The Conditioning Theory of learning states that the mind is conditioned to react in a certain way to a certain situation or a certain stimulant. It means that when a certain type of situation is created, or in the presence of a specific stimulant, our mind will make us react in a way that we have gotten used to it. This theory is in fact the force of habit. It plays its role in consumer behaviour too. We have gotten used to responding to certain products or certain selling techniques or promotional techniques in specific ways. I will give you an example.
Say, You go to K-Mart and the blue light turns on. Now what do you think people will do? Most of the cost conscious customers will make a bee line to that table where the blue light is turned on because they associate the blue light with a good sale. And, research has already proved that people are more likely to buy the sale product on the table under the blue light even if the product is not a good value.
Classical conditioning also works with advertising. For example, many ad of beer feature attractive young women wearing revealing bikinis. The young women ( who act as the unconditioned Stimulus) naturally bring out a favorable, mildly aroused feeling (which is the unconditioned Response) in the target audience which are of course mostly men. The beer simply gets associated with this effect.
Say, You go to K-Mart and the blue light turns on. Now what do you think people will do? Most of the cost conscious customers will make a bee line to that table where the blue light is turned on because they associate the blue light with a good sale. And, research has already proved that people are more likely to buy the sale product on the table under the blue light even if the product is not a good value.
Classical conditioning also works with advertising. For example, many ad of beer feature attractive young women wearing revealing bikinis. The young women ( who act as the unconditioned Stimulus) naturally bring out a favorable, mildly aroused feeling (which is the unconditioned Response) in the target audience which are of course mostly men. The beer simply gets associated with this effect.
