Neither witchcraft nor sorcery
A revised book on the ever-fascinating topic of advertising debunks many myths
A revised book on the inexhaustible subject of advertising dispels many mythsBy Thérèse BalduzziIn their book "Advertising and the Mind of the Consumer", authors Max Sutherland and Alice K. Sylvester say that advertising is neither witchcraft that manipulates people into buying goods, nor magic over which advertisers have no control.
In this revised new edition, the international pair of authors attempt to explain the workings of advertising in a simple way for both consumers and advertisers and to show clients how they can increase the effectiveness of their campaigns.
Just because the effect of advertising is often not consciously comprehensible does not mean that it is a mysterious force, but rather a much more harmless and easily explainable psychological mechanism, write Sutherland and Sylvester. However, thanks to books such as Vance Packard's "The Hidden Persuaders", mystical powers are attributed to advertising. But there are also other reasons why clients are often suspicious of the effectiveness of advertising.
The first and best part of the book is dedicated to demystifying advertising. With lucid and practical explanations, countless examples and numerous references to academic research, the way advertising works is examined from various angles. The second part deals with the effectiveness of advertising and methods for measuring it.
The book, published in Australia, is a revised, international edition of a book published in 1993. It is based on the authors' many years of professional experience. The Australian Sutherland was chairman of NFO Market-Mind, a subsidiary of NFO Worldwide, and conducted market research for Gillette, Merck, Kodak, McDonald's, Miller, AT&T and Nestlé. Sutherland teaches at various universities in Australia and America.
The American Sylvester is Vice President and Account Planning Director at Foote, Cone & Belding in Chicago.
The greatest myth of the uncanny powers of advertising was circulated by an American cinema owner in the 1950s, say Sutherland and Sylvester. James Vicary reported that he had superimposed statements such as "Drink Coca-Cola" and "Eat Popcorn" so briefly on the screen that they were not consciously noticed by the audience. However, sales of these products increased exponentially as a result.
Although it is widely assumed that the practice of "subliminal advertising" is illegal, no such laws have ever been passed in America, the authors write. Nor are they necessary. Attempts to reproduce this effect in experiments failed. Over 200 academic papers were published on the subject, but the cinema owner's claim could never be substantiated. In 1984, he confessed to having invented the story.
The authors also write that "subliminal advertising" is practically impossible: with a detour into behavioral psychology, they explain that consciousness is not an absolute, but a gradual variable. People are not conscious or unconscious of something, but more or less conscious. The idea of "subliminal advertising" is based on the assumption that advertising is perceived just below the threshold of consciousness.
However, this threshold is not reached by everyone at the same time. Moreover, advertising that is perceived with only a low level of awareness is by no means dangerous, but on the contrary is less effective than advertising that is perceived with a higher level of awareness.
The myth of "subliminal advertising" only holds up so well because it confirms the image of dark forces that many people associate with advertising and because the way advertising works is often not clearly recognizable. Advertising cannot be used to unconsciously remote control consumers and cause them to suddenly run out to buy the advertised product. Rather, these are much more harmless, but subtle, small steps of influence.
Advertising does little for high-priced products
Especially in the case of everyday consumer goods such as shampoo, so-called low-involvement decisions, advertising can influence the ranking of choices available to the consumer. Claims about a product are not necessarily believed, but they are remembered and can play a role in the decision between two equivalent alternatives.
Repetition over a certain period of time means that people become accustomed to the statements, especially as there is no reason to actively engage with them, such as when buying a car, a high-involvement decision. In such situations, advertising plays an even smaller role and often only causes the brand to be included in the ranking list and considered at all.
Brands become symbols
and trigger reflexes
The main reason why advertising remains mysterious for many is that it does not usually come across as an obvious message. Image advertising and visual experiences are registered as impressions, but are not consciously classified as messages.
Over several chapters, the authors explain how strong images in interaction with words and music are experienced as entertainment, mini-dramas or atmospheric images that suggest certain associations and evaluations. This influences how a product, a brand or its consumers are perceived over time.
