Learning and Memory

Learning

“Every time an advertisement or commercial appears, the objective is to have the reader or viewer learn something …. and remember what he learned “ (Britt 1955)

There are two types of conditioning learning – classical and operant.

A well known example of classical learning is that of Pavlov and his dogs. By giving his dog food each time he rang a bell he made the dogs accaosite food with the bell. This type of learning can be seen in many different situations. We all relate materilists things to types of people. For example i relate burberry to a chav, BMW to a wealthy man, People Carrier - mum and family.

Repetition!

Operant learning consists of a reward and punishment system, much like your bedtime when you was a little kid. You can see similar systems everywhere, Nandos for example provide loyality cards…. Eat there 10 times and you get a whole chicken free!! Same thing at many supermarkets… nectar points!

Memory plays a huge part in all learning, if companies can leave consumers with a good memory of their experience, the likely hood is that they will be back! If you learn that the experince wasn’t nice and you store that information to make sure you don’t make the same mistake again. Same with customer service, you impresson and perception on that brand could be ruined by an unpleasant staff member.

YOU WANT TO CREATE BRAND LOYALTY!

Memory.

“learning is the acquisition of knowledge & memory is the storage of internal representations of that knowledge” (Blakemore, 1988)

Memory consists of taking in information and storing it for when its needed last. There are three main types of memory:

Sensory Memory

This memory system involves taking information from our main senses – and can only last a few seconds. An example would be the smell of a BBQ, or look of a certain person. Whether the individual acts on these senses determines whether the information is then stored as Short- term memory.

Short-term memory

Just like sensory memory, this type also is limited to how much, and how long it can store information. This system consists of ‘chunking’ small bits of information together for easier storing. For example, when learning mobile numbers we chunk out different sections for easier learning.

Long-term Memory

This consists of information being stored over a large period of time. This happens when the individual thinks deeply into the stimuli information pick up by our senses. It often helps if the new information can relate to that of already stored in our long term-memory.

Marketing towards Memory.

Marketers try to make sure their adverts are stored as long term memory by creating catchy slogans and jingles so we repeat them over and over in our heads.

Also, marketers use a technique named post-experience advertising. Meaning they distort the consumers view on their product or brand by advertising to them after they have experience it. As the consumer has already taken in information about the brand (because they have already brought and experienced it) the post experience advertising is more easily stored as long term memory and the consumer is more likely to trust and purchase into the brand.

Nostalgia

When a stimulus is capable of recreating a personal event, even after many years, there often follows a bitter-sweet sentiment known as nostalgia” (Dubois, 2000)

Marketers can use imagery, music, smells etc to relate their advertisement, their brand, to a fond memory. Especially effective with older men, possible mid life crisis victims…..

‘BACK IN THE DAY!!!’

Values

‘…a value can be defined as a belief about some desirable end state that’s transcends specific situation and guides selection of behavior.’ (Solomon 2006)

Everyone has values, and most share a set of terminal values – the ones that are most important. Our values drive our behavior and hold a high influence on our consumer decisions. Kahle's List of Values’s can determine your spending habits based on your most important values. Didn’t work for me, but I had trouble trying to work out what was most important to me . . . others in the lecture were impressed tho! See below. . . . .

Kahle's List of Values (1983)

1. Self Respect

2. Excitement

3. Being Well Respected

4. Self-fulfilment

5. Sense of accomplishment

6. Warm relationship with others

7. Security

8. Fun & enjoyment

9. Sense of belonging

Often, consumers values will match to the brands they choose, and therefore for it is the brands responsibility to hold up its standards. When Kerry Katona was found sniffing coke she lost her contract with Iceland Foods – mums (Iceland’s main customers) would not condone drug use, against their values.

Each country will have different values to another. Marketers must acculturate - meaning they must understand the values, to understand the consumers and the market of the particular country.

So a successful advert here in England, could be not only unsuccessful, but offensive in another. YOU MUST KNOW YOUR MARKET!

The laddering technique questions each decision to investigate the values behind it. Please relate to the example below :

Eric likes light beers - ask why?

Does not want to get drunk - ask why?

Will be able to have more interesting conversations - why is this important?

Will be able to be more sociable - why is this important to achieve?

Wants to get better friendships - i.e. a terminal value for Eric!

Look at the image below to get an idea of some other major values which exist...

Groups

• · They consist of 2 or more (normally alot more) who share the same norms.
• · Groups tend to have role relationships

Why do groups exist?

