Question

This is from my consumer behavior class.

Bryan is the brand manager for a brand of paper towels and knows that consumers' involvement with this product is low. (i) What type of conditioning (i.e., operant versus classical conditioning) is appropriate for this situation? (ii) Provide an example of how Bryan can use this conditioning type in question (i) above to influence consumers to purchase his brand.

Answer 1

Solution -

Classical conditioningand iconic rote learning tend to occur in low-involvement situations. Vicarious learning/modeling is also common in this situation, although it is also common in high-involvement situations.Classical conditioning is the process of using an established relationship between one stimulus (e.g., music, beautiful outdoor scene) and response (e.g., pleasant feelings) to bring about the learning of the same response (e.g., pleasant feelings) to a different stimulus (e.g., the brand). Bryan could pair a pleasant stimulus in advertising, such as a sparkling clean kitchen, with the brand of paper towel, which could increase the likelihood that consumers will like the brand.Iconic Rote Learninginvolves learning a concept or the association between two or more concepts in the absence of conditioning. That is, there is neither an unconditioned stimulus (i.e., classical conditioning) nor a direct reward or reinforcement (operant conditioning) involved. Numerous repetitions of a simple message that occur as the consumer scans the environment may result in the essence of the message being learned. Thus, Bryan could use mere repetition of ads to enable consumers to learn about the characteristics or attributes of the brand.In Vicarious Learning/Modeling, it is not necessary for consumers to directly experience a reward or punishment to learn. Instead, they can observe the outcomes of others' behaviors and adjust their own accordingly. A substantial amount of learning occurs in low-involvement situations. Throughout the course of their lives, people observe others using products and behaving in a great variety of situations, and do not pay much attention most of the time. However, over time they learn that certain behavior, and products, are appropriate in some situations and others are not. Bryan needs ensure that uses of his brand are portrayed in advertisements.