The brands acquire a symbolic value. Whether it's a swastika, the Mercedes star or the Volvo lettering, the reactions that the symbols evoke are learned. However, this learning process often goes unnoticed.
In a chapter on the limits of advertising, the authors emphasize that the power of influence is vastly overestimated. In response to the frequently voiced criticism that advertising creates needs and manipulates consumers into buying goods they do not need, they say that at least 40 percent of new products do not succeed on the market.
Moreover, advertising alone is by no means sufficient to launch a new product; it must be accompanied by promotion and product samples. Furthermore, the view of what is a necessity and what is not cannot be measured objectively. Yesterday's luxuries, such as air conditioners or video recorders, are today's consumer goods.
The biggest obstacle to advertising impact is the activities of competitors. The general noise of different competing advertisements in the same product category dilutes the effect of individual campaigns. As an example, the authors mention the reactions to the deregulation of telephone companies in America in the 1980s and 1990s. At the time, the telephone companies outbid each other with campaigns, causing consumers to switch off after tiring.
Advertising is not magic, the authors continue, because the advertised product must also measure up to the competition in terms of quality. Advertising can persuade consumers to try something new, but the product must be able to pass the test.
With a side-swipe at creative directors, whom they classify as film directors who are prevented from making films, the authors also emphasize how difficult it is to produce an effective campaign. Small filmmakers often misuse their commissions to realize themselves and advertising awards only reward artistic design, not effectiveness.
Superficial patchwork
Recycled contributions
The second part of the book deals with the effectiveness of advertising and how this is measured. It consists of various articles that have already appeared in specialist journals. In addition to different measurement methods, they also show what needs to be considered when launching new products, what problems radio advertising presents and what happens if advertising is completely discontinued.
However, when summarized in a book, the collection of articles gives the impression that too many topics are touched on too briefly and only superficially. These are topics that themselves deserve to be presented comprehensively in a book. The thin chapter on the exciting topic of Internet advertising, for example, leaves the reader disappointed. More convincing is the chapter on the major role played by a unique and consistent style of advertising, which is explained using the example of the campaign for Absolut vodka.
Humor in advertising - or my unknown grin
The chapter on the effect of humor in advertising is also interesting. The area has been surprisingly little researched, say the authors, and the results of existing studies are often contradictory. Contrary to popular belief, humor is not always good, the pair write, and warn of its Janus face.
Humor arises from the surprising combination of elements that do not fit together. As an example, the authors mention the commercial for a courier service: a canary appears to be pecking grains. But in reality it is pecking the keys of a telephone. What initially looks like a coincidence turns out to be malicious intent in the next scene: a courier picks up the sleeping cat. The effect results from the bizarre image of the bird operating a telephone and its intelligent and devious behavior, which is normally reserved for humans.
The advantage of humorous advertising is that it attracts more attention. However, this can also have a negative effect, the authors warn. Like celebrities or eroticism, humor can have a distracting effect and draw attention away from the advertised brand. It is therefore particularly important to embed the brand visually and as organically as possible in the plot. In contrast to the famous Budweiser commercial, in which frogs burp "Bud-Weis-Er", the brand in the canary commercial is completely interchangeable. As the product category is often well integrated in humorous commercials, but not the brand, there is also a risk of serving the competition, they write.
However, the fact that viewers experience the message as entertainment has a positive effect and therefore less resistance has to be overcome than with claims that provoke a judgmental (right/wrong) reaction. In addition, humorous advertisements are popular and the popularity of an advertisement is reflected in its effectiveness. The humorous way of communicating is perceived as part of the brand's personality.
The authors also have surprisingly positive things to say about the lifespan of humorous commercials: it is usually assumed that humorous campaigns show signs of fatigue more quickly than others. From their experience, they cannot confirm this, they write. In fact, the opposite is often the case. Studies have shown that the commercials are still a hit when changes have already been planned.
