CEST Dual-process theory

The modern consumer is facing information overload, and brands have to adapt their communications to flourish in this new climate.

CEST Dual-process theory

Seymour Epstein & Rosemary Pacini

In the 21st century consumers have to cope with an ever increasing information overload. They are reacting to the stimuli in a different manner than they did in the recent past. Brand communication has to adapt itself to this new situation. A useful theory in this respect is Cognitive Experiential Self Theory (CEST). According to this theory, people react to stimuli such as advertising by means of two information-processing systems: 1) a pre-conscious experiential system and 2) a conscious rational system.

THE EXPERIENTIAL SYSTEM

The information processing in the experiential...

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