Persuasive Techniques in Advertising Techniques used to influence opinions, emotions, attitudes or behavior Techniques used to influence opinions, emotions, attitudes or behavior

Who is the target audience? Who is the advertisement created for? Who is the advertisement created for? –Children? –Athletes? –Housewives? –Teenagers? –Drivers? –Parents?

What is the message? What is it that they are trying to tell you? What is it that they are trying to tell you? –Examples: You should buy this car You should buy this car Everyone should go to the beach Everyone should go to the beach You should not smoke You should not smoke You should stay in school You should stay in school You need to buy this toothpaste You need to buy this toothpaste

Recognizing Persuasive Techniques Testimonial Testimonial Evidence Evidence Emotional appea Emotional appea Trust/credibility Trust/credibility Bandwagon Bandwagon Slogan Slogan Common folk Common folk Humor Humor Kairos (sense of urgency) Kairos (sense of urgency)

Testimonial  Statement endorsing an idea/product by a prominent person/character.  Product can be inside or outside particular field.  Musical artists, Sports giants, Actors/actresses  Characters

Evidence Claims  Facts and Figures – statistics to prove superiority.  Magic Ingredients – suggests some miraculous discovery makes product exceptionally effective.  Hidden Fears – suggests that user is safe from some danger.  Example: a recent study found that students who watch 4 or more hours of TV a week have poor school performance

Emotional Appeal  Getting people to feel happy, sad, excited, or angry can help your argument  Example: your donation will help get this puppy off the street and into a good home

Trust/Credibility  If people believe and trust in the person in the advertisement, they are more likely to be persuaded  Example:  Believe me- I’ve been there before! I’ve used this product and it works!

Bandwagon  persuasive technique that invites you to join the crowd.  Everybody’s doing it!  Often uses weasel words

Slogan  A catchword or phrase loaded with emotion  Often sells through repetition  Clever and easy to remember  Stays with you a long time  Often a melody you already know “ Trust Sleepy’s For the ‘rest’ Of your life”

Common Folks  Identifies product/idea with a locality or country  Practical product for ordinary people. Like a good neighbor …

Humor  Wit and Humor – diverts audience and gives a reason to laugh often through the use of clever visuals and/or language.

Kairos  A sense of urgency You need it NOW You need it NOW Get it before it’s gone! Get it before it’s gone! Help us before it’s too late! Help us before it’s too late! This sale ends tomorrow! This sale ends tomorrow!  Try to convince your audience that this issue is so important, they must act NOW

Missing Information  What information is NOT in the advertisement?  What information might contradict (go against) the facts in the ad?

Branding/Naming of Companies, Products  It’s important to think about your “image” when branding your company. This involves your name as well as your logo  Logo Evolution of 25 Famous Brands Logo Evolution of 25 Famous Brands Logo Evolution of 25 Famous Brands

 Can you guess where the following brand names came from?  Match the brands in the box with the correct text below.  1. Toyota 2. Chanel no Rolls Royce  4. Reebok 5. Nike 6. Nivea  a) From the Latin word meaning, ‘snow-white’.  b) This was the fifth perfume made by the same company.  c) Named after the Greek Goddess of Victory.  d) Originally a Japanese family name Toyoda. The inventors changed one letter to make it easier to pronounce overseas.  e) Named after an African Gazelle.  f) The family names of two men, one a motor enthusiast and the other an engineering genius.

1. Make it brief: Think about the speed in which you drive past a business, click through a webpage, or walk down a street. Customers need to be able to read your company sign in a matter of seconds (not minutes). Long names may look pretty on the marquee but they are difficult to remember. For example, some of the most successful retailers have brief names. These include: Tiffany’s, Bloomingdales, Macy’s, Neiman Marcus, Chanel, Target, Kohl’s. A consumer could be speeding down the street or playing dodge car in a taxi and still have time to read these company signs. 2. Create visual appeal: Imagine your company sign above your building doorway. Does it look visually appealing from afar? Does it represent your desired image? 3. Create a positive image: Positive images can be created through a word, a font, colors, and/or backgrounds. 4. Be consistent: Spread the news that your company is conducting business. In other words, the company name should be on everything. The number one rule to this marketing tip is to be consistent. Use of the same font, color, and style is critical. Train your customers to readily point out every time they see your company logo, brand or name. 5. Be unique: Avoid using a name that is used by another company. A name that even similar to another company can cause legal difficulties. At the very least, consumers may become confused and patronize your competition.