The authors attribute contradictory studies on the lifespan of humorous advertisements to different social situations. Humor is enjoyed more when the laughs can be shared. Certain campaigns would gain popularity over time because they would become a topic of conversation when seen in communal situations or because their punchlines would find their way into common parlance.
In this revised new edition, the international pair of authors attempt to explain the workings of advertising in a simple way for both consumers and advertisers and to show clients how they can increase the effectiveness of their campaigns.
Just because the effect of advertising is often not consciously comprehensible does not mean that it is a mysterious force, but rather a much more harmless and easily explainable psychological mechanism, write Sutherland and Sylvester. However, thanks to books such as Vance Packard's "The Hidden Persuaders", mystical powers are attributed to advertising. But there are also other reasons why clients are often suspicious of the effectiveness of advertising.
The first and best part of the book is dedicated to demystifying advertising. With lucid and practical explanations, countless examples and numerous references to academic research, the way advertising works is examined from various angles. The second part deals with the effectiveness of advertising and methods for measuring it.
The book, published in Australia, is a revised, international edition of a book published in 1993. It is based on the authors' many years of professional experience. The Australian Sutherland was chairman of NFO Market-Mind, a subsidiary of NFO Worldwide, and conducted market research for Gillette, Merck, Kodak, McDonald's, Miller, AT&T and Nestlé. Sutherland teaches at various universities in Australia and America.
The American Sylvester is Vice President and Account Planning Director at Foote, Cone & Belding in Chicago.
The greatest myth of the uncanny powers of advertising was circulated by an American cinema owner in the 1950s, say Sutherland and Sylvester. James Vicary reported that he had superimposed statements such as "Drink Coca-Cola" and "Eat Popcorn" so briefly on the screen that they were not consciously noticed by the audience. However, sales of these products increased exponentially as a result.
Although it is widely assumed that the practice of "subliminal advertising" is illegal, no such laws have ever been passed in America, the authors write. Nor are they necessary. Attempts to reproduce this effect in experiments failed. Over 200 academic papers were published on the subject, but the cinema owner's claim could never be substantiated. In 1984, he confessed to having invented the story.
The authors also write that "subliminal advertising" is practically impossible: with a detour into behavioral psychology, they explain that consciousness is not an absolute, but a gradual variable. People are not conscious or unconscious of something, but more or less conscious. The idea of "subliminal advertising" is based on the assumption that advertising is perceived just below the threshold of consciousness.
However, this threshold is not reached by everyone at the same time. Moreover, advertising that is perceived with only a low level of awareness is by no means dangerous, but on the contrary is less effective than advertising that is perceived with a higher level of awareness.
The myth of "subliminal advertising" only holds up so well because it confirms the image of dark forces that many people associate with advertising and because the way advertising works is often not clearly recognizable. Advertising cannot be used to unconsciously remote control consumers and cause them to suddenly run out to buy the advertised product. Rather, these are much more harmless, but subtle, small steps of influence.
Advertising does little for high-priced products
Especially in the case of everyday consumer goods such as shampoo, so-called low-involvement decisions, advertising can influence the ranking of choices available to the consumer. Claims about a product are not necessarily believed, but they are remembered and can play a role in the decision between two equivalent alternatives.
Repetition over a certain period of time means that people become accustomed to the statements, especially as there is no reason to actively engage with them, such as when buying a car, a high-involvement decision. In such situations, advertising plays an even smaller role and often only causes the brand to be included in the ranking list and considered at all.
Brands become symbols
and trigger reflexes
The main reason why advertising remains mysterious for many is that it does not usually come across as an obvious message. Image advertising and visual experiences are registered as impressions, but are not consciously classified as messages.
Over several chapters, the authors explain how strong images in interaction with words and music are experienced as entertainment, mini-dramas or atmospheric images that suggest certain associations and evaluations. This influences how a product, a brand or its consumers are perceived over time.
The brands acquire a symbolic value. Whether it's a swastika, the Mercedes star or the Volvo lettering, the reactions that the symbols evoke are learned. However, this learning process often goes unnoticed.
