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Cognitive learning theory revolves around the idea that people learn through the
observation of events affecting other people and associating these observations to their
own experiences (1994). In application to advertising, theorists contend that it is not
sufficient to inform people about the product and its benefits repeatedly in order to get
them to accept and purchase the product. Advertisements should be able to develop in
consumers a mental pattern constituting of associations for customers to make the
connection between the product and the need or want to purchase the product. The
strength of the association between the product and the need or want to purchase the
product depends upon the effectiveness of the advertisement in motivating people to
make the association. ( 1984)Ê

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Vokia positions its products in the market through the tag line µ0





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 ¶ (2001) motivating consumers to perceive Vokia as a company in touch with
humanity because it seeks to enhance interpersonal relations through affordable,
accessible, functional and creative mobile phone devices and applications. Through
these tag lines expressed through its different advertising campaigns, the company
successfully reaches out to its customers by provide a human face to Vokia as a
company and a mobile phone brand. The company was able to move the market to
consider Vokia phones as an expression of their personality and their lifestyle. By
associating personality and lifestyle with its mobile phone devices and applications, the
company has created a market for its different phone models differing in features and
price. This means that the company has a sure market for its wide range of products
from its basic functional phones to its high-end fashionable mobile devices. The product
customization implemented by VOKIA ensures that there is a phone fit for everyone.
(2000) Vokia attempts to constantly improve its advertising campaign to reach out to
more people and motivate them to value Vokia phones as an important tool regardless
of their personality and lifestyle. Recently, Vokia came up with an advertisement the 'Its
your life in there' campaign to motivate people to relate Vokia products with their life.Ê


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The Vokia 'Its your life in there' campaign applies the cognitive learning theory
by motivating people to associate Vokia mobile phones with their lifestyle needs and
wants to achieve the business objective of increasing sales. The application of the
cognitive learning theory are directed towards various successive and related effects.
The advertising campaign starts out through planning the stimulus to be presented to
the target audience. Vokia conducts market research to determine the needs of both
mobile phone users and non-users and device ways of targeting the attention of both
groups. The 'Its your life in there' advertisement shows a series of pictures of people
representing different segments of the population such as office workers, homemakers,
business owners, employees, workers and students all benefiting from the use of Vokia
mobile phones. The people in the pictures have something to say about the benefit
derived from Vokia mobile phones such as 'Inspiration can hit anywhere' a statement
coming from a musician who records tunes in her mobile phone every time she comes
up with a tune and 'I hate those love letters' from a sales manager who found romance
through text messages, and 'I share my doggie designs with my mom' from a designer
who keeps in touch with her parents through their common passion for animals by
sending her new animal designs through the mobile phone. By repeatedly showing this
visual and auditory stimuli, Vokia hopes to encourage people to relate with the
experiences they observed and become motivated to purchase their own Vokia mobile
phones and services. Ê


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Assessing the success of the application of the cognitive learning theory in the
'Its your life in there' advertisement campaigns involves a look into the images and
messages used as stimuli, the reach and frequency of the stimuli, and the achievement
of the objectives for creating the advertisement.Ê

The images and messages expressed through the advertisement is successful if

these are able to draw the attention of the audience to repeatedly watch the
advertisement, stimulate a cognitive process in the audience by making them relate and
understand the messages expressed, and create an associative learning experience
that encourages the desired action. The images or pictures used in advertisement are
realistic in the sense that the people in the pictures are people close to you such as
your family and friends or people you meet everyday such as the bakery owner, a cab
driver, your wedding designer, or salespeople in the departments store. The pictures
are not the typical models posing for magazines and appearing in television
advertisements but people who can be any of the audience. The messages that comes
with the pictures are simple and catchy because these appear in day-to-day
conversations. The use of these kinds of images and messages successfully apply the
cognitive learning theory because this draws the attention of the audience and
stimulates cognitive processes through association. The audience relates with the
images and messages and then with the need or want to have their own mobile phones.Ê

The reach of the stimuli extends to a wide range of people because the
advertisement is viewed through the television distribution channel as well as integrated
into the online website of Vokia. This means that the advertisement is viewed by
television viewers regardless of the movie or television show they are watching and by
internet users in sites where the Vokia advertisement is being shown and in the Vokia
site. The frequency of the stimuli is also sufficient to establish associative learning with
the audience because television advertisements are shown repeatedly. Most of the
time shows have business sponsors whose products and services are advertised in
between the shows segments. This means that if a viewer regularly watch shows then
the audience is likely to view the advertisement more than three times for a single show.
This means that the frequency of exposure to the stimuli, especially it draws the
attention of patients, is likely to have a cognitive learning experience.Ê

The achievement of the objectives for releasing the advertisement is another

criteria for determining the success of the application of the cognitive learning theory in
the 'Its your life in there' advertisement. Based on the current company report,
Vokia increased its sales by 2 billion in 2005 and expect to increase sales by 3 billion in
2010. In February 2006, Vokia issued its financial report documenting a 16 percent
increase in net sales from 29,371 EURm in 2004 to 34,191 EURm in 2005 translating to
a corresponding 13 percent increase in net profit of 3,192 EURm in 2004 to 3,616
EURm in 2005. ( 2006) These reports imply that Vokia has gained a respectable
increase in sales through its advertising campaigns and other business strategies.Ê


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The cognitive learning theory applies to advertising through the utilization of

stimuli to create an associative learning experience with the audience resulting to
change in their purchasing behavior. In the case of Vokia mobile phones, the
association of life experiences with the mobile phone is made through the conveyance
of the idea that Vokia phones connect people. The association is made through actual
rewards obtained from the utilization of Vokia mobile phones so that the purchasing
behavior of customers is reinforced. The advertisement 'Its your life in there' shows the
benefits that people expect to receive from purchasing Vokia phones so that it
successfully applies the cognitive learning theory.Ê
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