Classical conditioning plays an important role in advertising. It involves associating a previously neutral stimulus (the ad) with an unconditioned stimulus (the product) that naturally elicits a response. Repetition of ads strengthens this association and prevents advertising wearout. Stimulus generalization allows consumers to associate related products and extensions with the same brand attributes. Advertisers leverage this through line extensions, family branding, and licensing. Stimulus discrimination allows consumers to choose between similar products based on their individual needs and preferences.

1. CLASSICAL CONDITIONING
AND
ITS ROLE
IN
ADVERTISEMENT
PRESENTED BY: SUDESHNA MOHAPATRA
8TH SEMESTER, IMBA

2. Classical Conditioning
 Discovered by Russian physiologist
Ivan Petrovich Pavlov.
 A learning process that occurs
through associations between an
environmental stimulus and naturally
occurring stimulus.
 In other words, a process in which
an organism learns to connect or
associate, stimuli.

3. Components of Classical
Conditioning

4.  Unconditioned Stimulus
Unconditionally, naturally and automatically triggers a
response.
 Unconditioned Response
Unlearned response that occurs naturally in response
to the unconditioned stimulus.
 Conditioned Stimulus
Previously neutral stimulus that, after becoming
associated with the unconditioned stimulus, eventually
comes to trigger a conditioned response.
 Conditioned Response
Learned response to the previously neutral stimulus.

8. Applications of the Theory in
Advertisement
 Repetition
 Stimulus Generalization
 Stimuli Discrimination

9. Repetition
 Repetition increases the strength of the
association between conditioned stimulus and
an unconditioned stimulus and slows the
process of forgetting.
 Repetition of advertisement by avoiding
advertising wearout making use of
cosmetic variation or substansive variation.

10.  Avertising wearout: Stage, an advertisement
reaches after being printed or aired so many
times that its effect on the brand’s sale is zero or
negative.
 Cosmetic variation: Changes more peripheral
to the product or advertisement by changing the
appearance of the ad using color, print style,
format or characterizations.
 Substansive variation: Changes from ad to ad
that are central to the product being advertised by

11. Stimulus Generalization
 Stimulus generalization is the tendency of a
subject to respond to a stimulus or a group of
stimuli similar but not identical to the original
Conditioned Stimulus.
 When a consumer learns certain attributes
about a particular product of a particular brand,
through stimulus generalization the consumer
will associate the products of the same brand
with similar attributes.

12. Marketing Strategies based on
Stimulus Generalization
 Product line extension:
Adding related products to
an established brand
varying in terms of
packaging, flavor, added
facility.
 Product form extension:
Same product offered in
different physical form.

13.  Family branding: A
marketing practice involving
the use of a single brand
name for the sale of two or
more related products.
 Licensing: When a well
known brand allows its name
to be used by another brand
with the concept of operation
being stimuli generalization.

14.  Product category extension: Same brand
name used by a company to enter into a
completely unrelated product segment.
Company diversifies into other products, once
the brand name is established.
Ex: Britannia

15. Stimuli Discrimination
 The ability in the consumer to discriminate one
cue or stimuli from the other and position them
according to his or her needs.
 Stimulus discrimination by consumer is often
rewarded as he/she chooses a particular
product, leaving another similar or substitute
product.