CLASSICAL CONDITIONING AND ITS ROLE IN ADVERTISEMENT

PRESENTED BY: SUDESHNA MOHAPATRA8TH SEMESTER, IMBA

Classical Conditioning

Discovered by Russian physiologist Ivan Petrovich Pavlov.

A learning process that occurs through associations between an environmental stimulus and naturally occurring stimulus.

In other words, a process in which an organism learns to connect or associate, stimuli.

Components of Classical Conditioning

Unconditioned Stimulus Unconditionally, naturally and automatically

triggers a response. Unconditioned Response Unlearned response that occurs naturally in

response to the unconditioned stimulus. Conditioned Stimulus Previously neutral stimulus that, after

becoming associated with the unconditioned stimulus, eventually comes to trigger a conditioned response.

Conditioned Response Learned response to the previously neutral

stimulus.

Applications of the Theory in Advertisement

Repetition

Stimulus Generalization

Stimuli Discrimination

Repetition Repetition increases the strength of the

association between conditioned stimulus and an unconditioned stimulus and slows the process of forgetting.

Repetition of advertisement by avoiding advertising wearout making use of cosmetic variation or substansive variation.

Avertising wearout: Stage, an advertisement reaches after being printed or aired so many times that its effect on the brand’s sale is zero or negative.

Cosmetic variation: Changes more peripheral to the product or advertisement by changing the appearance of the ad using color, print style, format or characterizations.

Substansive variation: Changes from ad to ad that are central to the product being advertised by changing the messages/arguments and/or the copy within the ad.

Stimulus Generalization

Stimulus generalization is the tendency of a subject to respond to a stimulus or a group of stimuli similar but not identical to the original Conditioned Stimulus.

When a consumer learns certain attributes about a particular product of a particular brand, through stimulus generalization the consumer will associate the products of the same brand with similar attributes.

Marketing Strategies based on Stimulus Generalization

Product line extension: Adding related products to an established brand varying in terms of packaging, flavor, added facility.

Product form extension: Same product offered in different physical form.

Family branding: A marketing practice involving the use of a single brand name for the sale of two or more related products.

Licensing: When a well known brand allows its name to be used by another brand with the concept of operation being stimuli generalization.

Product category extension: Same brand name used by a company to enter into a completely unrelated product segment. Company diversifies into other products, once the brand name is established.

Ex: Britannia

Stimuli Discrimination

The ability in the consumer to discriminate one cue or stimuli from the other and position them according to his or her needs.

Stimulus discrimination by consumer is often rewarded as he/she chooses a particular product, leaving another similar or substitute product.