Learning

Topic 5

Agenda

Learning - Definition
Behavioural learning theories

Concepts in Memory

Classical Conditioning
Operant Conditioning
Marketing Implications
Alternative learning theories

Summary

What is Learning?
Can anyone define it,
at least loosely?

Learning - Definition

Fundamentally, learning is the acquisition of

knowledge
In CB, we define it as the process by which
consumers acquire the purchase and
consumption knowledge and experience that
they apply to future related behaviour
It is a process
It is continual

Learning - Definition

Learning can be incidental or deliberate

Learning can comprise the entire gamut from reflexive responses to complex tasks

Behavioural Learning Theories

Also referred to as stimulus response

theories
Two most widely studied ones include
classical conditioning and operant
conditioning
Let us have a look at both

Classical Conditioning

First proposed by Ivan Pavlov

According to him, a conditioned response
occurs when a stimulus is paired with another
stimulus repeatedly and then when used
alone, it produces the same response
In other words, learning has taken place
Makes sense, anyone?

Classical Conditioning

Pavlov used dogs in his experiments

He rang a bell, immediately applied meat
paste to their tongues
Dogs would salivate
He repeated this a few times
Then rang the bell alone
Dogs would salivate even when bell was rung
alone

Classical Conditioning

Thus, dogs learnt that bell sound =

food/meat
Of course, dogs were hungry in the first
place
Thus, dogs were conditioned to behave in
a certain way
Unconditioned stimulus = Meat paste
Conditioned stimulus = bell

Classical Conditioning

Initial salivation = unconditioned response

After repeated pairings, salivation with bell
alone = conditioned response
But pray, what does all this have to do with
Marketing and CB?
Any applications/implications or is all
irrelevant
After all, consumers are not dogs, right?

Classical Conditioning - Mktg

Implications

Known to our ancients

Hence, meditate in a pooja room everyday
Suppose you feel have dinner at 7 pm
everyday
One day you have snacks at 5 pm unusually
Still feel peckish at 7!

Classical Conditioning - Mktg

Implications

Consider the case of PCs

Many PC ads/PCs contain Intel and have the Intel
inside logo
When consumers look at Intel inside, they get a
good impression
Thus, Intel inside is the unconditioned stimulus (like
meat paste)
The unconditioned response is the trust/good
impression (like salivation)
Do consumers prefer gifts gift-wrapped? Or just plain
package? Why?

Classical Conditioning - Mktg

Implications

Think of affective ads e.g. Dairy Milk

First, affect is paired with Dairy Milk in the ad
Then consumer sees Dairy Milk in the store

No longer a dud, dumb product

But a brand alive with feeling
Due to classical conditioning

Instrumental Conditioning

What are some drawbacks with classical

conditioning?

Instrumental Conditioning

Consumers not always low involvement

Plus we try out various alternatives and get
various rewards
In IC, rewards are taken into account also
According to B.F. Skinner, there is trial-anderror
Rewards are there for each trial
After many trials, consumer sticks with the one
that offers that highest reward -can you give
me an example in Mktg?

Instrumental Conditioning

The reward is also reinforced

You use Sunsilk and your hair becomes
silky and smooth, time after time
You hence like Sunsilk
You check out various stores of clothing
Then stick with Rex Fashions after a while
since the fit is time and again, good
Negative reinforcement is also possible

Instrumental Conditioning

Fear appeals are negative reinforcements

e.g. Ceasefires success, Life Insurance
salesmen

Other Types of Learning

Observational learning is also possible

A child watches his father pray, and wants to
do the same too and does so
Children imitate their elder brother/sister
My neighbour has LG, so I will too
You learn from anothers pluses and mistakes

Other Types of Learning

Cognitive Learning Theory: not all learning is

based on trial and error
Lot of learning is based on problem solving
and information processing
Heavily cognitive in nature and based on
memory

Cognitive Learning Theory

Based on memory and information

processing
Consumers after all process information,
ignored in the conditioning theories
We first need to look at memory

Concepts in Memory

Sensory store: One gets bombarded with info

all the time
Senses receive all this info
Stays for a very short time in sensory store
You block whatever is not necessary, process
what is necessary

Concepts in Memory

Processed information moves on to the short-term

store
You take a telephone book, look up hundreds of
numbers (sensory store), take the one you are
interested, dial one and forget it
This is the short-term store
Do you forget your girlfriends/boyfriends number?
Why not?

Concepts in Memory

It enters the short-term store and is rehearsed a

number of times
It may or may not be encoded i.e. you may
transform it into an easier form to aid remembering

More you rehearse, easier it is to retrieve i.e. very

accessible

Example would be?

Why do high school teachers ask students to write

impositions?

Thus, learning also occurs this way

Concepts in Memory

How to enhance consumer memory for your

brands?

Concepts in Memory

Do most of the things as in raising

involvement

Motivated consumers process more and

remember more

Have short brand names e.g. even Japanese

brands are short

Udupi hotels known but not Tirunelveli Halwa

The key is building the links

Repetition e.g. Coke and Pepsi

Concepts in Memory

Prototypicality helps

Being the market pioneer helps too

Is novel
Consumers notice and remember e.g. Nano

Novelty helps in advertising creative ads stand out

E.g. Dettol, Xerox

Possibly due to pioneering

Consumers again notice and remember, heard of TVS

King?

Consistency in positioning and advertising

E.g. Mercedes Benz, Harvard Business School, Amul

Concepts in Memory

Integrated Marketing Communications

Not just advertising, use multi methods, must

build the links mind likes variety
Celebrity endorsements

The attributes of celebrity rub off on brand e.g. Nike

Fit between brand and celebrity must be there however

Encoding specificity

This means what?

Concepts in Memory

Information recall is enhanced when the context in

which people attempt to retrieve information is the
same as or similar to the context in which they
originally encoded the information

Explains the difficulty that consumers have in

recalling specific brand yet can remember details
of a specific advertisement for the brand

So what?

Concepts in Memory

Encoding specificity

Show consumers in a store

If you see Dhoni in an ad, you may forget

However, seeing a Dhoni PoP in the store means greater
memory
Hence importance of display/PoP
E.g. Saffola
Then consumers will recall brand easily in the store
Likewise slice of life ads

Students may study in the exam hall!

Or at least visualise writing mentally in the hall

Concepts in Memory

Have fitting music

Music should go with the ad

Especially in India, this is critical!
Americans are stunned when they realise all
Indian movies have songs

Chunking helps as well e.g. ITC, IBM

Concepts in Memory

If links are formed early, it helps

Since lots of capacity is there

Hit them in their childhood
Joe Camel did this with disastrous results
Good products can do this as well e.g. good
habits, manners, anti smoking etc

Concepts in Memory

Use logos/jingles

Nike swoosh, McDonalds Golden arches help consumers

remember their brands
Intels jingle very famous
Maybe even more useful in low literacy countries like India
Marlboro man, zoozoo
Even the Balbir Pasha character helped in encoding

However, celebrity or source must not overshadow

the brand

E.g. Big B, Energizer Bunny

Concepts in Memory

TOMA is important

What is it?
Why and where important?

Concepts in Memory

TOMA is crucial also because

TOMA brands interfere with retrieval of other

brands and even other categories

E.g. Dettol, Colgate, LIC

Two kinds of decisions

Stimulus based
Memory based
Which is higher nowadays?

Summary

How do consumers learn?

This is crucial as Marketers can then get
them to buy brands
From a public policy point too important

water conservation
afforestation
family planning and so on