1987

 BEDIAKO CHRISTABEL SEFAKOR

        LEVEL 300.
        BACP 2014014