Advertising Persuades Human Behavior

James Ashley

I’m curious how persuasive techniques in advertising affect human behavior. Below is information on
some of the common tactics used. Most recently marketing and advertising agencies have begun to
panic. The implications of artificial intelligence and the internet of things are still greatly unknown.
The use of algorithms is already being practiced by those who understand how to leverage
mathematics. For instances, some attorneys are using creative algorithms to find clients with the
highest success rate and who yield the most profitable wins for their firm. Restaurants are using
social media algorithms to decide what trends and menu items will sell more in their local region.
They adapt in real time creating a forward thinking environment. They improve sales and lower their
food cost at the same time. Consumers are becoming more aware of the information explosion. In
my opinion, that is a good thing. The above technology is not the only wave of change set to hit the
advertising and marketing industries. Sustainability in business is going to trump all other agendas
soon. The writing is on the wall and that wall is about to fall. Advertise or the Latin advertere “turn
toward,” is how we decide the direction of our future.

The persuasive strategies used by advertisers who want you to buy their product can be divided
into three categories: pathos, logos, and ethos.

Pathos: an appeal to emotion. An advertisement using pathos will attempt to evoke an emotional
response in the consumer. Sometimes, it is a positive emotion such as happiness: an image of people
enjoying themselves while drinking Pepsi. Other times, advertisers will use negative emotions such as
pain: a person having back problems after buying the “wrong” mattress. Pathos can also include
emotions such as fear and guilt: images of a starving child persuade you to send money.

Logos: an appeal to logic or reason. An advertisement using logos will give you the evidence and
statistics you need to fully understand what the product does. The logos of an advertisement will be
the “straight facts” about the product: One glass of Florida orange juice contains 75% of your daily
Vitamin C needs.

Ethos: an appeal to credibility or character. An advertisement using ethos will try to convince you
that the company is more reliable, honest, and credible; therefore, you should buy its product. Ethos
often involves statistics from reliable experts, such as nine out of ten dentists agree that Crest is the
better than any other brand or Americas dieters choose Lean Cuisine.

The following are some specific strategies that advertisers use. Often, they overlap with the
rhetorical strategies above.

Avante Garde: The suggestion that using this product puts the user ahead of the times. A toy
manufacturer encourages kids to be the first on their block to have a new toy.

Weasel Words: “Weasel words” are used to suggest a positive meaning without actually really
making any guarantee. A scientist says that a diet product might help you to lose weight the way it
helped him to lose weight. A dish soap leaves dishes virtually spotless.

Magic Ingredients: The suggestion that some almost miraculous discovery makes the product
exceptionally effective. A pharmaceutical manufacturer describes a special coating that makes their
pain reliever less irritating to the stomach than a competitor’s.

Patriotism: The suggestion that purchasing this product shows your love of your country. A company
brags about its product being made in America.

Transfer: Positive words, images, and ideas are used to suggest that the product being sold is also
positive. A textile manufacturer wanting people to wear their product to stay cool during the summer
shows people wearing fashions made from their cloth at a sunny seaside setting where there is a cool
breeze.

Snob Appeal: The suggestion that the use of the product makes the customer part of an elite group
with a luxurious and glamorous lifestyle. A coffee manufacturer shows people dressed in formal
gowns and tuxedos drinking their brand at an art gallery.

Here are some very common and most used techniques used by the advertisers to get desired
results.

Emotional Appeal

This technique of advertising is done with help of two factors — needs of consumers and fear factor.
Most common appeals under need are:

 need for something new

 need for getting acceptance

 need for not being ignored

  need for change of old things

 need for security

 need to become attractive

Most common appeals under fear are:

 fear of accident

 fear of death

 fear of being avoided

 fear of getting sick

 fear of getting old

Promotional Advertising

This technique involves giving away samples of the product for free to the consumers. The items are
offered in the trade fairs, promotional events, and ad campaigns in order to gain the attention of the
customers.

Facts and Statistics

Here, advertisers use numbers, data, and real examples to show how good their product works. For
e.g. “Lizol floor cleaner cleans 99.99% germs” or “Colgate is recommended by 70% of the dentists of
the world”.

Unfinished Ads

The advertisers here just play with words by saying that their product works better but don’t answer
how much more than the competitor. For e.g. Lays — no one can eat just one or Horlicks more
nutrition daily. The ads don’t say who can eat more or how much more nutrition.

