AIDA model

The AIDA model is a list of stages involved in the interactions between sellers and buyers in an economy. Specifically, it relates to the process by which goods and services may be successfully marketed to potential buyers. The model has changed over time and taken different forms, but generally refers to the stages of Attention (or Awareness), Interest, Desire (or Decision), and Action. The earliest forms of the AIDA model were invented by American marketer Elias St. Elmo Lewis around 1898, and were revised and promoted in the 1920s by marketer Edward Strong. Although marketing has changed dramatically since the eras of Lewis and Strong, many companies still embrace AIDA techniques in educating marketers and engaging new demographics of consumers.

Brief History

Many social and economic developments in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries brought about great changes in world markets. Goods that were traditionally handmade locally in small numbers were now being created in massive quantities in factories and shipped to consumers in many areas. A wider variety of goods also became available, with consumers gaining many new choices and companies competing for consumer interest.

By the late 1800s, business advertising was becoming a large and influential business. Companies had to dedicate increasing levels of attention to informing potential customers about available wares and enticing them to make purchases. Large companies even formed departments solely engaged in marketing their goods and services. Experts in marketing arose and began formulating theories about how best to attract and keep consumers.

One of the early pioneers of marketing science was Elias St. Elmo Lewis, an American businessman. Lewis worked as a marketing expert and advisor for several companies. During his career, he developed many new theories and approaches toward marketing, some of which he published or taught to marketing students. He felt that marketing was a science that could be continually improved through innovation, study, and training.

Around 1898, Lewis began coining simple yet memorable phrases that would capture the most important aspects of marketing. At first, he focused on the direct interaction by which a seller converts a potential buyer into a customer during a sales call. In the coming years, however, he broadened the meaning of his phrasing to encompass the entire process by which sellers find buyers on any scale or in any circumstance.

Lewis's phrasing, further honed by later economists and marketers such as Edward Strong, the author of The Psychology of Selling and Advertising (1925), ultimately led to the AIDA model still in use in the twenty-first century.

Overview

The AIDA model, created by Elias St. Elmo Lewis and revised by Edward Strong, lists stages of thought involved in the purchase of a good or service. In the most basic form, these stages are Attention, Interest, Desire, and Action. The model is meant to educate and motivate marketers and sellers to guide potential consumers through each stage toward the goal of a completed sale. The model is most often portrayed visually as an inverted triangle with the stages in descending order. Such a visual model is often referred to as a purchasing funnel.

The first stage of AIDA is Attention (sometimes called Awareness). This initial step involves capturing the interest of a potential buyer. Marketers may use surprising images, striking facts, or puzzling problems to get people's attention. The strategies for gaining attention should ideally open consumers' minds to the value and importance of a product being offered. The most successful attention-gaining media are well tuned to the interests of the targeted demographics.

The second stage of AIDA is Interest. This stage involves holding the recently gained attention of the potential consumer and making a lasting connection. Marketers often accomplish this goal by creating a memorable story or taking a personal approach. For some products, humorous ads or colorful mascots can help to maintain interest. For other products, showing concern or empathy for people can meet the same goal. Generally, marketers try to navigate this stage in the briefest and most direct way possible due to consumers' limited attention spans.

The third stage of AIDA is Desire (sometimes called Decision). This stage follows the Interest stage by showing specifically how and why an offered good or service can meet the consumers' needs and wants. The goal is to make the consumer want to buy. In the Desire or Decision stage, commercials may show "before and after" footage to demonstrate a product's effectiveness, or list the many uses of a multipurpose item, to prove that a good or service will be highly valuable to the consumer.

The fourth and final stage of AIDA is Action. If the prior stages were navigated successfully, the consumer will want to purchase the offered good or service. In the Action stage, the marketer must clearly show the consumer what to do next. This stage often involves ordering instructions, information about where products may be purchased, or special offers that create a sense of urgency for buyers. This stage is related to the business concept of "closing the sale."

Many factors in marketing and selling have changed since the AIDA concept first arose in the late 1800s. For instance, the Action step in many cases has been transferred to social media and word of mouth, factors that are not entirely controllable by marketers. Some marketers have also appended new letters to AIDA. Some add an R for Retention, a fifth stage in which companies maintain consumer interest and inspire referrals and positive word of mouth. Another fifth stage often added is S for Satisfaction, meaning that consumers should be pleased with their decision to buy a product or service.

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