Thanks for you note of my referencing james
However, I am very aprehensive to edit my blog 2 as i had a lot of trouble uploading it this morning and every time i went to edit it it times out or didnt save or didnt upload after making the changes.
Saturday, October 27, 2007
Self Assessment for Blog 2
Self-Assessment for Blog 2: Social learning theory, classical conditioning, and the elaboration likelihood model: A look at their affect on marketing, advertising, and branding with respect to Coca-Cola.
Theory
I feel that I presented a number of relevent theoretical concepts in my essay that the Coca-Cola examples built upon. As a result of the word limit the depth of analysis for this topic needed to be limited. With a larger word limit, greter explanation and application of the theories would have been possible.
Research
I feel that my essay provided a sufficient representation of the available research. However, Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs and other theories could have been applied to this topic. More recent research could have been explored to reinforce the theories used as well as to highlight new ideas, as marketing, advertising, and branding, in conjunction with psychology is ever evolving.
Written expression
APA format was used in both the essay body and reference list. Subheadings were used in conjuction with a simple and concise writing style was used to enhance readability.
Online engagement
My online engagement increased markedly in the second half of the semester. This is a result of a better understanding of blogging as well a better time management.
Theory
I feel that I presented a number of relevent theoretical concepts in my essay that the Coca-Cola examples built upon. As a result of the word limit the depth of analysis for this topic needed to be limited. With a larger word limit, greter explanation and application of the theories would have been possible.
Research
I feel that my essay provided a sufficient representation of the available research. However, Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs and other theories could have been applied to this topic. More recent research could have been explored to reinforce the theories used as well as to highlight new ideas, as marketing, advertising, and branding, in conjunction with psychology is ever evolving.
Written expression
APA format was used in both the essay body and reference list. Subheadings were used in conjuction with a simple and concise writing style was used to enhance readability.
Online engagement
My online engagement increased markedly in the second half of the semester. This is a result of a better understanding of blogging as well a better time management.
Fiona's Voting Behaviour
This is a tricky poll.....i decided to go with "other" so i thought i would let you know why.......
i wanted to choose all of the options!!
Party leader's personality
Political party's policies
Already formed political ideologies e.g. conservative beliefs
Other (let me know)
Personally, how a party leader portrays himself (hopefully herself one day)and his personality does infulence me. If he is arrogant and seems to be self-involved rather than 'listening to the people' i would vote against him.
Obviously, the policies is what (technically) voting should be all bout, and again, if i dont like the policies i will not vote for that party. I know a lot of people who think dear Mr Howard is a (u know what) but will vite for him because they like the policies.
Finally, at this stage, being brought up in the household that i have been, i have preformed ideas about what i want and what party will deliver that for me...so until something changes my mind...eg personality or policy changes, already formed political ideaologies will influence my vote a lot.
i wanted to choose all of the options!!
Party leader's personality
Political party's policies
Already formed political ideologies e.g. conservative beliefs
Other (let me know)
Personally, how a party leader portrays himself (hopefully herself one day)and his personality does infulence me. If he is arrogant and seems to be self-involved rather than 'listening to the people' i would vote against him.
Obviously, the policies is what (technically) voting should be all bout, and again, if i dont like the policies i will not vote for that party. I know a lot of people who think dear Mr Howard is a (u know what) but will vite for him because they like the policies.
Finally, at this stage, being brought up in the household that i have been, i have preformed ideas about what i want and what party will deliver that for me...so until something changes my mind...eg personality or policy changes, already formed political ideaologies will influence my vote a lot.
Blog 2:
Social learning theory, classical conditioning, and the elaboration likelihood model: A look at their affect on marketing, advertising, and branding with respect to Coca-Cola.
Word Count: 1540 (excludes title, abstract, map, and reference list. 46 in-text references are included in this word count)
Abstract
The purpose of this essay is to examine how socio-psychological principles can be applied in marketing, advertising and branding by way of Coca-Cola. The essay first explores celebrity endorsement through classical conditioning, and then music also as a form of this method. Secondly, the elaboration likelihood model is discussed in relation the persuasiveness of an advertisement’s argument. Both the peripheral and central routes to persuasion are applied to Coca-Cola’s advertising and marketing. Finally, the essay will outline the social learning theory and how modelling is applied in Coca-Cola advertisements.
Introduction
Coca-Cola has focused its’ image on the emotions and feelings of individuals. It has entwined itself within cultures and become embedded within social values and attitudes throughout the world. Using a number of techniques and strategies to market its’ product, Cocoa-Cola’s brand logo is highly identifiable worldwide. The elaboration likelihood model, social learning theory, and classical conditioning can be used to explore and explain Coca-Cola’s marketing, advertising, and branding techniques.
Classical conditioning: Celebrities
Classical conditioning aids the formation of attitudes. Using classical conditioning to their advantage, marketers and advertisers link brands with desirable people, such as Sarah Jessica Parker with Garnier Nutrisse, or Lleyton Hewitt with Nike, and David Beckham with Coca-cola.
The celebrities are the unconditioned stimulus which elicits feelings of warmth or admiration (the unconditioned response). Pairing a neutral stimulus or conditioned stimulus such as brand name with unconditioned stimulus over time will cause consumers to associate the original unconditioned response with new stimulus. After repeated pairings the conditioned stimulus alone will produce feelings which are the conditioned response. For classical conditioning to be effective the association must be presented to the consumer frequently (e.g. regular television advertising), and the conditioned stimulus must be presented prior to the unconditioned stimulus and very close in timing.
A celebrity endorsement strategy via classical conditioning enables marketers to project credible images in terms of expertise, persuasiveness, trustworthiness, and objectiveness (Till & Shimp, 1998). Advertisers must be aware of the attractiveness of the spokesperson (McCracken, 1989). Source attractiveness (physical appearance, personality, likeability, and similarity to the receiver) has proved to have greater success in influencing customers’ attitudes and beliefs than unattractive spokespersons (Ohanian, 1991). This behaviour can be explained by the halo effect, whereby individuals who perform well in one dimension, e.g. physical attractiveness, are assumed to also excel in others, e.g. happiness and popularity (Solomon, 2002).
Classical Conditioning: Music
Propositions have been made that music in television advertisements act as unconditioned stimulus which elicits an unconditioned emotional response that is likely to result in the consumer purchasing that specific brand.
