What we know, think and feel about brands comes from the process of learning
What we think and feel are precursors to purchase and consumption
So, how does learning take place?
What can marketers do to promote positive learning about brands?
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Motivation – the arousal function that energises behaviour necessary to engage in learning
Stimuli – compete for attention and provide direction to motivated activity
Response – mental or physical reaction to a stimulus situation
Reinforcement – anything that follows a response and increases the likelihood of the response being repeated in a similar situation
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“a relatively permanent change in behaviour due to past experience” (Coon, 1983)
“the process by which relatively permanent changes occur in behavioural potential as a result of experience”(Anderson, 1995)
Anderson’s definition recognises importance of potential as distinct from performance ie all the behaviours of which we are capable but not performing at the moment
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How does information get from the external communication environment into long-term memory where it is used in consumer decision making?
What’s the role of the promotional elements of the marketing mix in this process?
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Knowledge of learning principles can help us to understand how consumer behaviour develops and how to influence it
How consumers develop habitual purchase patterns for things and strong loyalty to brands
Various theories have been developed to explain different aspects of learning
Understanding consumer learning may help us shape consumer behaviour
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Learning theories
Cognitive Stimulus response
Classical conditioning
Instrumental conditioning
Rote learning
Vicarious learning
Problem solving
Insight
Learning involves development of SR connections
With varying importance of reinforcement
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BEFORE CONDITIONING
DURING CONDITIONING
AFTER CONDITIONING
Bike alone
- No arousal Sexy girl
generates
physiological
arousal
Bike and girl together generates
Physiological arousal
Bike alone generates physiological
arousal 10
Happy situation
(US) family gathering
Xmas
General emotional response
Relaxation, nostalgia, excitement
(UR)
Brand
(CS) Conditioned response is general emotional
response in presence of brand which may
facilitate brand purchase
(CR)
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If the brand and it’s packaging
are the conditioned stimulus for
the conditioned response (ie
evoke the general emotional
response)
Will changing the stimulus
drastically lead to extinction
of the CR ?
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The process of altering the probability of a behaviour by changing the consequences of a behaviour
Events or consequences increase the likelihood of a given behaviour being repeated
Reward increases the probability of behaviour being repeated = positive reinforcement
Performance of behaviour removes aversive stimuli = negative reinforcement
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A desired behaviour to a conditioned stimulus is rewarded by a positive reinforcer
Over a number of reinforced trials a connection between stimulus and response is learned such that the learned behaviour is repeated in the presence of the stimulus
Unlike classical conditioning the learner has to discover which response produces the reward – the response is dependent on the learners actions
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Continuous reinforcement schedule: reward every occurrence of the desired behaviour
Fixed ratio reinforcement schedule: reward every nth occurrence (eg every 4th)
Variable ratio: reward based on an average 4th occurrence (eg 3rd and 5th, 1st and 7th)
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Favourable product/service experience strengthens the SR link increasing the likelihood of repeat behaviour
The building blocks of sales promotion techniques are built around the principles of instrumental conditioning
Partial reinforcement schedules have implications for sales promotion, brand orientation and attitude change
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Rewarding customers
with frequent flyer miles
is an effective way to
reinforce their behaviour
and build brand loyalty Solomon 2006
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Continuous reinforcement produces rapid learning whilst partial reinforcement produces slower learning that is longer lasting
Implications for rewarding loyalty?
Couponing frequency
Attitude change
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Before Clubcard Tesco was stuck as the UK’s second ranking supermarket
Today Tesco is by far the UK’s largest grocer (>30% market share)
Tesco.com is the world’s largest grocery etailer
UK’s largest employer Europe’s fastest growing financial services
company
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“Contrary to popular belief, Tesco’s
most significant competitive advantage
in the UK is not it’s scale. We believe
Clubcard, which conveys an array of
material benefits across virtually every
discipline of it’s business, is Tesco’s
most potent weapon in the ongoing
battle for market share. Tesco is big
because it is good, not vice versa.”
JP Morgan Cazenove
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Reward the behaviour you seek (increase frequency of visits, shop new departments, trial new lines, use new services)
Desired behaviours can be developed and maintained with small and infrequent rewards)
Establish priorities and measures for the behaviour changes you want to see
You can’t achieve every behaviour change at once
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Each quarterly mailing gives customers the cash value of their points plus coupons based on how Tesco seeks to shape their behaviour
40%
60% TOTAL
SALES
UPLIFT Customers redeeming vouchers in areas where Tesco
encouraged them to shop and increasing spend for
that visit
Money-off coupons to reinforce existing behaviours
and encourage new trials based on known profiles
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Learning is a behavioural change arising from experience
In classical conditioning a learned association elicits a naturally occurring response. Positive associations with products/brands are created through such stimulus pairings.
In instrumental conditioning behaviour is shaped by rewarding the desired response
Marketers must create positive associations with their brands and build recognition and recall
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Learning Motivation Stimulus Responce
Reinforcement UCS UCR CS
CR Classical conditioning
Instrumental conditioning
Reinforcement schedule
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Memory processes are important because consumers act on the basis of cognitions which are stored in memory and influence how incoming stimuli are interpreted
The challenge for marketers is to have consumers remember your name and brand in preference to those of competitors
The fastest rate of forgetting occurs soon after learning has occurred – how do advertisers counter that?
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Sensory
memory Short term
memory Long term
memory
Forgotten material
Information
Elaborative rehearsal
Maintenance
Rehearsal
loop
Temporary storage of
sensory information –
less then 1 second
Brief storage of information
currently being used. Limited
Capacity. Less then 20 seconds
Long term/
Permanent.
Unlimited
capacity
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Sensory memory stores after images which are lost quickly through decay unless capturing sufficient attention and further processing
Short term memory temporarily stores and processes information to comprehend meaning – it is limited by both time and space. Information not rehearsed is lost through decay
Long term memory is the long term store for information which is coded in a variety of different ways
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Semantic encoding – an object is not directly represented in memory but rather in terms of its meaning for the individual (networks of knowledge eg Nike shoes = cushioned, Swoosh, lightweight)
Scripts – represent series of actions based on previous events which influence future actions when a similar situation occurs (enter store, go straight ahead to fruit and veg, turn left to milk)
Visual encoding – using mental images to store information often leads to strong long term memory for material (eg Wonderbra, Calvin Klein, Benetton)
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Messages with unique aspects are more likely to be remembered (Guinness)
The beginning and end of messages are more likely to be remembered (“Washes whiter” at beginning and end)
Messages that encourage immediate rehearsal of material stimulate it’s retention (jingles – “that’s ASDA price”)
If material lends itself to “chunking” more information can be processed and retained (“New action ball tabs from Vanish – 1 chunk – Give power of whitening in your wash – 1 chunk – So stains vanish – 1 chunk.)
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Memory is cue dependent (characteristics of the learning situation)and presentation of relevant cues will stimulate recall
Material that is meaningful to the individual is learned more quickly and more likely to be remembered
Visual content is frequently more memorable than verbal content
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The pink bunny from
the TV commercial is
added to the packaging
to aid brand recall at
point of purchase Solomon 2006
Illustrates cue dependency – the
stimulus was present in the learning
environment
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Familiarity with an iconic
symbol enhances brand
recall. Jolly Green Giant has
appeared in ads and
packaging for
30 years...yo ho ho!
Important in creating and
maintaining awareness Solomon 2006
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Learned information is stored in memory
Retrieval is the process whereby stored information is accessed
A variety of factors influence likelihood of recall including mood, familiarity, salience and format (pictorial vs verbal)
Memory for product information can be measured through recognition or recall techniques
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