ADVERTISEMENT: PERSUASION POWER OF MEDIA AND CONSUMING BEHAVIOR

The main aim is persuasion but first aim is taking attention

Yale professor Carl Hovland and his colleagues (1949) systematically studied on what makes a message persuasive?

Persuasion

Media and persuasive messages ◦ “America’s Liberation of Iraq” vs “America’s Invasion of Iraq” Propaganda / Education ◦ When we believe in the persuasion we call it education, when we don’t “propaganda”

What Paths Lead to Persuasion? Central route to persuasion ◦ When people are motivated and able to think about an issue they focus on arguments ◦ If arguments are strong and compelling persuasion is likely. Peripheral route to persuasion ◦ When strength of the arguments doesn’t matter  Ex: Advertisements (e.g. the use of celebrities)

More indirect ways of persuasion: ◦ In a mall, hearing German music might lead consumers to German wine, whereas, others who heard French music reached for French wine (North & others, 1997).

The Elements of Persuasion The communicator ◦ Credibility ◦ Attractiveness and Liking

Credibility: perceived expertise and trustworthiness ◦ Ex: Fast Talking  In a study by Miller and colleagues (1976), people who listened to tape-recorded messages rated fast speakers (about 190 words per minute) as more objective, intelligent, and knowledgeable than slow speakers (about 110 words per minute).

Attractiveness and Liking ◦ Physical ◦ Similarity: we tend to like people who are similar to us.

Psychology is at the heart of advertising ◦ Manipulation ◦ Persuasion ◦ Decision making However, the two fields are independent from each other

PSYCHOLOGICAL APPEALS (ATTRACTIONS) IN ADVERTISING ◦ Informational Appeals ◦ Emotional Appeals ◦ Patriotic Appeals ◦ Achievement, Success, and Power Appeals ◦ Humorous Appeals

THE EFFECTS OF ADVERTISING ◦ Perceptual/Cognitive effects ◦ Behavioral/Attitudinal effects

Perceptual/Cognitive Effects ◦ Sensation vs Perception ◦ The first step of perception is attention (remember Hovland’s model) ◦ The other steps include information processing.  Comprehension  Evaluating the message  Encoding the information  Retrieving the information  Decision making  Behavioral output

◦ A controversial subject: Subliminal perception / subliminal advertising  depends on Iconic Memory  We are able to recall more than we consciously perceive  However, perception and recalling does not guarantee persuasion

Subliminal Advertising: ◦ Traditional advertising vs internet advertising (pop-ups, spam s) ◦ Using sexual appeals as tools of classical conditioning ◦ Moore (1982) found that subliminal information affects the emotions about the product not the behaviors

Attitudinal /Behavioral Effects ◦ Looking beyond cognition  Buying as a behavior must be considered  Individual differences in attitudes toward selling products  Gender, age, ethnic differences  Current self / ideal self / possible selves

Consumer behavior is directly related with how the advertisement is created. ◦ called Rhetoric Effects

Product Endorsement: ◦ Using celebrities to promote advertised goods

Main function of celebrities in advertisements: ◦ Creating trust toward the product

Creating unique characters for brands

Intertextual advertising

Product Placement: ◦ Product is placed within the movie or show (Ex: Truman Show)

ADVERTISING, CHILDREN AND ADOLESCENTS ◦ We don’t born as consumers but grow as consumers ◦ Even infants are targets of advertisements  Brand loyalty starts in early ages

Consumer Behavior Across Development ◦ Infancy and Toddlerhood  Infants feel desires and display preferences for certain types of tastes, odors, images, colors and sounds.  Toddlers between 18 and 24 months are capable of asking for products by name and also can recognize products in the store that they had previously seen on TV.

◦ Consuming behavior is directly related with cognitive maturation. ◦ Therefore, it’s becoming more and more complex in time.

Preschool times: ◦ Children develop a general sense of likes and dislikes ◦ They show preferences for specific branches.  Ex: Mc Donalds  Robinson and colleagues (2007) demonstrated that when covered by McDonald’s packaging, healthy foods (i.e. carrots or milk) were tasted better to preschoolers

Parent-child conflict during store visits peaks during this stage of consumer behavior. ◦ Temper Tantrums

Early and Middle Childhood ◦ Children start to make independent preferences ◦ They can persuade the parents more effectively ◦ However, they are not aware of persuasive intent of advertisements ◦ END RESULT is being more vulnerable to marketing campaigns

Adolescence ◦ Adolescents understand that the advertisements are done to persuade the people to buy the things. ◦ However, knowing does not guarantee a parallel behavior. ◦ The role of peers  Attempts to “fit in”

Modern Children and Consuming Culture ◦ Materalism: refers to the importance that people place on their possessions to define themselves ◦ Materalistic youth are buying more goods and also are influenced more by marketing promotions (Chaplin & John, 2007)

Numerous correlational and experimental studies have shown that youth become increasingly materalistic as they watch more and more advertisements.

The effect of family relations: ◦ In comparison to less materalistic youth, materalistic children and adolescents tend to have materalistic parents and ineffective parent-child communication.

Is materalism related with low self- esteem? ◦ Objects as compensating values ◦ Social significance of products: Adolescents recognize how their possessions influence the way their peers perceive them.

The values are changing: ◦ Having lots of money ◦ Helping other people ◦ Having lots of fun and good times ◦ Helping to reduce hunger and poverty in the world ◦ Being popular or well-liked ◦ Helping to make the world a better place to live.