An example is the “Always Coca-Cola” advertisement. This song utilises classical conditioning on two levels, the song and the literal association. The unconditioned stimulus being linked with the brand elicits an emotional response and thus conditions the consumer to purchase Coca-Cola. For example, as a consumer spots Coca-Cola in the shopping isle, recalls the advertisement and the song. This produces a positive emotional brand reaction - she picks up a bottle of Coca-Cola and places it in her trolley while singing “...whenever there is fun there’s always Coca-Cola...”.
The literal association being made between fun and Coca-Cola in the song’s words “...whenever there is school there will always be homework, whenever there’s a beat there’s always a drum, whenever there’s fun there’s always Coca-Cola...”
Here, it is implied that Coca-Cola is synonymous with fun: one does not occur without the other, such as not being able to go to school without having homework as a result.
Recent research has begun to move beyond music’s influence in advertising via classical conditioning and has found that it also effects the peripheral and central persuasion routes (elaboration likelihood model) (MacInnis & Park, 1991). Bruner (1990), and Alpert and Alpert (1990) reported that music manipulates consumers’ moods. A consumer’s mood can be negatively affected by sad music, but increases purchasing intentions. Hence many charities use sad music in advertisements. Additionally, music uses more processing resources leaving less for processing product-relevant information, thus Coca-cola uses happy ‘stick in your head music” which can avert advertising wear out (Anand & Sternthal, 1990).
Elaboration Likelihood Model
The elaboration likelihood model was developed by Petty, Cacioppo, and Schumann (1983) to “bring the concept of the motivational state described by enduring involvement to bear upon the question of the persuasiveness of advertising” (Foxall & Goldsmith, 1994). This theory combines the characteristics of the audience such as high or low involvement with the characteristics of the message, i.e. the argument and the presentation.
Petty et al. (1983) questioned how advertising persuades people, given the differences in their ability and motivation to process information which characterise mass media audiences (Foxall & Goldsmith, 1994). The elaboration likelihood model proposes that there are two routes to persuasion: peripheral and central (see figure 1.). These routes can alter one’s belief structure based on the occurring cognitive processes at the time of persuasion. The peripheral route (the direct route from exposure to memory) is correlated with individuals’ inability to exercise careful analysis on all messages encountered. There are countless messages in our environment, thus the central processing route cannot pay attention to them all. An individual’s motivation to consider issue-relevant information is affected by many environmental variables, as is the ability to complete cognitive processing.
Messages hold no intrinsic interest if the individual is less involved in the product category. Though an individual may not be interested in the message argument, some aspect of the ad may “grab” their attention, and consequently low levels of their information processing capacity will be focused. The message can still be persuasive as individuals can use heuristics to buy a product, such as ‘buy the most familiar’, and purchase the product simply as a result of becoming familiar with it. Consumers may develop positive feelings toward Coca-Cola because of the music or endorser without actually evaluating Coca-Cola itself. It can be postulated that many Coca-Cola sales are made from consumer’s peripheral route.
However, consumers’ message involvement seems to be a consequence of their enduring involvement: those who display high-enduring product involvement are more likely to pay attention to a message (Foxall & Goldsmith, 1994). The central route is a dynamic and conscious process that determines the argument’s persuasiveness. Individuals construct favourable and unfavourable opinions in response to the advocated position during the central route’s cognitive process. Determination of whether the position holds any merit is reliant on the outcome of these favourable and unfavourable thought processes. Those consumers who not only drink Coca-Cola, but also collect the merchandise, company produced CD’s, or who are embedded firmly in the “Pepsi – Coke rivalry”, are individuals who have a high-involvement with Coca-Cola, are much more receptive to Coca-Cola’s advertisements.
Figure 1. A model of consumer information processing. Source: Foxall & Goldsmith, 1994, p. 75.
Social Learning
In social learning, (observational learning or vicarious conditioning) people are more likely to imitate behaviours if they have seen others rewarded for performing them. Social learning, with respect to marketing and advertising, occurs when consumers imitate the behaviours of those advertised, and implement it into their own consumerism. “A variety of consumer behaviours, such as shopping, interacting with sales clerks, brand selecting and consumption, can be modelled for consumers who pattern their future behaviour on the examples observed” (Foxall & Goldsmith, 1994, p. 73). Consumers are frequently influenced by marketers via advertising modelling how the company would like the consumers to behave with regard to their product.
Many Coca-Cola advertisements focus on the brand being associated with fun, partying, and being with friends. In Coca-Cola television advertisements, Coca-Cola is the sparkling, bubbly, and refreshing drink that so many enjoy. Its unique taste and cool refreshing flavour is all that is needed to satisfy Australians on a hot summer’s day. In Australia, Coca-Cola has tapped into our large beach and party culture.
Advertisements model how Coca-Cola should be enjoyed: on the beach with friends, having a party etc. As a component of the brand’s image, the advertisements associate a distinctive type of user with Coca-Cola. This is usually carefully cultivated by the marketer because of the dual promises that it poses.
Firstly, using the brand acts as a symbol of what kind of person you are (Foxall & Goldsmith, 1994). If you drink Coca-Cola you must be cool, young, keen to have fun, and good looking. Secondly, if this is not you, then you can become more like the portrayed desirable consumer by using the brand
Conversely, it can be argued that Coca-Cola advertisements such as these, have not imitated the Australian culture of partying and having fun, but rather, created it. Consumers have imitated the behaviours seen on television and thus when they want to have fun they go to the beach or have a party and drink Coca-Cola.
Conclusion
Classical conditioning, social learning theory, and the elaboration likelihood model, can be applied to Coca-Cola’s marketing, advertising, and branding.
Utilising classical conditioning, Coca-Cola’s marketers link their product with desirable people such as David Beckman, and use music in their television advertisements to encourage individuals to consume Coca-Cola.
Coke utilises the central and peripheral routes to persuasion, as outlined in the elaboration likelihood model, by having its advertisements appeal to both “low and high” enduring consumers. Catchy music and strong visuals capture those who are less involved in the cola product category, while Coca-Cola’s strong positive image and message appeals to those already committed to the brand.
Finally, Coca-Cola uses modelling to convey its’ image of being consumed by young attractive people having fun and partying. It reinforces the image of those who already consume the product, and holds out the promise for those do not, that they too can become more like the portrayed desirable Coca-Cola consumer by using the product.
