CONSUMER KNOWLEDGE,

LEARNING, AND UNDERSTANDING One form of

learning...

● Learning--what is it?
– Operant conditioning
– Classical conditioning
– Brand loyalty
● Perception
– Characteristics of the senses
– Accuracy
– Ability to detect change
– Attention Most useful for
vicarious learning!

MKTG 371 LEARNING AND PERCEPTION Lars Perner, Instructor 1

 CLASSICAL AND INSTRUMENTAL
(OPERANT) CONDITIONING
● Consumers (often
unconsciously) link
objects to past
experience
● Consequences of
behavior tend to
influence subsequent
behavior

MKTG 371 LEARNING AND PERCEPTION Lars Perner, Instructor 2

 Another Typology

High
Involvement

Learning
Low
Involvement

MKTG 371 LEARNING AND PERCEPTION Lars Perner, Instructor 3

 Classical Conditioning
● Pavlov’s dogs
● Objects (stimuli)
associated with a
response may bring
about the response
● Credit card studies
● Stimuli and
responses

MKTG 371 LEARNING AND PERCEPTION Lars Perner, Instructor 4

 Classical Conditioning
US ----> UR
(Unconditioned stimulus) (Unconditioned response)

US + CS -----> UR
(Conditioned stimulus)

CS ------> CR (CS alone is

now
(Conditioned response) able to
bring
E.g.: CR)
NOTE: UR and CR
SUGAR -------> insulin release represent the same
behavior, but causes
SUGAR + Cola Taste -------> insulin release differ
MKTG 371 LEARNING AND PERCEPTION Lars Perner, Instructor 5
 Consumer Examples
● Advertising:
pairing product with
images of desired
affect
● Product: Evoke
image of object
associated with
positive affect (e.g.,
Mustang; Coke Bottle)

MKTG 371 LEARNING AND PERCEPTION Lars Perner, Instructor 6

 Making Classical Conditioning
Work
● Appropriate symbols
(for the population
in question) to elicit
emotion
● NOTE: Test stimuli
for desired effect!
● Repetition

MKTG 371 LEARNING AND PERCEPTION Lars Perner, Instructor 7

 INSTRUMENTAL (OPERANT)
CONDITIONING

REINFORCEMENT
LIKELIHOOD
OF
BEHAVIOR
BEHAVIOR NEGATIVE

{
REINFORCEMENT

NOT the
same
LIKELIHOOD
thing! PUNISHMENT
OF
BEHAVIOR

MKTG 371 LEARNING AND PERCEPTION Lars Perner, Instructor 8

 Reinforcement: An Example
You eat a cake (behavior)
----> good taste (reward)
----> more likely to eat cake
on another occasion

MKTG 371 LEARNING AND PERCEPTION Lars Perner, Instructor 9

 Negative Reinforcement
(not the same as punishment!)
Aversive stimulus exists

Behavior ----> termination of aversive

stimulus

----> repetition of behavior

during aversive stimulus

MKTG 371 LEARNING AND PERCEPTION Lars Perner, Instructor 10

 Negative Reinforcement: An
Example
Headache (aversive stimulus)

Aspirin (behavior) ---> Headache

cessation

----> Likely to consume

aspirin during future
headaches

MKTG 371 LEARNING AND PERCEPTION Lars Perner, Instructor 11

 PUNISHMENT
Behavior ----> Negative
consequences

-----> Behavior less

likely to be repeated
when punishment is
anticipated (mostly)

MKTG 371 LEARNING AND PERCEPTION Lars Perner, Instructor 12

 Punishment: Examples
● Parking meters
● Gas taxes
● Restocking fees
● Fees for non-ATM
banking transactions
● Over-base rate
utility charges

MKTG 371 LEARNING AND PERCEPTION Lars Perner, Instructor 13

 More Punishment Examples
● Voidance of
warranty if product
is serviced by
competitor
● Social ostracism for
failure to wear
deodorant

MKTG 371 LEARNING AND PERCEPTION Lars Perner, Instructor 14

 Reinforcement Effectiveness
● Temporal proximity--conditioning is
more effective if consequences
immediately follow behavior (delayed
reinforcement is much less effective)
● Recognition of relationship between
behavior and consequences
● Schedules of reinforcement--variable
ratio is most effective

MKTG 371 LEARNING AND PERCEPTION Lars Perner, Instructor 15

 Extinction
● Behavior which is
not reinforced tends
to become extinct
gradually

MKTG 371 LEARNING AND PERCEPTION Lars Perner, Instructor 16

 Schedules of Reinforcement
● Fixed interval
● Fixed ratio
● Variable ratio <------ Most
resistant
● Variable interval to extinction

MKTG 371 LEARNING AND PERCEPTION Lars Perner, Instructor 17

 Shaping
Behavior approximating
desired kind level ------> Reward
e.g., buying new
product on sale

Increased requirements,
when met -------> Reward
e.g., magnitude of sale
gradually decreased

MKTG 371 LEARNING AND PERCEPTION Lars Perner, Instructor 18

 Shaping: Possible Examples
● Introduction of fruit flavored Note that marketers’
soft drinks in Indonesia prior power tends to be
limited
to Coca Cola
● New products given premium
shelf space in the beginning
● Premium given with purchase
of new product
● In-store demonstrations of
new products

MKTG 371 LEARNING AND PERCEPTION Lars Perner, Instructor 19

 Instrumental (Operant)
Conditioning In Practice
● Marketers typically do not have the power to
significantly reward or punish people
greatly-- typically have little power to
directly influence people’s experience
● Note that many rewards and punishments are
significantly delayed
● Better able to influence vicarious learning

MKTG 371 LEARNING AND PERCEPTION Lars Perner, Instructor 20

 Brand Loyalty vs. Habit
● Habit: consumer
picks product
without much
thought; may be
due to convenience
● Loyalty: consumer
actively seeks out
product

MKTG 371 LEARNING AND PERCEPTION Lars Perner, Instructor 21

 Loyalty...
● Multibrand loyalty ...or lack of it.
● How strong?

MKTG 371 LEARNING AND PERCEPTION Lars Perner, Instructor 22

 Developing Brand Loyalty:
Tricks and Traps
● Product quality --->
satisfaction
● Sales promotions
● Stealing loyal consumers
away from others--is it
worth it?
● Price
– value
– exclusiveness

MKTG 371 LEARNING AND PERCEPTION Lars Perner, Instructor 23

 Memory
● Short term (compare to RAM --->
volatile)
– mnemonic devices (e.g., 1-800-FLOWERS)
● Long term (compare to hard disk --->
longer in duration but imperfect--”I
remember it well…”)

STM REHEARSAL LTM

DECAY
MKTG 371 LEARNING AND PERCEPTION Lars Perner, Instructor 24
 Scripts: The Way to Do
Things
● Procedure for doing various
things learned over time
● E.g., restaurant script:
– make reservation
– travel to restaurant
– await seating
– order drinks
– study menu
– order
– have dessert and/or coffee
– pay check and leave tip

MKTG 371 LEARNING AND PERCEPTION Lars Perner, Instructor 25

 Implications of Scripts
● Check car odometer
● If more than 3,000 miles,
– go to Joe’s garage or
– look in yellow pages for garages
● Ask mechanic for oil change
If you were
● When asked which brand of oil Joe or
– select Pennzoil or Pennzoil,
which
– think about which brand to use script would
you prefer?

MKTG 371 LEARNING AND PERCEPTION Lars Perner, Instructor 26