Week 12

  Age should always be considered when creating an advertisement. There are Federal Communications Commission set regulations that limit advertisements during childrens programming, according to the FCC website. Children are extremely easier to persuade than adults, and therefore, it may be considered unethical in certain circumstances.
   The FCC limits the amount of time commercials can run during children's programs. For example, programmers must not air more than 12 minutes of commercail time during an hours worth of programming. Furthermore, according to the website, the products that are being promoted must not relate to the programming.
  According to Social Psycholgy and Human Nature, kids tend to follow their parents idiologies. But when a person reaches the age of 18 until they are 25 there attitudes and perceptions are likely to change. From the ages of 26 to 33, people change only moderately, but after that attidudes and perceptions are set until 60.  From the ages of 60 and up, attitudes and perceptions change the most, according to the book.

 

Butterfinger Commercial

Elderly Got Milk? Commercial

Week 11

  When creating a message targeted at niche market, intelegence needs to be considered. If the market you wish to reach is educated, they need more information in order to persuade them. If the market is general, then the message should feature humor or use a different angle to be received well.
  An intelligent person is more receptive to a message. Meaning they understand what the advertisement is trying to convey. They are harder to pusuade because they will not yield to stupidity and are confident with their dispositions and their decisions.

   Partially intelegent individual can be persuaded without having to divulge a lot of information. Patially intelegent people generally need a message that does the thinking for them. Intelligent have a higher need for cognition need more information, but resist change more than people who have a low need for cognition. For example a cognitive thinker would be persuaded more by the Jewish advertisement above becuase they are more likely to understand the wit. Below the top image is what appeals to persons with a general intelligence.

Energizer Bunny® - Darth Vader - 1994 Commercial

First Energizer Bunny Commercial

Week 10

Repetitive advertising messages, off the top of my head, can be annoying. Fundamentally they work though. "Can you hear me now?". The following is a link explaining why Verizon is going to pursue the popular advertisement. http://www.usatoday.com/money/advertising/adtrack/2004-02-22-track-verizon_x.htm.
Psychologically, repetitive advertising is effective if the original ad is accepted well or if it is heard as a neutral message. If the message is not received well, repeating it will become annoying and ineffective.

  Advertisement wear out can happen to an effective message as well as ineffective messages. Advertisement wear-out occurs when the audience has seen a message too many times. All good things must eventually come to an end. On the flip-side, according to Social Psychology and Human Nature, advertisers may purposefully use the term "wear out" to persuade companies to purchase additional advertising.
  The best way to start a marketing campaign would be to use repetitions with variation. This would include the same basic message, just shown in different ways or settings. A good and example of this would be the energizer bunny ads. The ads are repetitive- the bunny banging his drum- but the settings change- he is on a spaceship or holiday settings are used as well (he's in the mall)

Week 9

  This week, as stated before in Week 8, I will address negative, political advertisements from a psychological perspective. According to the text of "Social Psychology and Human Nature," many voters do not appreciate negative advertising. So the next logical question is, "why do they exist and why do they work?"
   Most research reveals mixed results concerning negative ads in political ads. According to the book, most candidates who use their opponents negative attributes are behind in the polls. Contradictorily, Bennett, the Colorado Democrat, and Buck, the Colorado Republican are both using negative ads in their race for the Senate seat.  According to research this is because when candidates are so close, they use negativity to get ahead. The goal is to reduce the number of people who vote for the other party.
   If a person is not sure what to believe about their party's candidate, they are less likely to vote. Many people don't have time to watch debates and are dependent on the commercials they see. If they are unsure who is right or wrong, they are less likely to vote because then they feel they are not accountable for the politicians future actions. Ultimately, negative advertising in political ads are used as scare tactics... and they work. 

Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper Takes a Dive for Ref C (2005)

Shower

NRSC West Virginia IE Radio Ad: "Good Shot"

NRSC Colorado IE Ad: Challenges

Michael Bennet for U.S. Senate: "Ken Buck's Plan"

Week 8

  In the heart of mid-term elections, I will focus on negative advertising in the media for two weeks. I am a native Coloradoan, and negative advertising is consuming the airwaves, the television, my web-spaces, and my mailbox. Before I delve into the psychological aspects of negative advertising, In this blog, I will express my opinion. In my next blog, I will discuss research.
  In my opinion, which is totally biased right now, I do not like the negativity. I am done hearing about who believes in abortion, or gay marriage and many of the ads are focused on these types of topics.  I know that Americans rights are always significant, threatened, and sometimes not there, but, as a country, we have other things to be worried about at this moment.
  Right now, I want to know what these politicians feel about the war and our broken economy. There are ads out there that are positive, but are lost in the negativity. I believe this says something about our country as a whole. Americans seem to thrive on negativity, even if they don't mean to. Consider: I am addressing negativity with negativity?
  In advertising negativity has a place. It can be used to scare someone into buying a product, or taking a position. It can be used in comparison advertising in a more subtle way. It can be used, and often is used by non-profits, to show how bad life can be and why a consumer should care. 
  As a side note: The political negative advertising was not to bothersome at first, but is definitely rubbing me the wrong way. Over-consumption is bad, isn't it?

Aishwarya Rai - L'Oreal Paris - Loreal Commercial

scarlett johansson for loreal

Aishwarya Rai - Loreal Commercial

Preference by L'oreal With Meredith Baxter-Birney (1979)

Week 7

   In a courtroom, attorneys will sometimes use a method of persuasion called stealing thunder. Stealing thunder happens when a defending attorney reveals potentially incriminating evidence before the prosecutor has a chance to. Attorneys use this method in order to diminish the importance of the evidence in the minds of a jury. It works because the jury will tend to believe that if the evidence were extremely important the prosecuting attorney would try to refute or deny the evidence.
  Stealing thunder is also used by advertisers. When a company shows it's audience weakness, the audience will have the tendency to believe that the company is honest and trustworthy. If the company was not trustworthy they would not share unwanted or negative company traits. But to use stealing thunder well in an advertisement a company will want to include the positive aspects of the negative trait. An example of this would be "We're #2, so we are working harder so we don't let you down. OR It's expensive, but our product is good."
  Stealing thunder is a two sided argument. Some psychologists believe that two sided arguments in advertisements persuade a more scholarly audience. One sided messages tend to work better on a less educated audience. Stealing thunder, because it is a two sided message, is also a negative message. The trick is to make sure it is two sided and the negative is turned into a positive.
  An example of stealing thunder is the L'Oreal slogan "Because your worth it." The preposition auditory left out is "It's expensive." which they may have at one point used and dropped. A basic question arises because of the slogan. Do they know if you are worth it or how much you are worth. Last time I checked, individuality could not be purchased nor will $10 make-up make someone "worth it".
  Maybe your just worth it if you are white: According to the following website, L'Oreal was sued for being racist in 2007. Hmm. Eva Longoria has since done commercials for the company, but most commercials reflected their standard. Even their Paris commercial, the girl has green eyes and is lightly complected.  http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2007/jul/07/france.angeliquechrisafis

Week 6

  Antoher persuasion technique uses scarcity to sell an item. Ads that read "for a limited time only" or "while supplies last" are perfect examples of the scarcity technique. Both examples are limiting the purchase either by time or by supply.
  Aristotle said "What is rare is a greater good than what is plentiful and what is rare will cost an extra penny. According to the book Social Psyclology and human nature, an one-of-a-kind Elvis suit was sold for $145,000. Collectors also use this technique to sell goods within categories. Because collectables are only sold for a limited time, people who collect like to have sets and will pay more money for speciality items. They hope that by completing a set, they will be reimbursed in the long run. Of course some people collect only because they like to look at the items they are collecting.
  The scarcity technique works well to sell items not only because it uses the basic business principle of supply and demand, but also because people want to feel special. People who are from individualistic societies fall prey to the technique sooner than cultures who value family or group units.
  The ad below uses the scarcity technique but uses a human emotion to draw females into the ad. As Americans we try to be individualistic, but as humans we have a natural urge to want to fit in. This ad blends both in a seductive way. It wants to pull you in, but at the same time, set you apart.
 

Week 5

  This week I will stray from my regularly scheduled phsycobabble and redirect my attention to the lighter side of advertising. I am a fan, as I am sure alot of you are, of comedic ads. Unfortunately, advertisements can sometimes fail to properly market a product because the message can become lost in the comedy.
  Below is an of example of  a well done message that use comedy and market the product.