In the words taken from the BBC website, “The image plus the product creates a powerful selling machine” (Coca-Cola - a Soft Drink with Other Uses,2006).
Reference
Alpert, J. I., & Alpert, M. I. (1990). Music influences on mood and purchase intentions. Psychology Marketing , 7, 109-33.
Anand, P., & Sternthal, B. (1992). The effects of program involvement and ease of message counterarguing on advertising persuasiveness. Journal of consumer Psychology , 1, 225-38.
Baumeister, R. F., & Bushman, B. J. (2008). Social Psychology and Human Nature. California: Thomson Wadsworth.
Bruner, G. C. (1990). Music, mood and marketing. Journal of Marketing , 54, 94-104.
Coca-Cola - a Soft Drink with Other Uses. (2006, July 27). Retrieved October 26, 2007, from h2g2: http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/A12590327
Costley, C. L., & Brucks, M. (1992). Selective recall and information use in consumer preferences. Journal of Consumer Research , 18, 464-74.
Foxall, G. R., & Goldsmith, R. E. (1994). Consumer Psychology for Marketing. London: Routledge.
Gresko, J., Kennedy, L., & Lesniak, J. (2003). Living in a Social World: Social Psychological Factors Underlying the Impact of Advertising. Miami: Miami University.
MacInnis, D. J., & Park, C. W. (1991). The differential role of characteristics of music on high and low involvement consumers' processing of ads. Journal of consumer Research , 18, 161-73.
McCracken, G. (1989). Who Is the Celebrity Endorser? Cultural Foundations of theEndorsement Process. Journal of Consumer Research, 16 (3), 310-321.
McGill, A., & Anand, P. (1989). The effect of vivd attributes on the evaluation of alternatives: the role of differntial attention and cognitive elaboration. Journal of Consumer Research , 16, 188-96.
Ohanian, R. (1991). The Impact of Celebrity Spokespersons’ Perceived Image on Consumers' Intention to Purchase. Journal of Advertising Research , 31 (1), 46-53.
Solomon, M. R. (2002). Consumer Behavior: Buying, Having, and Being (5th Edition ed.). New Jersey: Prentice Hall.
Till, B. D., & Shimp, T. (1998). Endorsers in Advertising: The Case of Negative Celebrity Information. Journal of Advertising , 27 (1), 67-82.
Unnava, H. R., & Burnkrant, R. E. (1991). An imagery-processing view of the role of pictures in print advertisements. Journal of Marketing Research .
Word Count: 1540 (excludes title, abstract, map, and reference list. 46 in-text references are included in this word count)
Abstract
The purpose of this essay is to examine how socio-psychological principles can be applied in marketing, advertising and branding by way of Coca-Cola. The essay first explores celebrity endorsement through classical conditioning, and then music also as a form of this method. Secondly, the elaboration likelihood model is discussed in relation the persuasiveness of an advertisement’s argument. Both the peripheral and central routes to persuasion are applied to Coca-Cola’s advertising and marketing. Finally, the essay will outline the social learning theory and how modelling is applied in Coca-Cola advertisements.
Introduction
Coca-Cola has focused its’ image on the emotions and feelings of individuals. It has entwined itself within cultures and become embedded within social values and attitudes throughout the world. Using a number of techniques and strategies to market its’ product, Cocoa-Cola’s brand logo is highly identifiable worldwide. The elaboration likelihood model, social learning theory, and classical conditioning can be used to explore and explain Coca-Cola’s marketing, advertising, and branding techniques.
Classical conditioning: Celebrities
Classical conditioning aids the formation of attitudes. Using classical conditioning to their advantage, marketers and advertisers link brands with desirable people, such as Sarah Jessica Parker with Garnier Nutrisse, or Lleyton Hewitt with Nike, and David Beckham with Coca-cola.
The celebrities are the unconditioned stimulus which elicits feelings of warmth or admiration (the unconditioned response). Pairing a neutral stimulus or conditioned stimulus such as brand name with unconditioned stimulus over time will cause consumers to associate the original unconditioned response with new stimulus. After repeated pairings the conditioned stimulus alone will produce feelings which are the conditioned response. For classical conditioning to be effective the association must be presented to the consumer frequently (e.g. regular television advertising), and the conditioned stimulus must be presented prior to the unconditioned stimulus and very close in timing.
A celebrity endorsement strategy via classical conditioning enables marketers to project credible images in terms of expertise, persuasiveness, trustworthiness, and objectiveness (Till & Shimp, 1998). Advertisers must be aware of the attractiveness of the spokesperson (McCracken, 1989). Source attractiveness (physical appearance, personality, likeability, and similarity to the receiver) has proved to have greater success in influencing customers’ attitudes and beliefs than unattractive spokespersons (Ohanian, 1991). This behaviour can be explained by the halo effect, whereby individuals who perform well in one dimension, e.g. physical attractiveness, are assumed to also excel in others, e.g. happiness and popularity (Solomon, 2002).
Classical Conditioning: Music
Propositions have been made that music in television advertisements act as unconditioned stimulus which elicits an unconditioned emotional response that is likely to result in the consumer purchasing that specific brand.
An example is the “Always Coca-Cola” advertisement. This song utilises classical conditioning on two levels, the song and the literal association. The unconditioned stimulus being linked with the brand elicits an emotional response and thus conditions the consumer to purchase Coca-Cola. For example, as a consumer spots Coca-Cola in the shopping isle, recalls the advertisement and the song. This produces a positive emotional brand reaction - she picks up a bottle of Coca-Cola and places it in her trolley while singing “...whenever there is fun there’s always Coca-Cola...”.
The literal association being made between fun and Coca-Cola in the song’s words “...whenever there is school there will always be homework, whenever there’s a beat there’s always a drum, whenever there’s fun there’s always Coca-Cola...”
Here, it is implied that Coca-Cola is synonymous with fun: one does not occur without the other, such as not being able to go to school without having homework as a result.
Recent research has begun to move beyond music’s influence in advertising via classical conditioning and has found that it also effects the peripheral and central persuasion routes (elaboration likelihood model) (MacInnis & Park, 1991). Bruner (1990), and Alpert and Alpert (1990) reported that music manipulates consumers’ moods. A consumer’s mood can be negatively affected by sad music, but increases purchasing intentions. Hence many charities use sad music in advertisements. Additionally, music uses more processing resources leaving less for processing product-relevant information, thus Coca-cola uses happy ‘stick in your head music” which can avert advertising wear out (Anand & Sternthal, 1990).
