Sending Signals to the Customer with Ads - Understanding Sponsored Search - page 65

Signaling theory is similar to social-information-processing theory [ 8 ], which holds
that online communicators employ alternative communication cues to compensate the
absence of nonverbal cues used in face-to-face interaction [ 8 ]. Social-information-
processing theory has been supported in several online settings, and the results imply
that people put greater emphasis on text-based cues or use alternative cues provided
by the online platform [ 9 ].
Potpourri : One interesting aspect of signaling theory is what it takes for someone
to notice a signal, a difference between two signals, or one signal among many
signals.
This measure is often referred to as the theory of just-noticeable differences.
A just noticeable difference is the smallest detectable difference between an
initial level and follow-on level of a given sensory stimulus (i.e., signal), which
for sponsored search ads is visual. So, we are interested in the magnitude of the
difference between two signals.
In many cases, the just noticeable difference can be expressed as a portion
of the initial signal. As an example, when comparing two coins, the second coin
would have to be some percentage larger than first coin for an average person to
notice a difference by touch.
The theory of just noticeable differences may be why techniques such as
unusual wording, capitalization, and strange semantics in advertisements have
been successful for some advertisers.
A great area for future work in the sponsored search area would be to opera-
tionalize these differences in some quantifiable manner.
Naturally, to pick up a signal, one must detect it. With ads, this is done visually.
The searcher has to both see and perceive the advertisement.
The perceptual process [ 10 ] is the active cognitive process in which the brain
strives to make sense of sensory information and fit this to a known pattern or develop
some new pattern to make sense of the information. Perceptions typically involve
three aspects:
• Detection - determination of whether a signal is present or absent
• Recognition - noticeable familiarity without the ability to label the stimulus
• Identification - full identification of the stimulus, including awareness and
labeling
In a way, especially with the meaning of information, our perceptions create our
reality. What one perceives from a signal is a result of interplays between past expe-
riences and the interpretation of the perceived information. In sponsored search,
aspects such as branding or opinions can greatly influence the searcher's perception
of a signal or advertisement. For example, a URL may be trustworthy to one searcher
but viewed with suspicion by another searcher.