5 Ways Advertisers Persuade (Manipulate) Us

We think we control our spending prowess, but our brains do a lot more subliminal battling with ad images than we think. Many times we fall for being the donkey led by the dangling carrot on a stick.

How many times have you walked past the wall-mounted TVs at the gym around 7pm or 9pm rush hour and seen a nice, juicy Big Mac ad and had your mouth start watering? Well, I'm a vegetarian, so usually that's not my trigger, but there is always that token skinny person who gets off by putting Food Network on one of the televisions, which usually happens to be playing a special on desserts. It really is a new age of torture when food advertisers know just the sweet spot for timing their commercials: dinnertime.

So why do our mouths start watering when after all, we cannot even smell the food, touch, or taste it, (and sometimes even hear the commercial,), but the mere image draws us in. Advertisers have mastered the art of subliminal messages; they latch onto our memories of eating a Big Mac and give us what we want. Although we like to think we are entirely in control of our emotional response to an ad, there are a lot of internal and bodily responses being triggered by our brains. So how exactly do advertisers kick our psyche?

1. “Plain Folks”

Vintage Fanatic, "Head and Shoulders Dandruff Shampoo Commercial 4 1969" / Via YouTube

"Plain Folks" shows a representative, relatable, or “typical” target audience use the product in the ad to have you believe you should too! It's best to solve all your mundane worries and first world insecurities with the click of a purchase button. This is the oldest and simplest trick in the book.

Who uses that much shampoo? Yep, that’s how pretty my hair turns out after a good scrub a dub with Head and Shoulders!

And if you are not “plain,” but rather a Michael Phelps of your time, then you better get yourself a bottle to keep your competitive edge!

Head & Shoulders, "Head & Shoulders - Michael Phelps Commercial" / Via YouTube

which leads us to number 2. . .

2. Transference or Testimonial

TheEllenShow, "Sofia Vergara and Ellen's CoverGirl Commercial: Das Bombshell" / Via YouTube

We all love celebrity endorsements. Advertisers are good at referring to or showing a celebrity with their product, which creates positive associations and endorsements attributing the celebrity success, beauty, or money to the product, but be careful! Those slick advertisers are good at slipping in not so direct quotes, and those celebrities are getting a nice chunk of change in their contracts.

Check out Sofia Vergara and Ellen uncover their hot new Covergirl commercial.

3. Common Sense and Reasoning

Purina Beneful, "Beneful® Medleys Commercial -- NEW Canned Dog Food" / Via YouTube

Ads lure us to make everyday decisions based on our sense of right and wrong or good and bad. Being hyper aware of the target of the commercial helps us realize whether we are the audience who would buy into their product to feel better about ourselves.

Beneful shows a classy home and owner, with a healthy, happy, and perfectly clean dog run in from the lush hills to have his fancy dinner meal. The true target is the high-class homeowner who doesn’t mind spending money on a luxurious dog meal for his world-class dog. We feel the appeal and guilt to get only the best gourmet options for our little Buddy. A scoop of Beneful will certainly make your dog feel and act like a king!

4. Bandwagon Effect and Repetition

The GW Channel, UnsolicitedProject, "AXE Commercial - Parody - Lesbian Effect" / Via YouTube

We all know by now that the best tactic for luring hoards of girls is a nice Axe body spray. Wouldn’t you agree it is definitely the best gifting solution for our nerdy, awkward friends to get some good mojo?

Bandwagon is akin to that feeling you get when the cool girls at school all show up with the trendiest item on the fashion market, whether it is a snap bracelet or a flowery headband, and you feel the need to run out and buy one in order to show it off or pretend to fit right in.

Repetition takes an idea and shows it to us so much that we soon begin to see it as truth. Repetition is the stuff of good branding.

5. Glittering Generality, Card Stacking, and Flag Waving

Gabbee, "Top 8 WTF Campaign Ads of 2014" / Via YouTube

We’ve all seen some of the typical political ads, but I wanted to show a few ads from our 2014 candidates which will make you wonder who is working these campaign teams anyways?

Political teams are best at using “glittering generalities”--appealing phrases associated with highly valued concepts or emotional beliefs that attract general approval. They usually appeal to the feelings extracted from “flag waving” such as love of country/home (nationalism), and a desire for peace, freedom, glory, and honor (patriotism).

"Card stacking" only tells one side of the story without the opposing view, which tends to be more effective than campaigns that resort to negative innuendo or name calling towards their opponents.

Advertisers are notorious for providing ads for products we desire but do not need. They want our $$$. How many times have you caught yourself sneakily making space in your limited paycheck to cash out for a new purse, sunglasses, shoes, or new gadget? Yes, we all want the newest, shiniest things, and if you are saying you are not that type of spender, then maybe you are the experiential spender. How about spending a nice $200 taking the family out for a dinner and a blockbuster movie or booking your next vacation after seeing some breathtaking and romantic photographs of a Caribbean getaway? Honey, the kids will want some popcorn, candy, and a giant sugary Slurpee to top it off ☺

Our desires are what push the market economy and fuel our addiction to consumerism. Whenever we fulfill our desires with spending money on goods or services that leave a positive memory or lasting effect, we cannot help but go back for more. Ads remind us of these positive feelings and channel our wallets to come out of deep pockets. Next time your eyes roll over a skinny bikini or six pack abs think about how it may be affecting your views and how realistically improved your life may or may not be after the purchase of that product.