Elaboration Likelihood Model
The elaboration likelihood model was developed by Petty, Cacioppo, and Schumann (1983) to “bring the concept of the motivational state described by enduring involvement to bear upon the question of the persuasiveness of advertising” (Foxall & Goldsmith, 1994). This theory combines the characteristics of the audience such as high or low involvement with the characteristics of the message, i.e. the argument and the presentation.
Petty et al. (1983) questioned how advertising persuades people, given the differences in their ability and motivation to process information which characterise mass media audiences (Foxall & Goldsmith, 1994). The elaboration likelihood model proposes that there are two routes to persuasion: peripheral and central (see figure 1.). These routes can alter one’s belief structure based on the occurring cognitive processes at the time of persuasion. The peripheral route (the direct route from exposure to memory) is correlated with individuals’ inability to exercise careful analysis on all messages encountered. There are countless messages in our environment, thus the central processing route cannot pay attention to them all. An individual’s motivation to consider issue-relevant information is affected by many environmental variables, as is the ability to complete cognitive processing.
Messages hold no intrinsic interest if the individual is less involved in the product category. Though an individual may not be interested in the message argument, some aspect of the ad may “grab” their attention, and consequently low levels of their information processing capacity will be focused. The message can still be persuasive as individuals can use heuristics to buy a product, such as ‘buy the most familiar’, and purchase the product simply as a result of becoming familiar with it. Consumers may develop positive feelings toward Coca-Cola because of the music or endorser without actually evaluating Coca-Cola itself. It can be postulated that many Coca-Cola sales are made from consumer’s peripheral route.
However, consumers’ message involvement seems to be a consequence of their enduring involvement: those who display high-enduring product involvement are more likely to pay attention to a message (Foxall & Goldsmith, 1994). The central route is a dynamic and conscious process that determines the argument’s persuasiveness. Individuals construct favourable and unfavourable opinions in response to the advocated position during the central route’s cognitive process. Determination of whether the position holds any merit is reliant on the outcome of these favourable and unfavourable thought processes. Those consumers who not only drink Coca-Cola, but also collect the merchandise, company produced CD’s, or who are embedded firmly in the “Pepsi – Coke rivalry”, are individuals who have a high-involvement with Coca-Cola, are much more receptive to Coca-Cola’s advertisements.
Figure 1. A model of consumer information processing. Source: Foxall & Goldsmith, 1994, p. 75.
Social Learning
In social learning, (observational learning or vicarious conditioning) people are more likely to imitate behaviours if they have seen others rewarded for performing them. Social learning, with respect to marketing and advertising, occurs when consumers imitate the behaviours of those advertised, and implement it into their own consumerism. “A variety of consumer behaviours, such as shopping, interacting with sales clerks, brand selecting and consumption, can be modelled for consumers who pattern their future behaviour on the examples observed” (Foxall & Goldsmith, 1994, p. 73). Consumers are frequently influenced by marketers via advertising modelling how the company would like the consumers to behave with regard to their product.
Many Coca-Cola advertisements focus on the brand being associated with fun, partying, and being with friends. In Coca-Cola television advertisements, Coca-Cola is the sparkling, bubbly, and refreshing drink that so many enjoy. Its unique taste and cool refreshing flavour is all that is needed to satisfy Australians on a hot summer’s day. In Australia, Coca-Cola has tapped into our large beach and party culture.
Advertisements model how Coca-Cola should be enjoyed: on the beach with friends, having a party etc. As a component of the brand’s image, the advertisements associate a distinctive type of user with Coca-Cola. This is usually carefully cultivated by the marketer because of the dual promises that it poses.
Firstly, using the brand acts as a symbol of what kind of person you are (Foxall & Goldsmith, 1994). If you drink Coca-Cola you must be cool, young, keen to have fun, and good looking. Secondly, if this is not you, then you can become more like the portrayed desirable consumer by using the brand
Conversely, it can be argued that Coca-Cola advertisements such as these, have not imitated the Australian culture of partying and having fun, but rather, created it. Consumers have imitated the behaviours seen on television and thus when they want to have fun they go to the beach or have a party and drink Coca-Cola.
Conclusion
Classical conditioning, social learning theory, and the elaboration likelihood model, can be applied to Coca-Cola’s marketing, advertising, and branding.
Utilising classical conditioning, Coca-Cola’s marketers link their product with desirable people such as David Beckman, and use music in their television advertisements to encourage individuals to consume Coca-Cola.
Coke utilises the central and peripheral routes to persuasion, as outlined in the elaboration likelihood model, by having its advertisements appeal to both “low and high” enduring consumers. Catchy music and strong visuals capture those who are less involved in the cola product category, while Coca-Cola’s strong positive image and message appeals to those already committed to the brand.
Finally, Coca-Cola uses modelling to convey its’ image of being consumed by young attractive people having fun and partying. It reinforces the image of those who already consume the product, and holds out the promise for those do not, that they too can become more like the portrayed desirable Coca-Cola consumer by using the product.
In the words taken from the BBC website, “The image plus the product creates a powerful selling machine” (Coca-Cola - a Soft Drink with Other Uses,2006).
Reference
Alpert, J. I., & Alpert, M. I. (1990). Music influences on mood and purchase intentions. Psychology Marketing , 7, 109-33.
Anand, P., & Sternthal, B. (1992). The effects of program involvement and ease of message counterarguing on advertising persuasiveness. Journal of consumer Psychology , 1, 225-38.
Baumeister, R. F., & Bushman, B. J. (2008). Social Psychology and Human Nature. California: Thomson Wadsworth.
Bruner, G. C. (1990). Music, mood and marketing. Journal of Marketing , 54, 94-104.
Coca-Cola - a Soft Drink with Other Uses. (2006, July 27). Retrieved October 26, 2007, from h2g2: http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/A12590327
Costley, C. L., & Brucks, M. (1992). Selective recall and information use in consumer preferences. Journal of Consumer Research , 18, 464-74.
Foxall, G. R., & Goldsmith, R. E. (1994). Consumer Psychology for Marketing. London: Routledge.
