II. Consumer Learning

            According to Schiffman and Kanuk (2007), consumer learning is a process by which individuals acquire purchase and consumption knowledge and experience that they apply to future related behavior. To put it simply, learning is a process that educates the consumer about the product and every aspect related to it and also includes the experience that the consumer goes through after he has tried the product. It is noteworthy that learning is a process i.e., a continuous in nature and can change with time, knowledge and experience. Learning can be incidental or intentional. For example, somebody planning to purchase a refrigerator will intentionally try to gain knowledge about the latest models and price whereas somebody else will acquire the same knowledge incidentally while browsing through a magazine or a website.

            Understanding what motivates the consumer by identifying the level of involvement of the consumer in acquiring knowledge about the product is a critical. Effective cues will direct the motivated consumer towards a desired action. For example, a consumer planning for a holiday can be made to try deals on hotels and car rentals by giving a cue about the discounts. Responding to a cue is important is the process of learning and can be reinforced by stimulating the consumer effectively.  On the basis of these elements, learning can be studied under few models or approaches viz. behavioral, cognitive and involvement.

III. Behavioral Learning Theories

            Also, known as stimulus-response theories, this approach is based on the premise that consumers react or respond in a certain manner to certain stimuli. Behavioral theories are mostly derived from input and output of the learning process i.e. X input or stimulus will lead to Y outcome or response. Classical, instrumental and observational theories originate from this school of thought.

i. Classical Conditioning – This approach assumes that people can be taught or conditioned to evoke a certain response to a stimuli through repetition. Humans naturally have unconditioned responses to unconditioned stimuli. Conditioned learning, as described by Ivan Pavlov, can happen when unconditioned stimuli are paired with conditioned stimuli to generate the same response making it the conditioned response. Repeating the process reinforces the connection between conditioned stimulus and response. For example, serene mountains are associated with unpolluted atmosphere and purity. Displaying images of mineral water with mountains will create a notion of the water being completely pure. Stimuli can be generalized or discriminated to vary the responses.

ii. Instrumental Conditioning– Instrumental or operant learning theory emphasizes that role of favorable experience or reward is instrumental is conditioning the consumer for that specific behavior. A customer who has had good food at a certain restaurant is conditioned to repeat the experience. Proposed by B. F. Skinner, instrumental conditioning can be created by positive or negative reinforcement. The consequences of not having purchased a certain product, for example, a home security system, can lead consumers to respond by buying it. However, if the consumer is no longer satisfied or rewarded, the learning can become extinct or forgotten as a result of decay or lack of reinforcement.

iii. Observational Learning – Unlike instrumental or classical conditioning where consumer undergoes the experience, observational or modeling learning can happen by observing the behavior or rewards of others such as people with a certain traits or social appeal. Models or sportsperson are used to endorse products and condition the consumers by observing their admired personality being rewarded by the use of the product.

IV. Cognitive Learning Theory

            Cognitive learning emphasizes the role of complex mental processing in decision making. This theory is based on the concept of motivating the consumer instead associating a reward with experience. Based on the images and individual’s cognitive or mental abilities, information is processed and stored in the memory. The result of this process is retained in the memory and retrieved when the decision making has to happen. For example, a consumer may look at an advertisement featuring the benefits of an Apple i-pad and store this information in his memory. This information will be accessed in future when the actual purchase is being made.

V. Involvement Theory

            Hemispheric lateralization or split brain theory is the basis of this approach to consumer learning. Split brain theory suggests that left brain processes information acquired from verbal or written mode of communication while the right brain processes pictorial and non-verbal information. Learning or information processing done by the right brain is usually passive in nature and does not require active involvement such as TV viewing. Thus, repeatedly pairing a product with an image will passively associate the two in the consumer’s mind.

VI. What is Consumer Attitude?

            An attitude in marketing terms is defined as a general evaluation of a product or service formed over time (Solomon, 2008). It is a lasting but not permanent perception of an object formed on the basis of beliefs (cognitive component), feelings (affective component) and behavioral intention ( conative component) of the consumer. Cognition about the attitude object is acquired as a result of experience or information from other resources. An emotional state or feeling associated with the attitude object forms a strong favorable or unfavorable evaluation about the product. Conative component is the likelihood or intention of the consumer to actually buy the product.

            Social media is the new age communication platform. ComScore (2011) rates social networking is the most popular online activity worldwide accounting for nearly 1 in every 5 minutes spent online in October 2011, and reaches 82 percent of the world’s Internet population, representing 1.2 billion users around the globe. Twitter was used as a central means of communication during events of worldwide and national significance, ranging from political uprisings in the Middle East to disasters, such as the earthquake and tsunami in Japan. Death of Osama bin Laden, celebratory moments such as New Year, and news about Steve Jobs’ resignation from Apple and consequent passing were the most tweeted moments in 2011. However, with large number of entrants in the market everyday and vying for consumers’ attention, it becomes important to develop effective marketing strategies to acquire and retain the consumer in the long run.

i. Consumer attitude and TweetFreak marketing plan- Having understood the basics of consumer attitudes and prospects of effective online presence, it becomes easier to develop a strategy to develop and promote TweetFreak. It is apparent from the most tweeted topics of 2011, that the cognitive component of the targeted consumer is very developed i.e. he is well educated and intends to stay connected about the global happenings. Since social media surpasses most of the demographic attributes, it becomes imperative to target on the basis of intellect, cognition and the experience itself. Though the new generation “e-consumer” is not overtly emotional, he feels strongly about his beliefs which are based on subjective evaluation of experiences. The actual intention to buy is cannot be controlled directly by the marketer and hence the other two components should drive the consumer close to making a favorable decision.

VII. Family Influences on TweetFreak customers

            The concept of family and its influence varies according to cultures. Since TweetFreak aspires to reach a global community with diverse cultural backgrounds, the influence of family structure needs a profound consideration. In most of the countries in Asia Pacific, families have a strong opinion in decision making especially in case of children. The impact of social media on the opinions is widely known and families are openly expressing concern about the content and time youngsters spend on the social networking sites. Nevertheless, marketers are going an extra mile to harness the capacity of digital communication.

            The online community understands that social networking is still in its infancy but it is here to stay and they want to be part of it as soon as possible. They want to grow up with it. There is another breed of adult users who are a part of the online community and actively use mobile applications to access social media. Neilson (2011) survey revealed more than 100% increase in the use of mobile to access networking sites in the age group of 55+ and 68 % in the age group of 35-54. The statistic validates the fact that the influence of the family though cannot be ignored completely, can be minimized by positioning the application strategically.

VIII. Conclusion

            TweetFreak is entering the market at a perfect time. All it needs is a focused approach towards establishing itself as a valued brand and differentiate itself from the plethora of “me too” social networking platforms. The strategic marketing expertise of Pegasus coupled with the exceptional product offering of TweetFreak will generate a massive appeal and create a niche for itself over a short span of time.

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