Endorsements

The advertisers use celebrities to advertise their products. The celebrities or star endorse the product
by telling their own experiences with the product. Recently a diamond jewelry ad had superstar
Amitabh Bacchan and his wife Jaya advertising the product. The ad showed how he impressed his
wife by making a smart choice of buying this brand. Again, Sachin tendulkar, a cricket star, endorsed
for a shoe brand.

Complementing the Customers

Here, the advertisers used punch lines which complement the consumers who buy their products.
E.g. Revlon says “Because you are worth it.”

Ideal Family and Ideal Kids

The advertisers using this technique show that the families or kids using their product are a happy go
lucky family. The ad always has a neat and well-furnished home, well-mannered kids and the family is
a simple and sweet kind of family. E.g. a dettol soap ad shows everyone in the family using that soap
and so is always protected from germs. They show a florescent color line covering whole body of
each family member when compared to other people who don’t use this soap.
Questioning the Customers

The advertisers using this technique ask questions to the consumers to get response for their
products. E.g. Amway advertisement keeps on asking questions like who has so many farms
completely organic in nature, who gives the strength to climb up the stairs at the age of 70, who
makes the kids grow in a proper and nutritious ways, is there anyone who is listening to these entire
questions. And then at last the answer comes — “Amway : We are Listening.”

Bribe

This technique is used to bribe the customers with something extra if they buy the product using
lines like “buy one shirt and get one free”, or “be the member for the club for two years and get 20%
off on all services.”

Surrogate Advertising

This technique is generally used by the companies which cannot advertise their products directly. The
advertisers use indirect advertisements to advertise their product so that the customers know about
the actual product. The biggest example of this technique is liquor ads. These ads never show anyone
drinking actual liquor and in place of that they are shown drinking some mineral water, soft drink or
soda.

These are the major techniques used by the advertisers to advertise their product. There are some
different techniques used for online advertising such as web banner advertising in which a banner is
placed on web pages, content advertising using content to advertise the product online, pay per click
ads and outdoor advertising to just name a few.

Consumer-generated advertising is advertising on consumer generated media. This term is generally

used to refer to sponsored content on blogs, wikis, forums, social networking web sites and
individual web sites. This sponsored content is also known as sponsored posts, paid posts or
sponsored reviews.

Celebrity branding or celebrity endorsement is a form of advertising campaign or marketing strategy

used by brands, companies, or a non-profit organization which involves celebrities or a well-known
person using their social status or their fame to help promote a product, service or even raise
awareness on environmental or social matters

Incomplete comparison is a misleading argument popular in advertising. For example, an advertiser

might say “product X is better”. This is an incomplete assertion, so it can’t be refuted. A complete
assertion, such as “product X sells for a lower price than product Y” or “the new product X lasts
longer than the old product X” could be tested and possibly refuted

Advertainment is a term used to reflect the intertwining relationships between advertising and
entertainment. Typically it refers to media that combines various forms of entertainment (television,
movies, songs, etc.) with elements of advertising to promote products or brands.

Testimonial In promotion and of advertising, a testimonial or show consists of a person’s written or

spoken statement extolling the virtue of a product. The term “testimonial” most commonly applies
to the sales-pitches attributed to ordinary citizens.

Characters and Storylines

Some of the most successful ad campaigns have revolved around imaginary characters, say the
experts at Ad Cracker, whether they be cartoon caricatures or deceased historical figures. In some
cases, the character itself has nothing to do with the product per se, but the bold or offbeat nature of
the creature galvanizes the consumer to tune in and listen to the message. Likewise, drama and short
depictions about people’s lives are ways to draw people in to get them interested in a product.
Hallmark does this with its greeting cards, which are seamlessly woven into the storyline to resolve
the dramatic tension.

Solutions

In a world riddled with problems, advertisers seek to show consumers that they have the answers. As
one Tylenol ad enumerates: “Security checks, two bag maximum, middle seats,” as a man looks up to
contemplate the list. Pantene discovered through its research that women equated ideal hair with
health, while considering their own hair damaged. By emphasizing health and its associated
attributes of shine, Pantene played up its ability to bring women closer to their ideal. The larger the
problem, the better, the Ad Cracker experts say, because it will only emphasize the necessity of the
product as it comes to the rescue.

Persuasive Techniques — How It Is Used — Intended Effect

Bandwagon: Uses the argument that a person should believe or do something because “everybody
else” does. Consumers buy the product because they want to fit in. Consumers assume that if others
buy it, the product must be good.

Bait and Switch: Dishonest tactic in which a salesperson lures customers into a store with the
promise of a bargain. Consumers are persuaded to buy a more expensive item.

Glittering Generalities: Emphasizes highly valued beliefs, such as patriotism, peace, or freedom.
Consumers accept this information, often without enough real evidence to support the claim.

