Chapter 5 - Consumer learning Flashcards
Learning
The process by which individuals acquire the purchase and consumption knowledge and experience that they apply to future-related behavior. ACQUIRING AND APPLYING THE INFORMATION
Elements of learning theories: Motivation
Unfilled needs lead to motivation
Elements of learning theories: Cues
stimuli that direct motives. a cue causes a response. ex. seeing food then deciding to go eat
Elements of learning theories: Response
consumer reaction to a drive or cue. reacting by buying the product.
Elements of learning theories: Reinforcement
increases the likelihood that a response will occur in the future as a result of a cue. positive or negative: ex. if you clean your room ill give you candy, if you don’t clean your room ill take away screentime
Reinforcement vs Punishment
Reinforcement – positive or negative you are encouraging good behavior Ex. points from brands trying to reinforce good behavior
Punishment – discouraging bad behavior. Ex. fines from radar. late payment fees.
Elements of learning theories:
- motivation
- cues
- response
- reinforcement
Two major learning theories
behavioral learning
cognitive learning
Behavioral Learning
Based on observable behaviors (responses) that occur as the result of exposure to stimuli.
passive learning
ex. hurting yourself in the gym, next time won’t do it again.
learning through trial and error.
LEARNING THROUGH OWN EXPERIENCES
Cognitive Learning
- Learning based on the mental information process
- often in response to problem-solving
Actively learning. Choose to read and learn. cognitive processing.
ex. you read that you shouldn’t do that certain move when exercising.
Behavioral Learning theories
concerned with inputs and outputs
- Classical conditioning
- Instrumental (Operant) conditioning
Classical conditioning
A behavioral learning theory according to which a stimulus is paired with another stimulus that elicits a known response that serves to produce that same response when used alone. (Pavlov theory)
example of classical conditioning in marketing
ice cream truck music. Conditioned stimulus = music
unconditioned stimulus = ice cream
unconditioned response = pleasure of ice cream
conditioned stimulus = unconditioned response
Model of classical conditioning (pavlov)
Unconditioned stimulus = meat paste
conditioned stimulus = bell
unconditioned response = salvation
eventually
conditioned stimulus (bell) = conditioned response (salvation)
Strategic applications of classical conditioning
- repetition
- Stimulus generalization
- Stimulus discrimination
Strategic applications of classical conditioning: REPETITION
Increases the association between the conditioned and unconditioned stimulus
- Slows the pace of forgetting
- Advertising wearout is a problem
need to make sure that we repeat the first satisfaction, to prevent sensory adaptation, it’s beneficial to make slight changes to the stimulus or advertisement. This keeps the association fresh and effective.
Strategic applications of classical conditioning: STIMULUS GENERALIZATION
Having the same response to slightly different stimuli
Helps “me-too” products to succeed
Useful in:
product extensions
family branding
licensing
Me too product, copycat, copy from the market leader. Take advantage of stimulus generalization.
e.g. Tide and its colors vs. Carrefour’s laundry detergent with very similar elements and colors.
Strategic applications of classical conditioning: Stimulus Discrimination
-Selection of a specific stimulus from similar stimuli
-Opposite of stimulus generalization
-This discrimination is the basis of positioning which looks for unique ways to fill needs
As a market leader, you can foster stimulus discrimination through effective advertising, emphasizing your brand’s distinct value and unique qualities. This sets you apart from competitors like Carrefour. Customers should recognize your brand’s unique features, much like distinguishing Coca-Cola’s iconic red can from similar products.
Behavioral Learning: Instrumental (operant) conditioning
A behavioral theory of learning based on a trial-and-error process, with habits forced as the result of positive experiences (reinforcement) resulting from certain responses or behaviors.
Instrumental (operant) conditioning: Reinforcement of behavior: Positive and negative reinforcement
Positive
- Positive outcome,
- Strength likelihood
- someone pushing you to do good things
Negative
- Negative outcome
- Encourages behavior
Negative – don’t do this to avoid bla bla. fear, humor.
Positive; The toothpaste ad tells you to brush ur teeth and u will have fresh breath
Negative; brush ur teeth so u avoid having cavities
Therefore, when the jeans don’t fit (unrewarded) that doesn’t represent negative reinforcement it is no reinforcement at all. There is no reward there is no reinforcement
Instrumental (operant) conditioning: Reinforcement of behavior: Extinction and forgetting
Extinction:
- A learned response is no longer reinforced
- The link is eliminated between stimulus and reward
no longer a reward
Forgetting:
- The reinforcement is forgotten
- The reward is still there but you forget about it
Drawbacks of Instrumental learning: Reinforcement behavior
● Positive → increases the likelihood of you buying a product by showing you the positive aspects of the product
● Negative → increases the likelihood of you buying a product by showing you the aspects of the product or lifestyle that can harm you by not doing it.
● Extinction → if something is not repeated, this reward is no longer linked between stimulus and reward. This means you no longer are rewarded.