Gresko, J., Kennedy, L., & Lesniak, J. (2003). Living in a Social World: Social Psychological Factors Underlying the Impact of Advertising. Miami: Miami University.
MacInnis, D. J., & Park, C. W. (1991). The differential role of characteristics of music on high and low involvement consumers' processing of ads. Journal of consumer Research , 18, 161-73.
McCracken, G. (1989). Who Is the Celebrity Endorser? Cultural Foundations of theEndorsement Process. Journal of Consumer Research, 16 (3), 310-321.
McGill, A., & Anand, P. (1989). The effect of vivd attributes on the evaluation of alternatives: the role of differntial attention and cognitive elaboration. Journal of Consumer Research , 16, 188-96.
Ohanian, R. (1991). The Impact of Celebrity Spokespersons’ Perceived Image on Consumers' Intention to Purchase. Journal of Advertising Research , 31 (1), 46-53.
Solomon, M. R. (2002). Consumer Behavior: Buying, Having, and Being (5th Edition ed.). New Jersey: Prentice Hall.
Till, B. D., & Shimp, T. (1998). Endorsers in Advertising: The Case of Negative Celebrity Information. Journal of Advertising , 27 (1), 67-82.
Unnava, H. R., & Burnkrant, R. E. (1991). An imagery-processing view of the role of pictures in print advertisements. Journal of Marketing Research .
Friday, October 26, 2007
Classical conditioning-celebrities and brand name
The celebrities are the stimulus (the unconditioned stimulus) who elicit feelings of warmth or admiration (which is the unconditioned response). Pairing a neutral stimulus (known as the conditioned stimulus) such as brand name with unconditioned stimulus over time will cause consumers to associate the original unconditioned response with new stimulus. After repeated parings the conditioned stimulus alone will produced feelings which are the conditioned response.
US (celebrities) gives UR (warm feelings)
Pairing CS (Coke) with US (celebrities)
gives UR on CS
Does that make sense to people out there?
US (celebrities) gives UR (warm feelings)
Pairing CS (Coke) with US (celebrities)
gives UR on CS
Does that make sense to people out there?
not MJ
Actually, i just found out that MJ did not sing this song....
JoeyDiggs sang it and Prince produced it (i think)
hmmm..maybe i cant use MJ as my example anymore!?!?!
JoeyDiggs sang it and Prince produced it (i think)
hmmm..maybe i cant use MJ as my example anymore!?!?!
YouTube - Always Coca Cola Commercial ( MJ )
YouTube - Always Coca Cola Commercial ( MJ )
This is a combination of a MJ film clip and the Coke song.
I am aprtially using this for my blog 2 topic. I am pretty sure that MJ does sing the ad
Here is the actual Coke ad (not the MJ video clip)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6rw-c5D7dOQ
This is a combination of a MJ film clip and the Coke song.
I am aprtially using this for my blog 2 topic. I am pretty sure that MJ does sing the ad
Here is the actual Coke ad (not the MJ video clip)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6rw-c5D7dOQ
Monday, October 15, 2007
explanation
below is my rough draft of my second essay topic and a related figure that helps explain the elaboration likelihood model. For this i need to think of better Coke examples though!
Ive decided to use the elaboration likelihood model, social learning theory, and classical conditioning as three social psych principles that can be utilised in marketing advertising and branding!
Ive decided to use the elaboration likelihood model, social learning theory, and classical conditioning as three social psych principles that can be utilised in marketing advertising and branding!
Elaboration Likelihood Model
Figure 1. A model of consumer information processing. Source: Foxall & Goldsmith, 1994, p. 75.
Elaboration Likelihood Model
Exposure → Preattention → Focal Attention → Comprehension → Elaboration
↘ ↘ ↙
Peripheral Route Memory Containing: Central Route
- Beliefs
- Feelings
- Associations
- Schemata
- Scripts
Figure 1. A model of consumer information processing. Source: Foxall & Goldsmith, 1994, p. 75.
DRAFT Blog 2
It has been claimed that when you buy a can of Coca-Cola for $1, you are paying 10c for the product and 90c for the image (source unknown). How are social psychological principles applied in marketing, advertising and branding?
Coca-Cola's image has directed its focus on the emotions and feelings of individuals. Coca-Cola image has entwined its image within cultures and has become embedded with social values and attitudes throughout the world. It has established its image via a number of techniques and strategies that have fully overcome the cultures of the world within the advertisements of the Coca-Cola product. The elaboration likelihood model, social learning theory, and classical conditioning can all be used to explore and explain some of Coca-Cola's marketing, advertising, and branding techniques and successes.
The elaboration likelihood model was developed by Petty, Cacioppo, and Schumann in 1983 to "bring the concept of the motivational state described by enduring involvement to bear upon the question of the persuasiveness of advertising" (Foxall & Goldsmith, 1994). This theory combines the characteristics of the audience (consumers or potential consumers) such as high or low involvement with the characteristics of the message, i.e. the argument and the presentation.
The elaboration likelihood model posits that there are two routes to persuasion. These two routes can alter the belief structure of an individual based on the occurring cognitive processes at the time of persuasion. The first route, the central route, is a dynamic and conscious process that determines a persuasive argument's pro. Individuals make favourable and unfavourable opinions in response to the advocated position during the central route's cognitive process. Determination of whether the position holds any merit is reliable on the outcome of these favourable and unfavourable t processes.
The second route is the peripheral route, which is correlated with individual's inability to exercise careful and effortful analysis on all massages they encounter. There are countless messages in our environment and thus the central processing route cannot pay attention to them all. "There are many variables which affect the likelihood of thinking about the merits of a message and thus the route to persuasion" (Gresko, Kennedy, & Lesniak, 2003).
An individual's motivation to consider issue-relevant information is affected by such variables, as is the ability to complete cognitive processing. Some variables also affect an individual's direction of thinking, such as favourable or unfavourable, and some influence the amount of thinking that an individual performs.
