Brands are daily vying for consumers’ trust and loyalty. However, for consumers to effectively establish a sense of affinity with a brand, they have to be conditioned toward that brand.
In conditioning, brands evoke a continuous response from consumers as a result of a stimuli. In other words, brands apply known marketing techniques (stimuli) to ensure that consumers are more likely to associate with them (continuous response). Conditioning occurs in three forms: Classical, Operant and Vicarious/Model.
With classical conditioning, brands use a neutral stimuli to evoke a desired response. Classical conditioning is attributed to Russian physiologist, Ivan Pavlov. In his experiment with dogs, Pavlov rang a bell (neutral stimuli) before feeding the dogs. However, when there was no food, the sound of the bell still evoked the same response (salivating) from the dogs.
Brands use classical conditioning for advertising on radio and TV. By so doing, brands look to change the behavior of consumers by constantly exposing them to these adverts. Brands also utilize classical conditioning through brand logos. For instance, McDonald’s famous “golden arched M” has become synonymous with the brand, and when seen, almost instantly evokes an “I am hungry! Perhaps I should go to McDonald’s” response from the consumer.
Using operant conditioning, brands evoke a response from consumers by reinforcement. This reinforcement is usually in form of a reward. Unlike classical conditioning, there is a connection between the response and the stimuli. Operant conditioning is usually visible in promotional offerings by brands to consumers. For instance, when brands offer ‘Buy 1, Get 1 Free’, or ‘Buy for a chance to win’, they look to evoke a positive response from the consumer toward their brand by rewarding them.
While classical and operant conditioning are used very often, vicarious/model conditioning is currently on the rise in Nigeria. In this, consumer response is evoked as a result of “other people’s” association with a particular brand. It is a case of “if they are associated with this brand, then I should be as well.”
Take a look at Hollandia Yoghurt’s 2015 “It’s All Good” campaign for instance. The purpose of the campaign was to reach out to its consumers as the drink that is filled with goodness, both on the inside and the outside. The campaign ran across traditional and new media with consumers engaged on a day-to-day basis. However, with the need to evoke a response from consumers, the brand made singer and songwriter, Seyi Shay, its brand ambassador during the course of the campaign. Speaking about the brand, she said “Hollandia Yoghurt gives me improved energy levels for non-stop performance”.
By making Seyi Shay its brand ambassador, Hollandia Yoghurt sought to evoke a response from consumers based on her being a model that consumers look up to. Typically consumers would say, “If Seyi Shay is associated with these brand and gets improved energy levels from it, then I want to be associated with this brand as well.”
However, one important thing of note when considering vicarious/model conditioning is to ensure that the brands intended message/communication aligns with the model’s personality. Seyi Shay’s recognized musical talents are as a result of her chasing her dreams effortlessly, something the brand felt resonates with its consumers, as buttressed by the company while unveiling Seyi Shay as the brand ambassador.
There is no question that conditioning is an integral part of a brand creating a connection between itself and consumers, and over the years, the best and biggest brands have shown that when done right, it has the ability to create a long-lasting affinity with consumers.
