Persuasive Techniques How the Advertisers Hook You

Bandwagon • Stresses popularity of the product • Viewers buy because they want to fit in • If everyone’s buying it, it must be good

“…everyone wants to be a pepper, too”

Testimonial or Celebrity Endorsement • Picture or statement from a famous person • Viewers associate the product with the celebrity • Viewers like the product because they like the celebrity

Tiger says, “Buy it from Nike!”

Transfer • Associating love, respect or admiration we have for a person or symbol, and transferring it to a product. • Viewers transfer the feeling for the symbol to the product • Viewers think if they buy the product, they’ll get the feelings associated with it

Transfer examples • Put a picture of a flag on a company logo or package product feel patriotic; buy American and support the troops • Car ad shows cute girl in the passenger seat buy the car, get the girl, too. • Soap ad under a waterfall feel cool and fresh

From the official Chevy website

Ad for Super-Chevy magazine subscription

Purr Words… glittering generalities • Words have no specific meaning, but sound good • Words make product seem more desirable • Words appeal to emotion rather than reason

Ad for a dandruff shampoo called Nozoral

Emotional Appeal • Commercials are designed to trigger certain emotions • If viewers feel good about the commercial, they’ll feel good about the product

Excerpts from a Hallmark Commercial Girl is late for music lesson… knows it’s her grumpy teacher’s birthday, so she writes him a card…

Grumpy teacher can’t stay grumpy when he reads the sweet card…. Girl is happy she made him smile… Everyone feels good!

Product comparison -cardstacking • All facts and figures support one product and not the other • Viewers question the quality of the other product • Viewers believe the featured product is better

OUR BRAND X FRESH X X TASTES GREAT X X WHITENS NO X BRIGHTENS NO

Name-Calling • Give someone or something a ‘bad name’ so others will dislike him or it • Viewers will dislike and distrust the person/product • Viewers question the value / honesty / worth of the person or product

Plain Folk or Elitism • Ads appeal to the common man or to the rich/elite • Viewers think the ad/politician can relate to them because they are like them • Viewers want to be elite, so they buy the product.

“Pardon me, would you have any Grey Poupon? ”

Repetition • Commercial features words or images that are stated or shown over and over again. • Viewers will be more likely to remember the product.

Meow, meow, meow, meow, meow…

Security (fear) • Draws on viewers fears by telling them their jobs or lives are in danger • Makes viewers feel unsafe • Viewers believe product will protect them.

This could happen to YOU!

Slogan • “A memorable phrase is used in a campaign, or a series of commercials for a product or company. • Viewers remember the slogan and associate it with the product. • Effective slogans can become part of everyday language.

Things go better with Coke!

You deserve a break today, so get up and get away to Mc. Donald’s…

Be All that You Can Be --- In the Army

One Thousand Points of Light…

Just Do It!

got milk?

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