• · The importance of self-image - don’t want to be seen alone.
• · Sense of security and support
• · Reassurance of their own worth

'. . .we all belong to groups, try to please others and pick up cues about how to behave by observing the actions of those around us. In fact, our desire to 'fit in' or to identify with desirable individuals or groups is the primary motivation for many of our purchases and activities. ' (Solomon 2006)

People act different in groups are will buy lots of things to keep up with group crazes and trends. All it can take is one person to influence an entire social group. Celebrity endorsement is a perfect example of this . . . . .

Preferences are shaped by our group memberships, by our desire to please or be accepted by others, even by the actions of famous people whom we’ve never met.’ (Solomon 2006)

Group behaviour plays an important role when marketing a brand, if you know the market you know what they like, what they would like to look like, what clothes they would like, what food, what music, what tv shows, movies, celebrities, also know what they don't like! . . . with all this information you have a group identity and you are able to market specifically to them.

Dove, for example, deliberately avoided using ‘perfect’ looking women across the entire campaign. This advert wouldn’t appeal to young girls, not even early 20’s. They knew most mums are not interested in looking like Jordan, they don't want shiny posters and night club tv ads. . . they want comfy looking underwear on a 'normal' looking women with a nice clean white poster. . . i think.

But not all group interest is favorable for brands, Burberry once an expensive high-class brand, is now been dragged down by the cliché Burberry wearing Chav. ‘…with UK sales falling, Burberry cannot afford to become a laughing stock in their own backyard’

Read here for the fall article on the issue .. . . . . http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/4381140.stm

Football hooliganism is a prime example, people acting completely completely different in a group. You would hope all these guys dont act like that all the time. . . Right ?

Other attention grabbing techniques

Other attention grabbing techniques

Other techniques used to grab consumer’s attention are:

Cardboard Pop- ups – used in mailing device or magazine insert, these literally jump out at consumers.

Shocking and powerful headlines and bold statements

Size of the adverts – large billboards or magazine adverts, also long TV adverts – for example Coca-Cola once brought a 5 min slot for a Christmas advert.

All attention grabbing devices used in advertising appeal to our senses, they influence consumers to buy into their product or service.

The Gestalt

By appealing to consumers senses adverts can easily grab their attention. The
J&B’s Christmas poster below is strong evidence of marketers doing exactly that!

The advert uses The Principe of Closure from Gestalt psychology. The principle tells us that …’consumers tend to perceive an in-complete picture as complete’. Meaning, from general knowledge and previous experiences, we are able to ‘fill in the blanks.

It invites consumers to interact with the advert, almost like a game, it makes it stand out and grabs the consumers attention.

‘…the principle of closure is at work when we hear only part of a jingle or theme’ (Solomon, 2006, 3rd Edition)

For further information on Gestalt psychology visit . . . . .

http://www.scholarpedia.org/article/Gestalt_principles

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Perceptual Process

Stage 1 - Sensation

Solomon’s Consumer behavior describes this stage as: ‘…immediate response of our sensory receptors’.

Stage 2 - Attention

This stage consists of selecting certain senses to our attention. The ones that grab our attention!

Stage 3 - Perception

This is where the selected senses (stimuli) are ‘organized and interpreted’ to determine our Perception

So,

Sensation, Attention, Perception (SAP).

For further details about the process check out this link....

http://www.wisc-online.com/objects/ViewObject.aspx?ID=OIC2801

What is Perception?

What is Perception?

Brassington’s Essentials of Marketing defines perception as:

‘Perception represents the way in which individuals analyse, interpret and make sense of incoming information, and is affected by personality, experience and mood’

Everyday thousands of sensations appeal to us via sight, smell, sound, touch and taste – these are known as stimuli. These sensations could be the sound of a fire engine or the smell of a barbeque. It’s from our interpretations of these stimuli that determines our perception. So perception is our view or opinion of that particular person, smell, colour, event, place, sound, brand, group, product etc

So by appealing to people's senses marketers can create a good perception of their company/brand. We can see this technique in its simplest form by looking at the poster advert below. Lynx have used a quite obviously stunning body to advertise their new shower products - the poster has been perfectly targeted towards young men, appealing to SIGHT... the WASH ME is also inviting you to TOUCH.

By relating to the advert below you can see how some marketers change the image of their models to create a better perception about them as a brand. If consumers consider the model beautiful we can expect them to relate this perception to the brand she is representing.

The link below is an article discussing Marks & Spencers adverts, and their succes due to appealing to consumers senses. This is proof that the technique works!!

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/foodanddrink/foodanddrinknews/5884340/Adverts-work-best-when-appealing-to-all-senses.html

Below is a table showing how people we perceive us . . .