Humor: Used to make audiences laugh, but provides little information about the product or service.
Consumers remember the ad and associate positive feelings with the product.

Individuality: Appeals to consumers’ desire to be different from everyone else; the opposite of the
bandwagon appeal. Consumers celebrate their own style, or rebel against what others are doing.
Consumers perceive the product as unique, stylish, or cool.

Loaded Language: Uses words with positive or negative connotations to describe a product or that of
the competitor — such as purr, snarl, or weasel words. The words appeal to consumers’ emotions,
rather than their reason. Purr words, such as “fresh” or “juicy,” make a product seem more desirable.

Name-Calling: Attacks people or groups to discredit their ideas. Consumers focus on the attack rather
than the issues.

Plain Folk: Shows ordinary people using or supporting a product or candidate. Consumers trust the
product because it’s good enough for regular “folks.”

Product Comparison: Compares a product with the “inferior” competition. Consumers believe the
feature product is superior.

Persuasive Techniques In Ads

Advertisers strive to make each ad memorable, convincing, and exciting. Characters, slogans, text,
and sounds are all part of the persuasive technique.

Ask yourself:
• Who appears in the ad? The people who appear in the ad often reflect the target audience or
whom members of that audience are likely to admire. Advertisers might choose specific celebrities to
endorse products because they want the audience to associate the celebrity with the product. Actors
or models might be chosen for many reasons. For example, they might be people just like the
audience (plain folk), rebellious or unique (individuality), or “one of the crowd” (bandwagon).

• Does the ad appeal to emotion or to logic? Many ads today don’t provide information about the
product, and some ads don’t even show the product. Instead, the ads appeal to the audience’s
emotions, such as pity, fear, or vanity. For example, commercials for telephone companies often
appeal to viewers’ emotions of happiness or nostalgia to leave them with a positive feeling about
their product and company. Some ads use humor to persuade an audience.

• What language is used? Every word in an ad counts, but not all the words actually inform the
audience. Loaded language, including purr, snarl, and weasel words, appeal to the audience’s
emotions rather than their reason. Purr words — such as “tasty” and “sensational” — can make a
product seem more desirable.

• Does the slogan stick? The best slogans are memorable and create an “image” of the product.
Slogans are less about the actual product and more about the audience recalling a catchy phrase and
associating it with the product.

Persuasion in Advertising Leads to Selling

Advertising is about selling. By nature, advertising is neither neutral nor objective. Pleading its case
through the strongest, most persuasive means, advertising informs, entertains and sells.
Occasionally, it even inspires. If advertising is about selling, then persuasion is how we get there.

ADVERTISING STRATEGY

An advertising strategy identifies who the prospective target is and defines his/her needs, wants and
desires. This meaningful information, when clearly and creatively executed, should translate to a call
to action: “I’m going to buy this product.” The common form for a written strategy is:

Objective: States what you would like to convince consumers to feel or do as a result of the
advertising execution. This statement should be the central, singular marketplace problem facing the
brand.

Target Audience: Who is your prime prospect/customer? (Include age, gender and any other
pertinent demographic/psycho-graphic information and/or lifestyle explanation of who your target
customers are.)

Key Consumer Benefit: Must go beyond “Cleans your windows” or “Tastes great.” What (singular)
thought/belief about consumers’ lives, brand feelings, category assumptions, hopes, dreams,
expectations, worries, cultural beliefs, etc., will cause a strong reaction and get the target’s
attention?

Reason to Believe: Which one or two product attributes will persuade the consumer to believe the
product will deliver the promised benefits? In other words, what is the single most important fact,
angle, direction, sentiment or emotion that can be communicated in order to meet business
objectives/solve the problem?

Proof: Provide support.

Tone and Manner: Affects the setting, look and feel of the execution. Must be relevant to the target
audience to drive the message.

Final thoughts:

What is the purpose of persuasion in society? By nature, persuasive actions tend to be more self
serving than debate. The author or creator has a bias and is not objective. Whether it’s an advert or
political agenda the message is designed to change the viewer’s mind. As children, most people know
how to persuade their loved ones into doing what they want. So from birth, we learn this selfish trait
in order to survive. The water becomes murky when the world around us is someone else’s
persuaded reality. Can we develop into what we’re meant to be if the persuaders are telling us to
become who they want? Would society imploded or run amok if someone isn’t there to point the
way? Is it my intention to persuade those who read this? I like to compare the act of persuasion to an
infinite game whose rules only reveal themselves once the player understands the rules. To be
continued…