Ch. 5 - Consumer Learning Flashcards
Learning
applying past knowledge and experience to present circumstances and behavior.
What are the elements of learning?
drive, repeated cues, response and reinforcement
Consumer learning
The process through which consumers acquire knowledge from experiences with products and observations of others’ consumption, and use that knowledge in subsequent buying.
Although much learning is _______, a great deal of learning is ________
intentional (i.e., it is acquired as the result of a search for information)
incidental, acquired by accident or without much effort.
Motivation
The driving force within individuals that impels them to act.
Cues
Stimuli that direct motivated behavior.
Only cues that are consistent with consumer expectations can drive motivation.
ex: high-fashion designers should sell their clothes only through exclusive stores and advertise only in upscale fashion magazines
Response
Reaction to a drive or cue.
Reinforcement
In learning, particularly in instrumental conditioning, it is a reward, in the form of pleasure, enjoyment, and other benefits, for a desired behavior.
In consumer behavior, it is the benefits, enjoyment, and utilities that consumers receive from products purchased.
Reinforcement has not occurred if…
a patron leaves a restaurant disappointed with the quality of the food or the service or feels “ripped off”
Behavioral learning
AKA stimulus-response learning
based on the premise that observable responses to specific external stimuli signal that learning has taken place.
NOT concerned with the process of learning, BUT rather with the INPUTS and OUTCOMES of learning
Classical Conditioning
viewed as a “knee-jerk” (or automatic) response that builds up through repeated exposure and reinforcement.
ex: Tyler’s friends compliment him on his expensive Prada boots, he is likely to save money to buy a pair of Prada sneakers. If he sees an actor he likes in a movie wearing Prada sneakers, Tyler will immediately recall his friends’ compliments and feel good about himself and his prior purchase.
Unconditioned stimulus
a stimulus that occurs naturally in response to given circumstances
feeling sad thinking about a friend you are seperated from
Conditioned stimulus
a stimulus that became associated with a particular event or feeling as a result of repetition
hearing a theme song of show and thinking of the friend you used to watch it with
Conditioned response
a response to conditioned stimulus
feeling sad after hearing said theme song
Cognitive associative learning
learning theory that views classical conditioning as learning of associations among events that enable consumers to expect and anticipate and events, rather than being a reflexive action
Message repetition
When consumers hear the brand name and brand message over and over within a period of time.
increases the strength of the association between two stimuli
Advertising wear-out
Overexposure to repetitive advertising that causes individuals to become satiated, pay less attention to advertising, and remember fewer ads.
Three-hit theory
- Make consumers aware of the product
- Show consumers the relevance of the product
- Remind them of its benefits
Stimulus generalization
Responding the same way to slightly different stimuli.
ex: Pavlov’s dog salivated to bell (original) and keys jangling or coins (new, similar)
What are the 4 strategic applications of stimulus generalization to branding and managing product lines?
Product line extensions
Product form extensions
Family branding
Licensing
Product Line extensions
Additions of related items to an established brand; these are likely to be adopted because they come under a known and trusted brand name.
ex: Tide expanding to dry cleaners, because it was not in the known association, their association with clean clothes impacts consumer’s perceptions of what this line will look like
Product form extension
Offering the same product in a different form but under the same brand, which is a marketing application of stimulus generalization.
ex: Clorox Bleach, a liquid product, introducing a bleach gel
Family Branding
Marketing a whole line of products under the same brand name, which is a marketing application of stimulus generalization.
ex: Campbells, a soup company, adding new food products to its line under the same name
Licensing
An application of stimulus generalization that contractually allows affixing a brand name to the products of another manufacturer.
Ferrari renting its brand to hot, wheels, EA, and Lego
Coca-Cola putting name on products not made by themselves
Stimulus discrimination
The strategy that is the opposite of stimulus generalization aimed at getting consumers to select a specific stimulus from among similar stimuli, whose objective is to position products and services in such a way that differentiates them effectively from competitive offerings.
Instrumental Conditioning
AKA operant conditioning
A form of behavioral learning based on the notion that learning occurs through a trial-and-error process, with habits formed as a result of rewards received for certain responses or behaviors.
Positive reinforcement
Rewarding a particular behavior and strengthening the likelihood of a specific response during the same or similar situation in the future.
ex: child passes ice cream stand, gets ice cream and receives pleasure from eating it. Whenever passing by the stand again, child asks for ice cream
Negative reinforcement
Removing an unpleasant stimulus and strengthens the likelihood of a given response during the same or similar circumstances.
NOT PUNISHMENT
ex: Child has cold, hates pills. Mother convinces child to take Advil and symptoms go away (unpleasant stimulus removed) Net time with cold, will agree to swallow pill
