Get 'AD'ttention

“Every time a message seems to grab us, and we think, ‘I just might try it,’ we are at the nexus of choice and persuasion that is advertising.” – Andrew Hacker

I think we can all relate to sitting down to our favorite television show, when all of a sudden, it stops. Where did it go? It’s time for a commercial break! Why are these ads here? I mean, they must serve a purpose, right? Also, what was the company even thinking when they made it? What exactly makes an advertisement successful enough to sell products? Allow me to answer those questions. Let’s dive in!

Advertisements allow businesses to prosper. When a viewer sees an ad about an item they may want or need, or perhaps they did not realize it until that moment, the ad is likely to spur the consumer on to purchase the item. For example, let’s say that there is this fantastic hairbrush that detangles hair pain-free. A woman that had been fed up with her long and difficult to brush hair sees the ad and she is intrigued. She is now likely to look into buying this product for herself. f the advertisement successfully convinces her that she needs that specific hairbrush, she will buy it and the business will undoubtedly prosper as a result. Without the advertisement, she may not have known that something like it even existed.

I think we have all been in this situation before. You come across a commercial and at first, you want to skip it, you may even roll your eyes, but then the ad grabs your attention. All of a sudden, you are intrigued. You see beautiful people laughing. You notice an adorable, innocent puppy playing. In the background, a beautiful song is heard. Throughout this 30 second ad, the creators were able to show a heart-warming story which is a segway to the product they were selling. The product is the seemingly comfortable sofa they were sitting on. In your head, you start to think, “Aw, how sweet was that.” You also may begin to think,“ Wow, I see how happy that sweet couple was. Maybe I could use one of those couches.” Perhaps when you arrive at your senses you realize that you already have a perfectly suitable couch. So, what in the world just happened? What took place was manipulation in a sense, but marketers like to use the word "persuasion". Successful ad companies know what to say and how to present things to effectively sell their product.

U.S News published an article which states seven tricks that advertisers use to get our money. These seven tricks include: appealing to greed, exciting emotions, implying that everyone else is doing it, using attractive people in the ad, using repetition, glossing over cost, and making us laugh. These steps are vital for advertisers to utilize when selling a product. We may not realize that companies are taking these routes, however, if we pay attention to commercials we may begin to notice these tactics.

Numerous commercials cater to our pathos (emotions) by making us cry, smile, laugh, or perhaps all three. Other companies use the strategy of giving the audience feelings of discontentment, insecurity, or greed. There are numerous routes that businesses take to receive our money. At the end of the day, prosperous advertisers know their audience well and they know exactly how to rope us in.

These seven tricks include: appealing to greed, exciting emotions, implying that everyone else is doing it, using attractive people in the ad, using repetition, glossing over cost, and making us laugh.

Simply put, there is a three-step process that happens in potential consumers’ brains when they are thinking about buying a product. SmartBug Marketing professional, Drew Cohen, explains each step.

1. Awareness. This is the moment when a potential buyer realizes that they might need the product that is advertised. the viewer might begin to look into the product, perhaps researching it or asking the opinions of peers. Ideally, the potential consumer would think, “Hey, maybe I could use one of those!” To convince the consumer of this, an advertisement has to be educated and present their product in a professional, intriguing way.

2. Consideration. This is when the consumer weighs out the different options. This is why it is important that the advertisement specifically shows why their product stands out and is a more reliable option than the products created by other companies.

3. Decision process. Cohen explains that this is the point when “A buyer may spend significant time researching documentation, data, vendor reviews, and other materials to gain confidence in their decision.” This step typically happens if the advertisement company successfully convinces the buyer that this certain product is worth their money.

There is quite a lot of thought and effort that goes into the task of advertising. As previously stated, even the consumer’s brain typically goes through a whole process of decision making when it comes to buying a product. My hope is that you will begin to see ads from a different perspective, seeing just how much goes into the whole process.