Knowledge and Understanding - Week 4

Question 1

What are the 3 characteristics that affect consumers schema and associations?

Answer 1

• Valence of associations (positive, negative, neutral)
• Strength/salience of associations
• Uniqueness of associations

Question 2

What are the marketing implications of schema and associations?

Answer 2

Create and strengthen positive associations; halo effect;
-e.g.: medical services: Front-desk friendliness influences perceptions of doctor evaluation
-Fast food: Donating to charities influences perceptions of food quality
Weaken negative associations
Create and strengthen unique (positive) associations

Question 3

What is the key form of association based learning? give an example

Answer 3

Classical Conditioning:
Pavlov’s Dog
Marlboro Cigarettes: moved their target audience from women to men by associating their cigarettes with rugged Cowboys
Corona: “From where you’d rather be”; beach and summer associations

Question 4

How can associative networks and spreading of activation be negative?

Answer 4

The recognition and activation of a network can lead a person to activate thoughts of a completely separate topic
This can have negative affect on brands, as a small brand may advertise their burger yet in the consumers head it activates the thought of McDonalds

Question 5

What 4 things can a brand do to help its consumer associations?

Answer 5

• Brand extensions: People don’t have to invest as much money in the new product and advertising as it is already associated with the current successful brand image
  eg. Starbucks coffee to starbucks ice-cream and starbucks chocolate liquor
• Licensing: using the name of another brand that already has the brand image you want consumers to associate with your brand.
• Brand alliance: joining to well known brands to create a new product that will appeal to both markets
• Country of origin affects: Putting a name of a product in a different language to associate it with the positive attributes of that country. Eg. starbucks coffee names are all in italian, because people associate Italy with good coffee.

Question 6

What can a brand do to change consumer associations?

Answer 6

Price
Retail atmospherics/display
Brand names/ symbols inferences
Assortment size
Product features/ packaging
Colour