Have you ever seen little kids in the grocery store begging their parents for a certain cereal? I was one of those little kids several years ago. How did I know that I wanted that cereal if I had never tried it before?
When I was younger, The Flintstones was a popular cartoon that was loved by me, my friends, and even my dad. Of course, when I first saw a Cocoa Pebbles box with the familiar Fred Flintstone, I wanted to try them immediately. There I was, in the middle of the cereal aisle, begging my mom to buy me this new sugary cereal that I still eat and enjoy today.
If we take a closer look at the advertising strategy of Cocoa Pebbles we can find that I experienced classical conditioning, a type of learning (Classical). The Flintstones cartoon is the unconditioned stimulus. The unconditioned response is a happy feeling, due to watching this cartoon. Therefore if I relate the cartoon and the cereal then the cereal itself will at some point cause the happy feeling. This makes the cereal a conditioned stimulus and eventually happiness becomes a conditioned response. I learned to associate Cocoa Pebbles with the feeling of happiness.
This doesn’t just affect young kids; it affects everyone. If we look at commercials for Publix supermarket we see a common theme of smiling families having a good time together. If people want this feeling with their family, they might specifically shop at Publix. In this situation you have: Family (Unconditioned Stimulus) à Positive Atmosphere (Unconditioned Response). Seeing the commercials, people will convey Publix with this relationship and eventually the result will be: Shopping at Publix (Conditioned Stimulus) à Positive Atmosphere (Conditioned Response).
Still don’t believe me? While watching commercials, you’re actually learning without even realizing it. It’s not the type of classroom learning you’re used to but it’s still considered learning.
Many alcohol companies target men by putting girls wearing minimal clothing in their commercials and other ads, hoping to teach them which brand of alcohol to buy. Guys are stimulated by this image, resulting in a positive feeling. By relating alcohol with this image, guys will learn to associate the two. Consequently, the brand of alcohol will create a “feel good” response.
How can we avoid this influence? It seems that companies use images that are completely unrelated to their product, so if you just focus strictly on the product itself then you won’t be persuaded as easily (Fang). Imagine trying to tell a six year old that it doesn’t matter what is on the front of a cereal box. The response won’t be a pleasant one. Avoiding advertising images is easier said than done but the best way to achieve this is to concentrate your efforts solely on the product to make an informed decision.
References:
Fang, L. (21 Dec. 2010). Upcycled love. Retrieved from http://lynnfang.com/2010/12/seven-ways-to-break-free-from-corporate-influence/
Classical conditioning. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://changingminds.org/explanations /theories/classical_conditioning.htm
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