Advertising Design: Theoretical Frameworks and Types of Appeals Chapter 6

Adweek Media and Harris Interactive Survey Ads somewhat or very interesting (55%) Ads not interesting at all (12%) Ads very influential in purchase decisions (6%) Nearly half of 18-34 year-olds influenced by advertising 37% of 35-44 year-olds influenced by advertising 28% of individuals 45+ influenced by advertising Adweek Media and Harris Interactive conducted a survey of consumers about their attitudes toward advertising. 55% said ads were somewhat or very interesting compared to only 12% who said advertising was not interesting at all. About 6% said ads were very influential in the purchase decisions they made and 29% said ads were somewhat influential in purchase decisions. About half of the survey respondents in the 18 to 34 year-old age bracket were influenced by advertising. The percentage dropped to 37% for individuals 35 to 44 and 28% for individuals 45 and older.

Chapter Overview Advertising design Advertising appeals Hierarchy of effects model Means-end theory Advertising appeals

Creative Brief The objective The target audience The message theme Review: The objective The target audience The message theme The support The constraints

Hierarchy of Effects Model Awareness Knowledge Liking Preference Conviction Purchase Cognitive Affective Conative “Attitudes” From Ch. 3 HEM This model shows the relationship between the hierarchy of effects model and attitude sequence formation.

Means-End Chain Product attributes Consumer benefits Leverage points Personal values Executional framework

Personal Values Comfortable life Equality Excitement Freedom Happiness Inner peace Mature love Pleasure Security Self-fulfillment Self-respect Sense of belonging Social acceptance Wisdom Personal values vary by culture, age, need for survival, etc.

Means-End Theory Means-end chain Message (means) lead to end state (personal values) Means-End Conceptualization of Components of Advertising Strategy (MECCAS) Six elements Product attributes Consumer benefits Leverage points Taglines Personal values Executional framework The second theory that it is important to consider is means-end theory. The basic concept is that a means, the message, leads to an end-state, or personal value. The actual name of the theory is “Means-End Conceptualization of Components of Advertising Strategy”, or MECCAS. The model suggests six elements that are critical to ad design. Product attributes lead to consumer benefits. The leverage point connects that benefit to the personal value. Taglines are used to make an important and memorable point about the product. The executional framework is presented in Chapter 7 and provides the foundation for the ad.

Leverage Points Moves consumer from benefits to personal value Links attributes – benefits – personal values Associated with attitude change Ads need powerful leverage points Leverage points are important. They move consumers from the benefits to the personal values. It links attributes to benefits to personal values. The leverage point should be associated with some component of attitude change. To be effective, ads need powerful leverage points. The leverage point can be a visual, part of a visual, a headline, a tagline or even copy in the ad. Most creatives spend considerable time thinking about and creating a good leverage point.

Means-End Chain Executional Framework Product Attributes Leverage Consumer Benefits Leverage Point Personal Values Executional Framework In designing an ad, a creative will begin with product attributes. The question that is asked, is what benefits do those attributes provide to consumers, because consumers do not purchase attributes, they purchase benefits. Women buy cosmetics for how it makes them look, not for the ingredients that are in them. Using a leverage point and an execution design, creatives take those benefits and show how they can fulfill a consumer’s personal values. While it looks simple, it is not. The magic is the creation of the leverage point and executional framework that will connect benefits to personal values.

Means-End Chain for Milk Attributes Benefits Personal Values Low Fat Healthy Self Respect Wisdom Calcium Healthy Bones Comfortable Life Ingredients Good Taste Pleasure Happiness Vitamins Enhanced sexual Excitement ability Fun This figure illustrates a means-end chain for milk. An attribute in milk, low fat, can provide the benefit of health. The personal values consumers receive from good health are self-respect and wisdom. Another attribute, calcium, provides the benefit of healthy bones, which in turn leads to a comfortable life and shows wisdom on the part of the consumer. The key to a means-end chain is looking at the benefits each attribute generates then connecting those benefits to various personal values. F ig 6 . 3

Advertising Appeals Fear Humor Sex Music Rationality Emotions Scarcity

Fear Appeal Fear increases interest and is remembered Severity and vulnerability Severity – level of consequence Vulnerability – probability of event occurring Actions controlled by response costs Fear appeals are common and are used for products ranging from insurance, to home security systems, to deodorant. Fear appeals increase interest and are remembered by individuals. Severity is the level of consequence that will occur and vulnerability is the probability of the event happening. Response efficacy is the likelihood that a change in behavior or actions will result in a desirable positive consequence. Intrinsic reward is the internal satisfaction and extrinsic reward is the value of the event or reward received. Response cost is the cost or sacrifice the person will need to make to obtain the reward. Self-efficacy is the confidence a person has in his/her own ability to engage in the action, or to stop an undesirable behavior. All of these factors influence the effectiveness of an ad using a fear appeal.

Humor Appeal Used in 30% of ads. Excellent in capturing attention. Score high in recall tests. Should be related directly to customer benefit.

Sex Appeal Subliminal techniques Nudity or partial nudity Sexual suggestiveness Overt sexuality Sensuality

Sex Appeal Breaks through clutter Use has increased Not as effective as in the past Advertisers shifting to more subtle sexual cues.

Sex Appeal Nudity or Partial Nudity Used for wide variety of products Attracts attention Not always designed to solicit sexual response Underwear commercials Decorative models “Booth bunnies”

Sensuality Approaches Women respond more favorably More sophisticated Relies on imagination Images of romance and love can be enticing The sensuality approach conveys sex, but in a loving, romantic way. Women respond more favorably to a sensuous approach. It is viewed as more sophisticated and relies on a person’s imagination. Because it relies on imagination, the viewer can put their own positive spin on what they think will occur. Images of romance and love can be more enticing to viewers of an ad than raw sexuality.

Are Sex Appeals Effective? Research Results: Sex and nudity do increase attention. Rated as being more interesting. Often leads to strong feelings about the ad. Brand recall is lower. Often interferes with message comprehension. May impact feelings toward the brand

Disadvantages of Sex Appeals Less influence today Reduces brand recall Affects comprehension Creates dissatisfaction with one’s body Stereotyping

Sex Appeals in International Advertising Varies across countries Determined by religion, culture, and values Moslem countries Middle eastern countries European countries France United States Chile What is deemed appropriate varies across countries. It is determined by the religion, culture, and values of each region. For most Muslim and Middle Eastern countries, sex and gender issues are taboo subjects. Sexual appeals are not used in advertising. In fact, visuals of males and females showing affection are not appropriate. In Europe views of sexual appeals are very similar to the United States. In France, advertising can feature seminude and nude models if they can be justified in terms of some type of relationship with the product. In Chile, an ad campaign using nude models was used by the Chile Dairy Federation. Adults fought the campaign saying it would corrupt teenagers and children. As sex becomes more common throughout the world, the acceptance of sexual images in advertising is becoming more accepted.

Music Appeal Has intrusive value Gains attention Increases retention of visual information Can increase persuasiveness

Rational Appeal Based on hierarchy of effects model. Used by business-to-business advertisers. Well-suited for Print media Complex products High involvement products

Emotional Appeal Based on three ideas: Consumers ignore most ads Rational ads go unnoticed Emotional ads can capture attention Key to developing brand loyalty. Effie Awards – humor and emotions. Use in b-to-b advertising increasing. Works well when tied to other appeals.

Scarcity Appeal Based on Limited supply Limited time to purchase Tied with promotional tools such as contests, sweepstakes, and coupons. Encourage customers to take action.