The question asked by Petty et al. (1983) was how does advertising persuade people, given both the differences in their ability and motivation to process information which characterise mass media audiences? Consumers' message involvement seems to be a consequence of their enduring involvement, as those who display high enduring involvement in a product area are more likely to pay attention to a message (Foxall & Goldsmith, 1994). The message argument such as claims to brand superiority will be their point of focus, and if they are persuaded by the message it will be a function of how convincing they found the arguments, which places this process in the central route to persuasion. For example, those consumers who collect the merchandise and collectibles that the company has produced are individuals who have high long-term involvement with Coca-Cola. Note to self: NEED BETTER EXAMPLE
Conversely, a message will hold no intrinsic interest if the individual is less involved in the product category. Though an individual may not be interested in the message argument, some aspect of the ad may however "grab" their attention, and thus low levels of their information processing capacity will be focused. Here, the message can still be persuasive as individuals can use an heuristic such as buying the most familiar product, which is familiar due to having some attention placed on the applicable ad. This type of consumerism is the peripheral route to persuasion. EXAMPLE?
Social Learning, also known as observational learning or vicarious conditioning is "a type of learning in which people are more likely to imitate behaviours if they have seen others rewarded for performing them, and less likely to imitate behaviours if they have seen others punished for performing them" (Baumeister & Bushman, 2008). Social learning, with respect to marketing, advertising and branding, occurs when consumers imitate the behaviours of others. Consumers learn patterns of behaviour by studying other's behaviour and implementing it into their own lives. "A variety of consumer behaviours, such as shopping, interacting with sales clerks, brand selecting and consumption, can be modelled for consumers who pattern their future behaviour on the examples observed" (Foxall & Goldsmith, 1994, p. 73). Consumers are frequently influenced by marketers via advertising modelling how the company would like the consumers to behave with regard to their product.
Many Coca-Cola advertisements focus on the brand being associated with fun, partying, being with friends, and having a great time. In Coca-Cola television advertisements, Coca-Cola is the sparkling, bubbly, and refreshing drink that so many people have enjoyed. Its unique taste and cool refreshing drink is all that is needed to satisfy Australians on a hot summer's day. Thus, just about every party you attend will have Coca-cola to drink. In Australia, Coca-Cola has tapped into our large beach culture as identified in many of the brand's adverts. These types of advertisements model how Coca-Cola should be enjoyed: on the beach with friends, having a party etc. As a component of the brand's image, these advertisements associate a distinctive type of user Coca-Cola. This is usually carefully cultivated by the marketer because of the dual promises that it poses. Firstly, using the brand acts as a symbol of what kind of person you are. For example, if you drink Coca-Cola you must be cool, young, keen to have fun, and good looking. Secondly, if this is not you, then you can become more like the portrayed desirable consumer by using the brand (http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=MPlKynCwb-0.http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=bgBr7Sp7nLU). For example, if you drink Diet Coca-Cola you will be young, sexy, and drive expensive cars and dine at expensive restaurants (http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=xRs4uMvk1bA). Conversely, it can be argued that Coca-Cola advertisement such as these have not imitated the Australian culture of partying and having fun, but rather, created it. Consumers have imitated the behaviours seen on television and thus when they want to have fun they go to the beach or have a party and they wear sexy clothes AND drink Coca-Cola.
Classical conditioning is proposed to aid the formation of attitudes. Using classical conditioning to their advantage, marketers and advertisers link products with desirable people, such as Sarah Jessica Parker with Garnier Nutrisse, or Lleyton Hewitt with Nike. The pairing of, or association with, a neutral stimulus, the conditioned stimulus (e.g. brand name) with an unconditioned stimulus can cause the consumer to feel the same feeling when they encounter the specific brand name only. For classical conditioning to be effective the association must be presented to the consumer frequently (e.g. regular advertising on television), and the conditioned stimulus must be presented prior to the unconditioned stimulus and very close in timing. Propositions have been made that music in advertisements in television act as unconditioned stimulus which elicits an unconditioned emotional response that is likely to result in the consumer purchasing that specific brand. Note to self: REFERENCE HERE
An example of a song used to elicit such an emotional response in a Coca-Cola advertisement is that sung by Michael Jackson "Always Coca-Cola". This song utilises classical condition on three levels. Level one is the use of a desirable person, Michael Jackson with the brand. Although not so favourable now, when the advertisements were running Michael Jackson was a prime spokesperson for Coca-cola: girls wanted to date him, boys wanted to dance like him. Level two is the song. The unconditioned stimulus being linked with the brand, will elicit an emotional response and thus condition the consumer to purchase Coca-Cola. For example, as a consumer spots Coca-Cola in the shopping isle she recalls the advertisement and the song she had heard, which in turn produces a positive emotional reaction to the brand-she picks up a bottle of Coca-Cola and places it in her trolley while singing "...whenever there is fun there's always Coca-cola...".
Level three is the literal, blatant association being made between fun and Coca-Cola as stated in the words of the song "...whenever there is school there will always be homework, whenever there's a beat there's always a drum, whenever there's fun there's always Coca-Cola...the stars will always shine, the birds will always sing, as long as there is thirst there's always the real thing...Coca-Cola is always the one, whenever there is fun there's always Coca-Cola". Here, the brand is linking Coca-Cola with fun; Coca-cola is synonymous with fun. It is implied that Coca-Cola goes hand in hand with fun, one does not occur without the other, such as a beat always occurring with a drum, or not being able to go to school without having homework as a result. http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=9cthWOuSURM
Exposure → Preattention → Focal Attention → Comprehension → Elaboration
↘ ↘ ↙
Peripheral Route Memory Containing: Central Route
- Beliefs
- Feelings
- Associations
- Schemata
- Scripts
Figure 1. A model of consumer information processing. Source: Foxall & Goldsmith, 1994, p. 75.
Monday, October 1, 2007
Footy and Social Psych (GO THE CATS BY THE WAY-WHAT A TEAM!)
I thought that in light of the recent footballing events on the weekend i would do a quick search of the social psychology aspects of football, football teams and football fans.
This is an interesting link that explores the image of AFL teams
http://www.convictcreations.com/football/psychology.htm
This link talks about footballers image of masculinity and the influence it can have on the treatment of women
http://uninews.unimelb.edu.au/articleid_2819.html
This is an interesting link that explores the image of AFL teams
http://www.convictcreations.com/football/psychology.htm
This link talks about footballers image of masculinity and the influence it can have on the treatment of women
http://uninews.unimelb.edu.au/articleid_2819.html
Wednesday, September 26, 2007
Josie's Love Poll
When looking at Josie's I was quite torn!!
The heart tells me (and recent experience) that love just occurs, you see someone and you "just know"
However, my head tells me that this is not so and so I i voted that love develops over time-how can you truly love someone unless you know them well?