  I believe the message is good because the product is not lost. It is amusing because for one, no one really rides a conveyor belt to get a drink, but this guy loves pepsi so much he will wait to become the bottle, and two his face is pure joy. So, the product is not lost and there is a sense of humor to the ad. Furthermore, the ad only has the logo in the corner, it uses no other words. The happy expression of the guy waiting for his fill is enough to say the message without words. Well done pepsi. Other cute or amusing ads from pepsi can be found at http://www.desicolours.com/funny-pepsi-adverts/06/06/2008 .

  I included two vidoes that also market the product well and the messages are not lost in the humor. Enjoy. 

Blonde Girl Pregnancy Test - Funny Ad

Very Funny Pepsi Commercial

Advertising Week 4

  Techniques based on reciprocation are also used in advertising. Reciprocity means if you do for me, I will do for you. The two types of reciprocation influence that advertisers may chose to use are the door-in-the-face and the that's-not-all techniques. Both of these techniques are dependant on the reliability of high moral standards because they depend on people taking care of each other.
  The door-in-the-face technique is utilized by starting with a big request then retreating to a small request. This works because the person, upon hearing the large request, will generally say no. But the small request will seem more palatable and reasonable. The person hearing the request, or advertisement, will believe then they are doing the advertiser a favor by just complying with the smaller request. The advertiser then seems like a nice person because they have given the consumer a "deal", but in all actuality it may not be a deal at all. I believe this technique is used frequently during the holidays. http://www.dealigg.com/blackfriday-2008.php?store=21&ppage=1. Nowhere in these Walmart ads do they actually tell the consumer how much they are going to save if they were to shop on Black Friday, this begs the question of authenticity. What they do do is tell the customer if they come in on this day they will get there great deals
  The thats-not-all technique is used when advertisers use a bonus to get the customer to buy something. Infomercials are a classic example of this technique. Such as, if you buy this now, we will double your order for free. The Tiddy Bear commercial does this at the end. Although the ad is comedic, at the end it says if a person orders now they will get a second bear for free.

Tiddy Bear - Funny Infomercial

Advertising Week 3

 There are many techniques used in advertising. The foot-in-the-door, low-ball, bait-and switch, labeling and legitimization-of-paltry-favors are recognized as techniques based on commitment and consistency, according to psychology books. Commitment and consistency rely on a customer to make a commitment, then relies on the customer's consistency to make a purchase. Mentally, people do not like to be inconsistent.
 The foot-in-the-door technique focuses on a small request to begin with then after the consumer says yes, it gets harder for them to say no to bigger requests. Cable companies use this technique all the time when they try to get a consumer to bundle or upgrade their service. They do it well. The company lures customers in with an introductory rate. Then, after a year, the price goes up. The customer is likely to stay with the company because it is easier than switching to the competition. The low-ball technique is used in the same manner as the foot-in-the door technique.
 The bait-and-switch technique is used an advertisements to get a customer into the store. A customer sees something they want advertised; but, when they get to the store, the product is sold out. But, the advertisement worked anyway because the customer is in the store. Although this is frustrating as a consumer, the consumer may go ahead and purchase a like item because 1) they were already planning on spending the money, 2)  they are at the store, 3) a like product is available, and 4) it would be inconsistent to stop when they are so close to what they wanted, even if it is different. This technique was used unethically by many carpet cleaning businesses, according to the following web page:  http://mottscarpetcleaning.com/articles/bait_switch.html
The labeling technique and the legitimization-of-paltry favors techniques work by giving the customer a reputation or label to live up to. Non-profit companies are likely to use these types of techniques because the rely on the goodness of others to help them in many circumstances. The "every penny will help" is the perfect example of a paltry (small) favor. Labeling is used in ads any time a target is presented. Neosporin commercials are a perfect example of labeling "good"  mothers.

Comcast commercial - Everyone loves money

Let the Pristiq users Hit the floor

Depression Hurts, Cymbalta Hurts More!

