Learning and Persuasion: How Consumers Process Information
by
Charles Lamson
Each time we file a new perception in our minds it is a learning process. Many psychologists consider learning to be the most fundamental process in human behavior. From the advertiser's perspective, though, perception is the most important because it precedes learning. In truth, perception and learning are a continuum, overlapping each other.
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By definition, learning is a relatively permanent change in thought process or behavior that occurs as a result of reinforced experience. Learning produces our habits and skills. It also contributes to the development of interests, attitudes, beliefs, preferences, prejudices, emotions, and standards of conduct.
Theories of Learning There are numerous theories of learning, but advertisers classify most into two broad categories---cognitive theory and conditioning theory---depending on the level of consumer involvement (high or low) required to make a purchase. Cognitive theory views learning as a mental process of memory, thinking, and the rational application of knowledge to practical problems. This theory may be an accurate description of how we learn from the experience of others, such as our parents, and how we evaluate a complex purchase such as insurance, stocks and bonds or business products. Conditioning theory---also called stimulus-response theory---treats learning as a trial-and-error process. Some stimulus (perhaps an ad) triggers the consumer's need or want, and this in turn creates the drive to respond. If the consumer's response reduces the drive, then satisfaction occurs, and the response is rewarded or reinforced. And that produces repeat behavior for the next time the drive is aroused, demonstrating that learning has taken place. Conditioning theory is more applicable to the simple, basic purchases consumers make every day---soap, cereal, toothpaste, paper towels and so forth. And it is here that reinforcement advertising plays its more important role---along with superior product performance and good service. If learning is reinforced enough and repeat behavior is produced, a purchasing habit may result. Learning and persuasion are closely linked. Persuasion occurs when the change in belief, attitude, or behavioral intention is caused by promotion communication (such as advertising or personal selling). Naturally, advertisers are very interested in persuasion and how it takes place.  The Elaboration Likelihood Model Researchers have identified two ways promotion communication can persuade consumers: the central and peripheral routes to persuasion. Like learning theory, each depends on the consumer's level of involvement with the product and the message. When the consumer's level of involvement is higher, the central route to persuasion is more likely. On the other hand, the peripheral route to persuasion is more likely when consumer involvement is low. Exhibit 1
The Elaboration Likelihood Model
 We can see how this works by looking at the Elaboration Likelihood Model in Exhibit 1. In the central route to persuasion, consumers have a higher level of involvement with the product or the message, so they are motivated to pay attention to the central, product-related informstion, such as product attributes and benefits or demonstrations of positive functional or psychological consequences. Because of their high involvement, consumers tend to learn cognitively and comprehend the ad-delivered information at deeper, more elaborate levels. This can lead to product beliefs, positive brand attitudes, and purchase intention. Suppose you are in the market for a significant purchase, say, a new camera or a computer. Because the purchase is relatively expensive, your level of involvement is higher. Perhaps you ask for advice from some friends or family members. You may shop different stores to compare models and prices. And you probably read ads for these products thoroughly to understand the variety of product features and benefits. That is central processing. And in that situation, a well-written, informative ad can be very persuasive. The peripheral route to persuasion is very different. It is more like stimulus-response learning. People who are not in the market for a product typically have low involvement with the product message. They have little or no reason to pay attention to it or to comprehend the central information of the ad. However, these consumers might attend to some peripheral aspects---say, the pictures or the colors in an ad or the actors in a commercial---for their entertainment value. And whatever they think or feel about these peripheral, nonproduct aspects might integrate into a positive attitude toward the ad. At some later date, if a purchase occasion does arrive and the consumer needs to make some brand evaluation, these ad-related meetings could be activated to form some brand attitude or purchase intention.  Because very few people are actually in the market at any given time, most mass media advertising probably receives peripheral processing. We all know that most of the ads we see have little relevance to our immediate goals or needs, so we are not motivated to pay close attention to, much less think about, them. Our involvement is very low. That is why we also have very little recall of ads we saw yesterday. In cases where there is little product differentiation, advertisers may actually want us to engage in peripheral processing. Their ads focus more on image or entertainment than product features. This is typical of advertising for many everyday low-involvement purchases, such as soap, cereal, toothpaste, and chewing gum. But when a product has a distinct advantage, the advertiser's goal should be to encourage central route processing by increasing consumer's involvement with the message. This is where we see a lot of comparative advertising. One key to learning and persuasion is repetition. Just as a student prepares for an exam by repeating key information to memorize it, an advertiser must repeat key information to prospective and current customers so they remember the product's name and its benefits. Repeat messages penetrate customers perpetual screens (a window through which we interact with people that influences the quality, accuracy and clarity of the communication) by rekindling memories of information from prior ads. Quebec-based Cossette Communications-Marketing used pairs of billboards for the Provigo grocery store chain. They featured similarly strong visual elements and were positioned to be seen in succession. The repetition proved highly successful, producing $100 million in sales in just six months. Learning Produces Attitudes and Interest An attitude is our acquired mental position regarding some idea or object. It is the positive or negative evaluations, feelings, or action tendencies that we learn and cling to. To advertisers, gaining positive consumer attitudes is critical to success. Attitudes must be either capitalized on or changed.  In Japan, for instance, dishwashers are not a common household appliance. Not only is there very little space for them, Japanese homemakers feel guilty about using the labor-saving device. As a result, dishwasher manufacturers have designed smaller, space-saving machines and then promoted them using good hygiene themes rather than convenience appeals.
For mature brands in categories with familiar, frequently purchased products, brand interest is even more critical for motivating action. Brand interest is an individual's openness or curiosity about a brand. Enjoyable, entertaining advertising can enhance interest in the brand and reduce the variety-seeking tendencies of consumers who become bored with using the same old product.
Learning Leads to Habits and Brand Loyalty
Attitude is the mental side and habit the behavioral side of the same coin. Habit---the acquired behavior pattern that becomes nearly or completely involuntary---is the natural extension of learning. We really are creatures of habit.
Most consumer behavior is habitual for three reasons: It is safe, simple, and essential. First, regardless of how we learned to make our purchase decision (through either central or peripheral route processing), if we discover a quality product, brand, or service, we feel safe repurchasing it through habit.
Second, habit is simple. To consider alternatives we must evaluate, compare, and then decide. This is difficult, time-consuming, and risky.
Finally, because habit is both soft and easy, we rely on it for daily living. Imagine rethinking every purchase decision you make. It would be virtually impossible, not to mention impractical. So it is really essential to use habit in our lives.
The major objectives of all brand marketers is to produce brand loyalty, a direct result of the habit of repurchasing and reinforcement of continuous advertising. Brand loyalty is the customers conscious or unconscious decision, expressed through intention or behavior, to repurchase a brand continually. It occurs because the consumer perceives that the brand offers the right product features, image, quality, or relationship at the right price.
In the quest for brand loyalty, advertisers have three aims related to habits:
Developing brand loyalty is much more difficult today due to consumers' increased sophistication and to the legions of habit-breaking activities of competitive advertisers. Only recently have advertisers come to realize that their years of habit-breaking activities have undermined their own habit-building objectives. In the quest for instant results, they shifted much of their advertising budgets to sales promotions (deals, coupons, price cuts). But advertising, unlike sales promotion, is an integral part of what makes a brand salable. It is advertising that reinforces brand loyalty and maintains market share.
*SOURCE: CONTEMPORARY ADVERTISING 11TH ED., 2008, WILLIAM F. ARENS, MICHAEL F. WEIGOLD, CHRISTIAN ARENS, PGS. 149-153*
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