Classical conditioning in advertising
TOPIC:CLASSICAL CONDITIONING IN ADVERTISING
By:AMANDA ANTIONETTE FONSECA
To:M.S.PEARLENE DANIEL
Introduction:
Have you ever walked across a coffee shop and instantly wanted to go grab yourself a cup of it,well that's a simple example of how Classical Conditioning works in our day to day lives.This technique has been shaping our consumer behavior and chances are without us even realising it's been influencing us in our day to day lives.
Ivan Pavlov (1849-1936),was a well known Russian Physiologist known for one of the most famous theories of psychology, nothing but the Classical Conditioning theory.This theory was developed in the 1890's showcasing the connection between a stimuli and the response.He trained dogs to exhibit conditioned response towards a conditioned stimuli,similarly in advertising the goal of commercial industries is to get people craving and longing for those products and solutions and that's when Classical Conditioning plays it's role(Chute,2022).In this blog I am going to uncover how consumer behavior is influenced by advertisement with the essence of Classical Conditioning.
How does Classical Conditioning work?
Pavlov initially was studying the digestive system of dogs and while observing the dogs,he found that the dogs salivate when given food, not just the food but also when they hear any footsteps or even when they hear any utensils.This made Pavlov curious and let's say an accidental discovery .
The theory has three stages. Starting with stage 1(before conditioning),usually an unconditional stimulus would result in an unconditional response, meaning when the dog was presented with food it naturally started to salivate.Now salivating is the unconditioned response and food is the unconditioned stimuli.In this stage there was another stimuli called the neutral stimulus which had no connection to the unconditioned response made by the dog.A bell(neutral stimuli)that was used but the dog gave no reaction to this.
In stage 2(during conditioning ),the neutral stimulus(bell)is repeatedly being paired with the unconditioned stimuli (food).So the dog was continuously exposed to the sound of the bell along with food.The neutral stimuli after repitions becomes a conditioned stimulus, which means when the dog is continuously being fed with the bell tone and then food it will elicit a similar response to the unconditioned stimuli (saliva).
During the stage 3(after conditioning),the dog has now learned a new behavior, as in a new response towards the conditioned stimulus(bell).Now when the dog hears the bell it automatically starts to salivate ,even without the food it would still salivate. Now the salivation has become a conditioned response.
For conditioning to effectively happen the unconditioned stimulus needs to be paired with the conditioned stimulus simultaneously.(Mcleod,2024)
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How does Classical Conditioning work in advertisements:
Well all of us have atleast few advertisements that runs on our mind when we see the product or maybe an ad just passes our mind once in a while,atleast some of the advertisements are stuck in our mind.Ill say it is not just the features or the product that advertisements agencies has displayed to all of us but also those bright flashy fonts they use and the colors displayed along with a music that indeed tends to leave us with a positive attitude towards that particular brand and their product so we end up having pleasant emotions and a sense of trust towards those brands and maybe even end up buying them.
Advertisers use classical conditioning to get their target audience to buy their products.They use this technique to get their customers to react and respond in a controlled way. Their major goal is to work towards getting connected with their customers at an emotional level and so they use advertisements. Now advertisements are the conditioned stimulus and our response becomes the conditioned response.(Chute,2022).
Classical Conditioning is not just relevant to advertisements but also in alot of other aspects. Whether we know it or not classical conditioning has been playing a major role in our lives and it will continue to.
Celebrity Endorsement:
Advertisements often go with celebrity endorsement where celebrities are used like marketing tools.This time it is not the product but attention is turned towards famous celebrities even though consumers are gazing at the celebrity it still boots their confidence towards that product and they may end up choosing the product blindly even without having second thoughts. People often look up to celebrities as influencers and they have.The video below will give you a better understanding on how celebrity endorsement work and also tells you if it is an effective or ineffective way. https://youtu.be/k5QQQXcA8k4? feature=shared
Let's take an advertisement we are all familiar with,remember the 7up advertisement featuring rashmika mandanna and anirudh?.I am sure Anirudh's song is running in your mind while reading this.See that's how Classical Conditioning works in advertisements.The ad has a very vibrant setting and anirudh's catchy soundtrack which makes 7up feel like something we would enjoy having,they created an energetic vibe that made the ad more fun and engaging .Not just that but we do know both of them who are highlighted here right? obviously! ,and that's how they used celebrity endorsement. Here the celebrity featured is a conditioned stimulus and our positive emotions we associate with 7up is a conditioned response,naturally our unconditioned stimulus would be the bubbly taste of 7up and unconditioned response would be a feeling of satisfaction and refreshment.Everything included in one advertisement right?.I know you want to have some 7up right now.Let me introduce you to the fresh,refreshing taste of 7up
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Classical conditioning is everywhere in advertising,and once you know what this term means then you will find it every where. So every time your going to hum a song or find yourself drawn towards a particular brand just sit back and think what made you attracted towards that ,how that advertisement influenced you? And what made you choose it. Knowing what all this would make you a more informed consumer.
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