Applying Social Learning Theory to Advertising

Abstract

The present study investigated the applicability of social learning theory to advertising. An attempt was made to test whether the sex of both model and observer, as well as four increasing levels of perceived reinforcement influenced the effectiveness of an advertisement. Ninety-six 10–12-year-old children were exposed to one of eight stimulus advertisements, in a 2 × 2 × 4 (sex of subject × sex of model × level of reinforcement) design. They were questioned on their recall of, attitudes and behavioural intentions towards the advertisement, its models, and the product (a fictitious brand of sweets). Both same- and cross-sex imitation occurred in different contexts. The most explicit level of reinforcement determined the most effective advertisement for girls in terms of recall, reinforcement perception (when the male model was shown), and attitudes to the product (when the female model was shown). However, boys behaved in the expected direction solely in terms of the last-mentioned area. It was concluded tentatively that social learning theory may well be valid in understanding the advertising process, but that further research is required.