- when you go to a place and then after years you stop going because the quality
of the food reduces tremendously.
● Forgetting → the reward is still there but you forget about it
Strategic Applications of Instrumental Conditioning
- Customer satisfaction
- Reinforcement schedules
–total
–systematic
–random - shaping
- learning schedules: massed vs distributed learning
Strategic Applications of Instrumental Conditioning: customer satisfaction (reinforcement)
enhance the experience,
utilizing customer service
Strategic Applications of Instrumental Conditioning: Reinforcement Schedules
- Total: every single time you buy something they give you something for free.
Ex. Sephora giveaways, restaurants: always give you bread, - Systematic: every nth time you get something for free.
ex. Starbucks app, rewards system, subway stamp card - Random: whenever you just walk buy u find sale somewhere, very random , no way of knowing when the sale or the bundle, eg in carrefour u just see a bundle that is random, u don’t know when it will happen
Strategic Applications of Instrumental Conditioning:
Shaping
shaping your behavior before you even enter the store by offering you a discount or something additional,
for example, attract your attention my emails
and SMS messages mentioning they are having sales or sending you a coupon.
Silver members get this announcement in email.
Strategic Applications of Instrumental Conditioning:
Learning Schedules
Massed: bombarding you with advertisements for a short period of time and then disappearing. This is better when you are building a brand awareness of a new product, or if you are having sales, seasonal products
ex. Vimto in Ramadan or
back to school supplies or holiday packages in summer, losing market share or our competitors are eating away from out market share
Distributed Learning: advertise averagely throughout the year. This is better in general for regular products because we keep consumers aware about the existence of the product
Information Processing and Cognitive Learning
- Cognitive Learning
—Learning involves complex mental processing of information
—Emphasizes the role of motivation - short term and long term memory
Information Processing and Memory Stores
Memory Process:
Sensory Input: External stimulus, like the words in a book, enters your sensory store.
Paying Attention: Critical to move information from sensory store to working memory.
Rehearsal: Mentally repeating information to keep it in working memory.
Encoding: Creating associations or codes for information.
Short-Term Store (Working Memory): Where information is temporarily held; can be forgotten if not rehearsed.
Long-Term Store: Where information is stored more permanently.
Application in Marketing:
Sensory Input: Advertisements are external stimuli.
Selective Attention: Important for ads to capture your focus.
Rehearsal: Repetition of ads helps in retaining the message.
Encoding: Advertisers use branding elements (e.g., jingles, logos) to create associations.
Long-Term Store: Successful encoding ensures that brand information is stored for the long term.
Food = behavioral learning
Phone car house = cognitive learning
Durable products = cognitive learning
Short term products = behavioral
Definition of involvement
- Degree of personal relevance that the product or purchase holds for that customer.
- High involvement purchases are very important to the consumer
- Low-involvement hold little relevance, have little perceived risk, and have limited information processing
High-involvement products → cognitive learning required, you need to use your brain a lot before using it.
→ perceived to be more risky
Low-involvement products → consumables i.e. grocery store items. If you buy the wrong chocolate bar, you can just get another one.
→ perceived to be less risky
What are the marketing applications of involvement? In other words, what can you do to increase the level of involvement in customers?
Marketing Applications to Increase Involvement:
- Digital Involvement: Engage customers through interactive digital experiences, such as quizzes, polls, and personalized content.
- Challenges and Trends:.
- Celebrity Endorsements:
- Competition: Organize contests or competitions that encourage customers to actively participate.
-Raffles:
-Hashtags:
-Creating Avatars on Websites:
-Consumer Engagement: Focus on building a relationship with customers through two-way communication and feedback mechanisms.
Central Routes to Persuasion
- For high involvement purchases
- Requires cognitive processing
- Central Route to persuasion is trying to persuade someone to make a certain purchase
decision for high involvement purchases which requires cognitive processing aka acquiring a lot of information. So the marketer gives the consumer everything central and important to the product.
Peripheral route to persuasion
- Low involvement
- Consumer less motivated to think
- Learning through repetition, visual cues, and holistic perception
- Peripheral to persuasion is used for low involvement where consumers don’t care about
acquiring information but instead care about everything else such as visual cues, celebrity endorsement, repetition and happy music or rhythm such as “ Chocolate? Maltesers!”
Measures of Consumer Learning
-Recognition and Recall Measures
-Brand Loyalty
—Attitudinal measures
—Behavioral measures
Measures of Consumer Learning: Recognition and Recall Measures
Recall = you remember the thing. Essay question
Recognition = when you see it you recognitions. Mcq.
Measures of Consumer Learning: Brand Loyalty
Brand Loyalty -– create customer retention
—Attitudinal measures- mentally committed to the brand, doesn’t always translate like behavior and purchasing, like cars you are committed but you can’t and won’t buy it. Doenst translate into purchasing
—Behavioral measures - continuing purchasing from the brand but doesn’t mean loyalty its out of habit
Optimal is both.