-BUT- Maybe you can be IN-love with someone with out loving them?!?!!?!
What a topic Josie, very interesting and very debatable!
The heart tells me (and recent experience) that love just occurs, you see someone and you "just know"
However, my head tells me that this is not so and so I i voted that love develops over time-how can you truly love someone unless you know them well?
-BUT- Maybe you can be IN-love with someone with out loving them?!?!!?!
What a topic Josie, very interesting and very debatable!
Coke Ad
While searching for information on Coke i came across this one. I am thinking about using this as an example for my topic, but I'm not sure how yet, maybe to do with the particular image Coke is trying to portray the brand as in this ad-the image coke is selling..........or maybe i should take the blog question in relation to personal image on behalf of the consumer. I'll have to think on it!
an interesting ad never the less...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m4B7FTSlXBM
an interesting ad never the less...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m4B7FTSlXBM
Tuesday, September 4, 2007
My Blog 2 Topic
Marketing It has been claimed that when you buy a can of Coca-Cola for $1, you are paying 10c for the product and 90c for the image (source unknown). How are social psychological principles applied in marketing, advertising and branding?
Thought this one might be intersting as i am doing a marketing major in my arts degree!
Lets see how we go hey?!
Thought this one might be intersting as i am doing a marketing major in my arts degree!
Lets see how we go hey?!
Sunday, September 2, 2007
Blog 1: Stereotypes.
Obesity Stereotyping: What, why, and how
In Australia, individuals who are obese are negatively stereotyped. It is a common stereotype that obese individuals are lazy and sloppy, unattractive, unpopular and unhappy. There is a large stigma associated with this minority group in Australia and negative attitudes and labelling against the obese is quite strong. Our culture tends to label people, and the one assigned to the "fat people" assumes that they are gluttons who have become fat because they “can’t be bothered” to exercise. Being fat was once seen as a sign of wealth and comfort, however, people now imply that the obese deserve to be fat because they over-eat take -away and other unhealthy foods. Research indicates that overweight individuals are considered to be less hardworking, less intelligent, less successful, less strong willed, and less trustworthy than their ‘normal’ weight counterparts (Larwood & Gattiken, 1995; Hebel & Heatherton, 1997).
Why it exists
Stereotypes and prejudice often exist due to learning through socialisation (Baumeister & Bushman, 2008, p. 411). Once these stereotypes are learned it seems that humans innately hold on to these and are quite willing to reject anyone who is different to themselves. As humans have a tendency to conduct social categorisation, ingroups (us) and outgroups (them) are typically formed. As a form of outgroup homogeneity bias, individuals see all obese people as the same. That is to say that if they know of one obese individual who is obese due to being lazy and weak willed, then they believe that every other obese person (a member of the outgroup) is obese for the same reasons.
Stereotyping as a form of heuristic also plays a role in the existence of the negative attitudes toward the obese. That is, “trial by error” learning is used to simplify the world in which we live, and acts as mental shortcuts. Often it involves the overgeneralisation on behalf of the observer and occurs at the expense of the obese. For example, if an individual meets one unhappy obese person, then to them, all obese people are unhappy. When family and groups of friends hold negative stereotypes toward the obese, then an individual is more likely to comply with those they are close to. Known as social learning, individuals learn stereotypes from those who are influential in their life. If group members express their negative beliefs that all obese people are lazy and lack control, then an individual will also believe this, creating a viscous snowball effect. Social Function suggests that you identify own group members and are afraid of or consciously avoid others that are different. For example, “Us 'normal' weight people must avoid the obese because they are different”.
Finally, ignorance or lack of appropriate knowledge on behalf of those who hold obesity stereotypes means that they are forced to fill in the gaps or rely on other’s knowledge without direct contact themselves. An example of this is that without information provided regarding genetics and metabolism, society holds people accountable for their obesity because they are lazy and lack control.
How it was formed
Many individuals view one’s body weight as being controllable, and this is what distinguishes obesity stereotyping from other forms of stereotyping such as race, gender or some other form based on physical characteristics. It is a popular belief that eating too much and exercising too little are the major causes of obesity. Whereas other physical attributes like gender and eye colour are not controlled by the individual, obesity is not thought of in the same light.
Fundamental attribution error is the propensity for observers to attribute other’s behaviour to internal or dispositional causes (Baumeister & Bushman, 2008, p. 158). When a negative result like obesity is attributed to a controllable source, negative judgements and affective responses are made regarding the stigmatized condition (Weiner, Perry, & Magnusson, 1988). Research has established a correlation between negative attitudes toward the obese and the perceived control they have over their weight (Allison, Basile, & Yuker, 1991; Crandall, 1994; Crandall & Martinez, 1996). Furthermore, ultimate attribution error, the tendency for observers to make internal attributions about whole groups of people (Baumeister & Bushman, 2008, p. 158), is also a possible cause of the formation of obesity stereotyping. Attributed to individuals being cognitive misers, they often take quick and easy answers rather than thinking in depth (Baumeister & Bushman, 2008, p. 159). Thus, it is easy for society to form a stereotype of obese people when no one stops to question it.
How it is maintained
The negative stereotyping of individuals who are obese has many negative ramifications such as poor psychological health, non-acceptance by peers and co-workers, reduced academic achievement, anxiety, and many more. Unlike race or gender, there is no strong social pressure to suppress anti-fat attitudes. This is possibly because much of society is unaware that weight stereotyping and discrimination exists. Society holds inaccurate beliefs and lacks appropriate information about the causes of obesity. There is growing evidence that genetic and metabolic factors, in addition to sociocultural factors, are important determinants of obesity. However, there is also a lack of studies that attempt to reduce society’s negative attitudes toward the obese. Unlike the Government’s campaigns aimed at changing attitude such as “Violence against Women” and the many informative drug ads, nothing has been done to counteract the stigma attached, or to supply society with, information regarding obesity. Thus, it is left to individuals to consciously override prejudice feelings and to rely on internal motivations to overcome their stereotypes in relation to the obese.
How the stereotype could be changed
In light of the correlation between negative attitudes and the belief that weight is totally controllable, one way to change the negative stereotyping may be to change people's belief that obese individuals can in fact control their weight. A key to reversing negative stereotypes is to contradict them. This can be done through direct interactions between people, the media, and education. Often getting to know others personally can break down negative attitudes.