In a chapter on the limits of advertising, the authors emphasize that the power of influence is vastly overestimated. In response to the frequently voiced criticism that advertising creates needs and manipulates consumers into buying goods they do not need, they say that at least 40 percent of new products do not succeed on the market.
Moreover, advertising alone is by no means sufficient to launch a new product; it must be accompanied by promotion and product samples. Furthermore, the view of what is a necessity and what is not cannot be measured objectively. Yesterday's luxuries, such as air conditioners or video recorders, are today's consumer goods.
The biggest obstacle to advertising impact is the activities of competitors. The general noise of different competing advertisements in the same product category dilutes the effect of individual campaigns. As an example, the authors mention the reactions to the deregulation of telephone companies in America in the 1980s and 1990s. At the time, the telephone companies outbid each other with campaigns, causing consumers to switch off after tiring.
Advertising is not magic, the authors continue, because the advertised product must also measure up to the competition in terms of quality. Advertising can persuade consumers to try something new, but the product must be able to pass the test.
With a side-swipe at creative directors, whom they classify as film directors who are prevented from making films, the authors also emphasize how difficult it is to produce an effective campaign. Small filmmakers often misuse their commissions to realize themselves and advertising awards only reward artistic design, not effectiveness.
Superficial patchwork
Recycled contributions
The second part of the book deals with the effectiveness of advertising and how this is measured. It consists of various articles that have already appeared in specialist journals. In addition to different measurement methods, they also show what needs to be considered when launching new products, what problems radio advertising presents and what happens if advertising is completely discontinued.
However, when summarized in a book, the collection of articles gives the impression that too many topics are touched on too briefly and only superficially. These are topics that themselves deserve to be presented comprehensively in a book. The thin chapter on the exciting topic of Internet advertising, for example, leaves the reader disappointed. More convincing is the chapter on the major role played by a unique and consistent style of advertising, which is explained using the example of the campaign for Absolut vodka.
Humor in advertising - or my unknown grin
The chapter on the effect of humor in advertising is also interesting. The area has been surprisingly little researched, say the authors, and the results of existing studies are often contradictory. Contrary to popular belief, humor is not always good, the pair write, and warn of its Janus face.
Humor arises from the surprising combination of elements that do not fit together. As an example, the authors mention the commercial for a courier service: a canary appears to be pecking grains. But in reality it is pecking the keys of a telephone. What initially looks like a coincidence turns out to be malicious intent in the next scene: a courier picks up the sleeping cat. The effect results from the bizarre image of the bird operating a telephone and its intelligent and devious behavior, which is normally reserved for humans.
The advantage of humorous advertising is that it attracts more attention. However, this can also have a negative effect, the authors warn. Like celebrities or eroticism, humor can have a distracting effect and draw attention away from the advertised brand. It is therefore particularly important to embed the brand visually and as organically as possible in the plot. In contrast to the famous Budweiser commercial, in which frogs burp "Bud-Weis-Er", the brand in the canary commercial is completely interchangeable. As the product category is often well integrated in humorous commercials, but not the brand, there is also a risk of serving the competition, they write.
However, the fact that viewers experience the message as entertainment has a positive effect and therefore less resistance has to be overcome than with claims that provoke a judgmental (right/wrong) reaction. In addition, humorous advertisements are popular and the popularity of an advertisement is reflected in its effectiveness. The humorous way of communicating is perceived as part of the brand's personality.
The authors also have surprisingly positive things to say about the lifespan of humorous commercials: it is usually assumed that humorous campaigns show signs of fatigue more quickly than others. From their experience, they cannot confirm this, they write. In fact, the opposite is often the case. Studies have shown that the commercials are still a hit when changes have already been planned.
The authors attribute contradictory studies on the lifespan of humorous advertisements to different social situations. Humor is enjoyed more when the laughs can be shared. Certain campaigns would gain popularity over time because they would become a topic of conversation when seen in communal situations or because their punchlines would find their way into common parlance.
