Classical conditioning is defined as 'a learning process that occurs when two stimuli arerepeatedly paired:a response that is, at first, elicited by the second stimulus is eventually elicited by the first stimulus alone.' Basically, one stimulus is responded to in a set way, and a second stimulus, after being paired with the first stimulus, begins to cause the same response.

Classical conditioning is used in advertising to make the viewer feel and react positively to a product or viewpoint. If we react positively to one stimulus, advertisers will pair it with their product or their opinion in hopes that we will therefore react in a similar, positive manner to their product or viewpoint. For example, the use of celebrities in advertising is to make the general population feel that their fame is related to their position on a certain product or political issue. The use of attractive people in commercials for products, even those that are not related to beauty, influences us to think that the product will make us attractive as well. In a recent political commercial I saw, three actresses Scarlett Johansson, Eva Longoria, and Kerry Washington spoke about womens rights and abortion, ending with a Vote for Obama. Ads like these use both attractiveness and fame to influence people. When someone successful and/or beautiful tells us how he or she feels about whatever product or issue, we associate their viewpoints with their success and/or appearance, and may even adopt similar viewpoints because we are subconsciously seeking similar levels of success and/or beauty. Someone who admired one or more of these actresses and saw this advertisement might begin to associate the same positive reaction to the actress(es) with the Democratic cause. Advertisements like these may have either positive or negative effects; while many ads assert that we are entitled to whatever we want, thus inflating our egos and decreasing our sense of concern for the rest of the world, others serve as a metaphorical slap upside the head, mainly public service announcements. Classical conditioning works both ways. One of the first things we need to do when looking at advertisements is determine whether our response due to classical conditioning is even related to the product or viewpoint. For example, you may be conditioned, when you see an ad for a television with an attractive couples endorsement, to think that ownership of this product will make you attractive as well, which is highly illogical, because a television cannot change your appearance. Buying a pair of sneakers with Michael Jordans name on them will not enable you to play basketball as well as Michael Jordan. We also need to be careful what we associate with what. Associating the good life with popularity and money is unwise, because more fame and fortune dont necessarily mean a better life (*celebrities*). Nice clothes certainly do not always mean intelligence is also present. Finally, we need to read the fine print. Though advertisers fully intend to use classical conditioning to take advantage of consumers, laws exist for our protection. When the little letters at the bottom of the screen say Actual results may take up to six weeks, or Results not typical, or my favourite, the ever vague Some restrictions apply, you can almost always believe them.

For this discussion post I am looking into the use of classical conditioning in marketing and advertising. As we already have learned, a neutral stimulus is paired with a unconditioned stimulus many times until the neutral stimulus evokes a conditioned response. Typically advertisements are written in a way that associates the product (neutral stimulus) with positive emotions (unconditioned response). The aim of advertising is to get the consumers to associate their product with these positive feelings. There is also a marketing strategy that pairs competitors products with negative emotions (similar to aversion therapy).

There are countless examples of advertisements attempting to pair their product with positive emotions. A list of several emotions paired with products are: satisfying hunger, humor, sex appeal, pleasure, youthfulness, and elitism. The methods used to pair these emotions with products can range from being very obvious to being very subtle. An example of a very obvious pairing would be a beer commercial in which a man is speaking with attractive ladies while holding the specific brand of beer. A more subtle pairing would be an insurance commercial that plays relaxing/calming music to associate the brand with 'peace of mind'.

While this may seem like an underhanded way for brands to gain an advantage over others and trick consumers into buying products, classical conditioning in advertisements can have positive applications. For example charities like the humane society use classical conditioning by showing an image of an animal that needs help and can benefit from the reader. A normal response to an advertisement regarding a charity is usually a feeling of pity or guilt (because we have a lot more than whoever is mentioned in the advertisement).

Now that we know how classical conditioning is used in marketing I think that we should ask ourselves, why do I feel this way about a certain product? Is it rational to feel this way or are we being tricked? We must think about how conditioning has shaped the world around us or we will be making decisions based on how corporations want us to feel.

Discuss how to apply classical conditioning and operant conditioning in marketing. Please give many examples.October 23, 2006by cbkittyzhangyingNo CommentsUncategorizedClassical conditioning was the first type of learning to be discovered and studied within the behaviorist tradition. A Russian scientist named Ivan Pavlov, who in the development of classical conditioning, made experimentation about the classical conditioning with a dog. The food represents unconditioned stimulus, dog represents Unconditioned Response. He gave the food to the dog. It secreted saliva. A ring represent the neutral stimulus, he rang to the dog, it orientation but no salivation. The second experimentation, Ivan Pavlov ring when he gave the food to the dog. He practiced it many times. At last, when he rang to the dog, the dog is always secreted saliva.In such experiments, the subject initially shows weak or no response to a conditioned stimulus, but a measurable unconditioned respond to an unconditioned stimulus. In the course of the training, the CS is repeatedly presented together with the US; eventually the subject forms an association between the US and the CS. In a subsequent test-phase, the subject will show the conditioned response to the CS alone, if such an association has been established and memorized.Classical conditioning primarily influences emotional behavior. Things that make us happy, sad, angry, etc. become associated with neutral stimuli that gain our attention. Know all of these, that we can think put it into business.Classical conditioning works with advertising. When you watch advertising, most of them use the music and common picture into it. When you listing this song or see the same common things happen, you will naturally remember that advertising. For example, Amoi hand phone advertising chooses Super girl champion (2005) Li yuchun to be their prolocutor. On that advertising, she was dancing so cool with the Amoi new style hand phone. The hand phone is cool and forthright, like the prolocutor, Li yuchun. When I watch TV, see Li yuchun is dancing or even hear her name, I will remember that ad and remember that new hand phone, cool and forthright. Unconditioned Stimulus) naturally elicit a favorable, mildly aroused feeling (Unconditioned Response) in most men. Another example is the beer advertising. Many beer companies use pretty young women who wear bikinis to do ad or let the sexy girls to sell beer. Because the young women (Unconditioned Stimulus) naturally elicit a favorable, mildly aroused feeling (Unconditioned Response) in most men. When men see sexy girls, some of them will think beer.Operant conditioning is the use of consequences to modify the occurrence and form ofbehavior. There are 4 major techniques or methods used in it, reinforcement, negative reinforcement, punishment and negative punishment.Reinforcement means you have some especial behavior, after that you get some happy stimulus. For example, give the discount card to customers when the buy the things price is more than stated sum. It lead to customers buy the things to achieve that sum and get after they get that card, they also go to the same shop to consume because the discount price. You can also give presents for customers, for example, on festival, holidays or special activities. It is also used in the organization behavior. Managers can give some bonus to employees when they have good behavior.Negative reinforcement means you have some especial behavior, after that you get unhappy stimulus. For example, when you go to a restaurant, their food or service is bad, you will never go there again, and also will tell your friends dont go there. So as a good business organization, you should have good products and best service to every customer at any time. It is long strategy to your company.In my opinion, punishment and negative punishment are not appropriate to be used in business. We can put it into the organization behavior. When employees have good behavior, you can give them bonus, but if some employees have bad behavior you should give them some punishment. Tell them if they are late for work, not finish work on time or make the bad job, you will deduct their premium; if they take some serious aftermath, you will fire them.