The mechanisms of learning and memory are at the essence of how the brain works.
One of the most fascinating and mysterious properties of the brain is its capacity to learn and to establish new memories .According to Solomon (2006) 'learning refers to a permanent change in behaviour, which comes with experience'. Learning involves comprehending the world by reinterpreting knowledge (Ramsden,1992). The Learning Pyramid shows the ways in which people learn. The best ways are teaching others and practice.
LEARNING is part of the human development process. When a person is born their brain automatically starts to learn new things from observation.This the reason why learning process is important in marketing. It help to know new things by observation (eg.to look at the particular product or watch advertising on tv) , demonstration, reading (eg. advertising in magazines or reading guide instruction ).
Learning within marketing is approached in two ways, the behaviourist approach and the cognitive learning approach. and the cognitive learning approach.The cognitive approach to learning insists that even though learning can be inferred from behaviour, it is separate from the behaviour itself. It is defined as a relatively permanent change in cognition occurring as a result of experience.The cognitive approach suggests that the learner controls learning( Quinn.2000). There are two types of behaviourist learning : classical and operant conditioning.
Classical conditioning is a best-known aspects of behavioral learning theory
that was first demonstrated by Ivan Pavlov (1927).Classical conditioning is a learning process that occurs through associations between an environmental stimulus and a naturally occurring stimulus.
Operant conditioning is the term used to describe the effects of the consequences of a particular behavior. In other words, Skinner's(1953) theory explained how we acquire the range of learned behaviors we exhibit each and every day.
MEMORY
According to Blakemore (1988) 'memory is the storage of learning and an internal representations of that knowledge'.
Memory involves a process of getting information and storing it for future. For marketers memory is realy important factor to persuade the customer to purchase their products. They use it to make the consumer remember their services or products.
Thank to a memory , customers evoke their memories of the past, which are often associated with nostalgia.
The diagram below shows the memory process:
NOSTALGIA
Businesses and advertisers have known for years that nostalgia sells, that the products popular during a person's youth will influence their buying habits throughout their lifetime( BBC News,2010)
According to a Salomon (2000) “nostalgia has been described as a bitter-sweet emotion, where the past is viewed with both sadness and longing.” In other words is s bittersweet longing for things, persons, or situations of the past, the condition of being homesick; homesickness.
Nostalgia tends to be linked to the 5 senses:
- Music
- Images
- Smells
- Touch
- Taste
A NOSTALGIA 'WORKOUT'
- List cherished memories
- Find photos or mementos from happy times
- Close your eyes and think about what is outside the "picture frame" to conjure subtle details
- Reminiscing with people from your past strengthens relationships
- Take mental snapshots and save mementos of happy times for future nostalgia
(Source: Psychology Today)
Advertisers try to use nostalgic themes to attract consumers. Organisations tend to promote and advertise their products in media by using certain themes or songs which takes the audience back into the past. Nostalgia in marketing holds great appeal in times of uncertainty as it allows consumers to reminisce, bringing them back to simpler, more carefree times.
Coca Cola advertisement which is presented below draws nostalgia through the music and the advert itself. The music is typically linked with Christmas time.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fDoDUC9M0Sg&feature=player_embedded
Our life is guided by a set of values which are an integral part of every culture. Along with beliefs and worldview assumptions, they generate behavior. According to Brian Hall "values are the ideals that give significance to our lives, that are reflected through the priorities that we choose, and that we act on consistently and repeatedly.”
Our life is guided by a set of values which are an integral part of every culture. Along with beliefs and worldview assumptions, they generate behavior. According to Brian Hall "values are the ideals that give significance to our lives, that are reflected through the priorities that we choose, and that we act on consistently and repeatedly.”
