thepsyklife “Imagine a time when business relied solely on whispered recommendations in bustling marketplaces. Then came the game-changing printing presses in the 1440s. Fast forward to today’s digital era, where Advertising and Marketing have skyrocketed to new pinnacles. Let’s embark on a journey through time to discover how we’ve gone from word of mouth to digital dominance, revolutionising how we promote brands, products, and services.
The target of both these fields are its consumers. These sectors use persuasive psychology to influence and manipulate the needs, desires, beliefs and values of consumers. They focus on the maximum advantage of its consumers which helps build a strategy to bring about reforms in their business. They try to raise brand awareness, also called aided recall, evoke interests for which they use false imagery and embellished marketing news. We tend to give into the unnecessary goods and services, but why is it ? What makes us do so ? It’s the psychology and measures of persuasion ingrained in the tricks of marketing and advertisement which experts use to make consumers fall prey to their advantage.
Where Persuasion Meets Psychology in the World of Advertising
The art of persuasion has been around for a long time since history. People may fail to notice, but our day to day activities and communications often involve an attempt of persuading an individual or a group. If you look into the details of your daily conversation you’ll find a number of times you succumb to the negotiation.
The psychology of persuasion works as an influence on people’s attitude or behaviour. It could be through communication, physical coercion or other medium. The persuasive messages advance faster than earlier in today’s time. Using this as a major tool, the advertising and marketing industry develops their sector. A very prominent example for this would be a local market. Merchants usually scream about their products with pricing details to attract customers. In the modern era of digital space, specialists use implicit persuasion tactics to upscale their business. However, there are certain conditions for this influence to be effective such as content of the message, source of the message, characteristics of the target audience (Hovland, Janis, & Kelley, 1953).
Principles of Persuasion
There are basic 6 principles behind the workings of persuasion. These principles guide the process to be effective.
- Reciprocity: The Secret Sauce of Successful Marketing Strategies
Reciprocation is a fundamental principle in the concept of persuasion.
It works on a number of levels with different people. Humans frequently reciprocate actions done as favour or kindness. There is a feeling of obligation to return what we receive in order to be socially approved. Once a person is offered something of value, it is easy for them to be persuaded for a favor. This initial act of goodness sets down a foundation for the other person to feel obliged to the ensuing request.
Use: The Advertising and Marketing agencies first tries to provide a free sample of the products and uses skills to increase the brand awareness. Once the customer reviews it positively, they encourage them to purchase the higher end product explaining in brief how beneficial it is for them. The consumer might feel a burden to return and oblige, thus the effect of reciprocation taking place.
- Consistency: Following beliefs and actions
Another important principle of persuasion is the consistency of commitment or actions in humans. People tend to align their actions and words to their previously reflected belief to avoid criticism. Aiming this, persuaders can egg on an individual to carry out tasks to their advantage.
Use: These days the digital bots and technology follow a consumer’s purchase and interests online. Once understood, the algorithm tries to adversities the product of interest to the consumer on different networking platforms.
- Social Proof: Maintaining congruence
Being a part of a society, we follow the steps of others as guidance to act properly and maintain congruence. In a situation of uncertainty, people pursue the footsteps of others believing that is what is right and acceptable. When a particular action is abided by a large scale, it works as a social proof. When tourists visit a new restaurant and they are not certain as to what order would be the best, they look for the dish that is most popular.
Use: The specialists might create products focusing a particular kind of audience who’s uncertain as to what purchase would be best for them. A very common example would be the makeup brands. They try to produce different race-inclusive products to increase their consumers. And when it’s approved by large scale, it’s easier for them to get the other consumers as well.
- Liking: Personal bias
One of the powerful principles of persuasion is the effect of liking. The positive connection between two individuals strengthen the phenomenon of persuasion. We are inclined to approve of the ideas presented or requests made by people we like. A person having options to shop from a new store or one that is run by their good friend would go for the latter.
Use: Big brands hire celebrities to promote their products. A popular face who has a large fan base helps advertising and marketing agencies to bring forth more customers using this tactic.
- Authority: Expert idols
People often tend to follow the ones in charge, an authoritative figure, who shows the knowledge of concerned matters and has confidence within themselves. The actions of others around such individuals are influenced and they perceive the expert as a credible source. The best example for this would be when we seek doctors. We know that they are the best in the field of health and we follow the guidelines provided by them to maintain our health.
Use: Brands try to hire specialists in their product field to help them in their advertising and marketing. Such experts as an authoritative figure influence people’s choice and make them inclined to the product presented.
- Scarcity: Avoiding being left out
This principle works on the idea that things are valued when they are limited. People don’t want to be left out from the opportunity to grab something that is limited. And they get persuaded to go for exclusivity. When a new model of a gadget is launched in a limited amount, people would likely purchase the item.
Use: Brands try to offer the audience limited versions of their products to increase and create demands. The curiosity for such products influences consumers to order, increasing the manufacture and sales.
Persuasion occurs within a person, and is not evident to external sights. The experts in the field of advertising and marketing use the basic principles to intricately design a plan to attract their consumers in accordance with various psychological phenomena to be more effective. Cognitive Dissonance, discovered by Leon Festinger in 1957, is one of those phenomena which suggests that people tend to align their beliefs and actions with others to avoid any discomfort. Similarly, conformity works when individuals try to modify their actions to fit with a larger group. Another important psychological theory for persuasion involves the model of elaboration-likelihood. Developed by Petty and Cacioppo in 1986, the design of this model comprises two routes, central and peripheral. The central route involves high level elaboration comprising data and logic to persuade people. It targets an audience who focuses on the content of the message, with deep understanding and enjoys analysis. It has an impactful attitude modification. The peripheral route, on the hand, involves love level elaboration. This works on people who would rather prefer less time consuming messages with no special attention to the content. They are more for the context than the details. They do not perform deep analysis unlike the audience of the central route.
Consumers need to understand these tactics of the brand marketing and advertising in order to save themselves from the clout. A consumer who has zero knowledge of these tricks and say, has no need for a new phone, would easily find themselves purchasing one. This is because both the concerned sector looks into their needs and uses persuasive psychology. They’d first try to identify the personality type and interest of the individual. On that basis, they’d try to market the phone with qualities aligning with what holds the consumer’s interest. Using the authority or scarcity principle of persuasion, they would easily break the virtue of consumers’ not buying the product.
The aim of marketing is to know and understand the customer so well the product or service fits him and sells itself.” – Peter Drucker
In conclusion, advertising and marketing involves a major role of psychology and persuasion to strategise and attain the target. Keeping the consumer as their centre they are able to work around products and services and make their sales grow. For consumers, it’s important to critically think and analyse the scheme that would allow them to make better decisions.
By- Devonita