Publicising the knowledge that obesity can be caused by uncontrollable physiological/metabolic and genetic factors may aid society in changing their beliefs. The media can influence and establish negative stereotypes of individuals and groups, for example, idealising the skinny. In light of this, they can also play a role in the breaking down of stereotypes. Should the media portray the obese negatively, they are more than likely increasing the severity of the stereotype. To reduce the stigma attached to the obese and the negative stereotypes, the media should aim to contradict the misconceptions held of the obese by emphasising their positive aspects.
Additionally, altering society’s perceptions of certain groups can be achieved through creating attitude change and stigma-reduction ads, such as the “Nobody Thinks Big of You” campaign targeting reckless driving and speeding. Using this as an example, those who project their negative feelings toward the obese can start to be held socially accountable for their actions. Through ad campaigns individuals will be forced to transform their motivations to overcome their prejudice from internal, to external - that is, avoid social disapproval.
It may also be important to employ the promotion of weight tolerance by addressing issues of diversity and bias. A study by Irving (2000) among elementary students, improved weight acceptance attitudes through a curriculum aimed at increasing the acceptance of body size, diversity, and to discourage teasing. This type of intervention may be useful at all school levels, work places and other institutions. Several studies have attempted to change attributions of controllability of body weight with education about biological, genetic, and non-controllable etiological factors for obesity.
Conclusion
The obese are commonly stereotyped as being lazy and sloppy, unattractive, unpopular and unhappy. There is a large stigma associated with this minority group and negative attitudes and labelling against the obese is quite strong in Australia. This stereotype exists due to socialisation learning, and once learned society innately holds onto it. Stereotypes as heuristics, social learning, social Function, and ignorance also play a role in the existence of obesity stereotyping. It is a popular belief that over-eating and under-exercising are the major causes of obesity. Many individuals view one’s body weight as being controllable which is what distinguishes stereotyping of the obese from other forms of stereotyping. Unlike race or gender, there is no strong social pressure to suppress anti-fat attitudes, and thus, the stereotype is maintained. To change and reduce the stereotyping of obesity, direct interactions between people, the media, and education must contradict the negative beliefs and attitudes.
Reference
Allison, D. B., Basile, V. C., & Yuker, H. E. (1991). The measurement of attitudes toward and beliefs about obese persons. International Journal of Eating Disorders , 10, 599-607.
Baumeister, R. F., & Bushman, B. J. (2008). Social psychology and human nature (1st ed.). Belmont, California: Tomson Wadsworth.
Crandall, C. S. (1994). Prejudice against fat people: Ideology and self-interest. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology , 66, 882-894.
Crandall, C. S., & Martinez, R. (1996). Culture, ideology, and antifat attitudes. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin , 22, 1165-1176.
Hebel, M. R., & Heatherton, T. F. (1997). The stigma of obesity: The differences are black and white. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin , 24, 417-426.
Irving, L. M. (2000). Promoting size acceptance in elementary school children: The EDAP puppet program. Eating Disorders , 8, 221-232.
Larwood, L., & Gattiker, U. E. (1995). Rational bias and interorganizational power in the employment of manafement consultants. Group and Orgnasization Studies , 10, 4-12.
Weiner, B., Perry, R. P., & Magnusson, J. (1988). An attributional analysis of reactions to stigmas. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology , 55, 738-748.
Thursday, August 30, 2007
Tuesday, July 31, 2007
Fra/ctu\red?
I was listening to the radio the other night and they had a guest speaking about our 'fractured society'. Issues such as the lack of respect towards others and sheer rudeness many of us experience from our fellow members of society was discussed. They were talking of possible reasons as to why the sociability of humans has changed over time and how helping others was once a given, but is now more rare. An example of how once upon a time we could leave our houses and cars unlocked and think nothing of it, now we have a lot of crime in the form of robberies and the majority would never think of leaving their house unlocked. I think it has become a sad world when we can no longer rely on others within out community. But is this really true or is the media focusing on the rare events that occur, from which thoughts of a 'bad society' snowball? Following from this, Australia then becomes quite sad from all of this negativity. I began to examine my own thoughts on why it is that our culture and society seems to be 'fractured' and/or divided like it is.
Point 1)I think possibly economics plays a role. The price to live these days is much higher relative to our wage. People are much more focused on finances. I feel that we have adopted a 'look after yourself' cut throte mentality, which affects the people we become and the things we do. Are people unhappy because of finances and increased crime?
Point 2)Is Australia as a society unhappy at all? Has depression amongst Australians increased-or is it simply that reported cases of depression have increased? I think the Media has something to answer for: the media guids our society; in a way it indicates or dictates what is acceptable within society by what and what isn't published. Is it putting us into some state of unhappinessby reporting on increased crime, fractured societies, mental illness; or is it a beat up?
I realise that we have been discussing the social self, culture and the like, so whether or not this fits into this subject I am unsure, but i feel that the media in some way plays a role in forming our social self, our cultre, our society.
What are your thoughts guys?
I also found this page: a bit of interesting reading: "Reasons for optimism in modern Australia"
http://www.abc.net.au/nightlife/stories/s1951392.htm
Point 1)I think possibly economics plays a role. The price to live these days is much higher relative to our wage. People are much more focused on finances. I feel that we have adopted a 'look after yourself' cut throte mentality, which affects the people we become and the things we do. Are people unhappy because of finances and increased crime?
Point 2)Is Australia as a society unhappy at all? Has depression amongst Australians increased-or is it simply that reported cases of depression have increased? I think the Media has something to answer for: the media guids our society; in a way it indicates or dictates what is acceptable within society by what and what isn't published. Is it putting us into some state of unhappinessby reporting on increased crime, fractured societies, mental illness; or is it a beat up?
I realise that we have been discussing the social self, culture and the like, so whether or not this fits into this subject I am unsure, but i feel that the media in some way plays a role in forming our social self, our cultre, our society.
What are your thoughts guys?
I also found this page: a bit of interesting reading: "Reasons for optimism in modern Australia"
http://www.abc.net.au/nightlife/stories/s1951392.htm
Wednesday, July 25, 2007
Test
Just doing another test...or a first test if the other one didnt work out and no one knows about the first one! once this works i will attempt to write something exciting and social psych related....stay tuned....
Tuesday, July 24, 2007
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