Advertising Week 2

   Informational influence is used in advertising. This type of influence happens when people are persuaded by what others are saying or doing. For example, Mazafer Sherif did an experiment in 1935. Participants in the experiment were asked to tell how far an object moved. When the participants were alone, their answers were more sporadic than when they were accompanied by others participants. Thus, people are influenced by what others say is correct because they believe a crowd knows more than they do. Unfortunately, this can cause pluralistic ignorance. Informational influence may be more dangerous, or effective, in advertising than normative influence because in normative influence a person is just going along with what is seen as trendy rather than believing the trend is what is good. Advertising uses informational influence by targeting specific audiences, relating to them and using experts to tell the audience what is good for them.
   A good example of this type of influence is found in toothpaste commercials. Of course it can be assumed that people want good oral hygiene, but how do they choose what toothpaste to use. They may purchase what their parents purchased, or they may ask their dentist. Either way, they have been influenced in their purchase decision. In the Rembrandt commercial, the voice is authoritative. Generally, there is no threat of an being immoral or unethical when selling toothpaste, or any other hygiene product, but what about other doctor recommended products.
   Pharmaceuticals, for one, have to have a disclaimer. For good reason. A person is likely to be persuaded to believe they have a mental impairment when given a list of vague symptoms. Horoscopes work on the same principle. You will be productive today. You should listen to others today. Do you feel tired? Do you feel overwhelmed? Do you have problems becoming motivated? If so, you may be depressed. Or, you may be overworked and underpaid like a bulk of society. It is dangerous and unethical to give people a list of symptoms and tell them to talk to their doctor. Doctors are not psychologists. Americans have a tendency to expect a prescription to help them solve personal problems. Life does not work that way, drugs are not the answer for everyone. I do recognize that there are people with mental ailments who do need help, but targeting the masses with this type of advertising is dangerous because it can cause dependencies on medications which may not have been necessary.


  

Rembrandt Toothpaste (1994)

Week 1 Advertising

   Being a psychology student, it is only natural for me to start my blogs by addressing the psychology of advertising. Not only do I believe that understanding the human psyche is rewarding, in advertising it is a necessity. It is necessary because in order to get someone to do something you want, you have to know how to correctly influence them based on who they are and the product you want them to buy. There are two types of social influence. Normative and Informational. I will begin with the latter this week and compare it to advertisements existing. I will address the second next week. Normative influence is when people do something because everyone else is doing it too. People do this in order to be liked, to not be an outsider. It is human to want to be a part of something bigger than ones self and it improves a person's chance of survival. More opportunities arise when a person is liked and social rejection is less likely to occur. So does advertising shape society, yes (it also mirrors).
   A good example of normative influence in advertising is found in advertisements meant to influence a younger target market. A kid is more likely to feel social rejection and lack the ever-so-important party invitation if they are not conformed to what is popular. Advertisements targeted to children allow parents to see what is available for their children, and the types of children who would typically be related to the brand. Emo's buy stuff from Spencer's, not "good kids". Parents who want their children to be good, do not take them shopping at Spencer's. http://www.spencersonline.com/. Spencer's does not advertise to children because it would be seen as immoral or unethical to do so. A lawsuit would surely ensue.
   On the other hand, what about ads that use cartoons in them, such as the Soul. Very cute commercials. The people who drive them would definitely want to be related to coolness. Is this the future of cars, because they were clever enough to win the admiration of so many young people. Clever. I suppose the test of time will tell. Because no matter how good an ad is, the product must live up to its name. I don't know how appropriate the commercial really is towards children, that decision is not up to me.

2010 Kia Soul Hamster Commercial | Black Sheep Kia Hamsters Video

Best Mastercard commercial ever!

A very powerful ad

Prelog

 Advertisements are a part of American lives. Americans are saturated in advertisements on the radio, and television, in newspapers and magazines, and pretty much everywhere else. Advertisements can be amusing or emotionally distressful in order to relate to human emotion. Advertisements can tempt or they may just be a reminder of what is available. America is a consumer driven society and ads help drive the economy. Right now, the news papers are suffering because of lack of advertisements. Of course, news will not die, but it is changing how it receives support. Right now, America is suffering a economical crisis, but ads can help rebuild a strong economy. When people buy, others have work. When people work more, they have the opportunity to buy more. A good question is, "Why do people buy what they don't need?" Hording is bad, but it exists. Advertisements are still alive and strong because they are good for business and a good way to let people know about helpful or cool products. Personally, I have no need to explore the advertising world, except one. I have a drive to always know my surroundings and why it operates like it does.
There are a couple of items in the advertising industry that I will explore. Aside from critiquing individual advertisements I will look at ethics and morals in the industry. Do advertisers consider how they warp the minds of children, aside from obeying the laws? Do they stay awake at night knowing how children suffer because they are not the kids with the cool backpack?