The Psychology of Advertising
Functions of advertising - correct answer-To inform: to provide useful information about a
product or service. To persuade and change the response of the recipient: to make the offer
attractive to the consumer
Two forms of Persuasion - correct answer-Increasing attractiveness of offer: increase
approach motivation.
Reducing reluctance of consumer: reduce avoidance motivation.
Informational or argument based appeal - correct answer-Present facts about item, price,
where to buy
Emotional or affect-based appeal - correct answer-Influence feelings rather than thoughts
about the item
Societal Function (Fennis and Straub, 2010) - correct answer-Funding mass media, creating
jobs, sponsorship of sporting and cultural events but these are offshoots of advertising and
not its primary function
Aims of advertising - correct answer-CAB - three components of attitude
Cognitive: how we think, what we believe.
Affective: how we feel, out mood.
Behavioural: how we act and intend to act
Traditional view of advertising - correct answer-Attend to message (attention = cognitive),
Remember it (memory = cognitive), Like it (emotion = effective), Buy product (action =
behavioural)
Heath 2012 - correct answer-Difficult to know how successful advertising is because
1. Companies who use ads do not want to loose competitive advantage by releasing info.
2. Often they don't know anyway
Heath 2012 influencing memory - correct answer-2001 O2 ad with the message 'see what
you can do' ads communicated very few facts. In 2005 O2 was the UK's biggest phone
company
Heath 2012 influencing memory and beliefs - correct answer-Renault Clio ad showed two
well off French people - father and daughter driving around the French countryside. When
researchers checked on the effectiveness of the ads. No one could remember the message
but Clio has the most successful car launch ever in the UK. Get consumer to like it - emotion
= affective
Heath 2012 influencing affect - correct answer-Meerkat ads - amusing ad of confusion
between market and meerkat. Very popular with a meerkat toy
, Market-Response Models - correct answer-Compare input (advertising spend) to output
(overall sales, market share or profit).
Hierarchy of effects models - correct answer-Propose fixed sequence of stages in
advertising, each of which contributes to the effectiveness of ads
Concave sales response model (Fennis and Straube 2010) - correct answer-Sales follow law
of diminishing returns. Level of sales tails off as total advertising spend increases. Once
message reached saturation point additional ad expenditure will not increase sales
S-shaped sales response model - correct answer-Initial impact of ads low as communication
spreads. Initial phase = advertising 'wear in.' Sales increase with increasing ad spend up to
saturation point when impact of ad wears off. Sales returns may then diminish in relation to
ad spend
Problems with Aggregate Approach - correct answer-Does not take into account numerous
contributory factors to ad effectiveness. Simply looks at inputs and outputs without
understanding processes underlying effectiveness
Edward Thorndike - the law of effect - correct answer-'Responses that produce a satisfying
effect in a particular situation become more likely to occur again in that situation, and
responses that produce a discomforting effect become less likely to occur again in that
situation
Hierarchy of effects models - correct answer-AIDA- attention, interest, desire, action.
AIDCA- attention, interest, desire, conviction, action.
Problems with hierarchy of effects models - correct answer-(Vakratsas and ambler 1999)
very little empirical evidence for models
Attention - correct answer-High cognitive consumer engagement with ads is not normally the
norm.
Episodic buffer - correct answer-Organises material into episodes or chunks and integrates
material with the LTM
Levels of processing theory (Craik and Lockhard, 1972) - correct answer-Deep vs shallow
processing. The deeper the level of processing, the easier it is to recall information.
Using semantic categories when encoding information may involve deep processing.
Foot, Cone-building (FCB) grid - correct answer-High involvement: THINK FEEL DO.
(Houses, loans, cars) FEEL THINK DO. (Sportscars, jewellery, designer sunglasses)
FCB grid - correct answer-Low involvement: DO THINK FEEL. (Shampoo, toilet paper)
DO FEEL THINK. (Lemonade, snacks, candy).
DAGMAR - correct answer-Defining Advertising Goals for Measured Advertising Results
Functions of advertising - correct answer-To inform: to provide useful information about a
product or service. To persuade and change the response of the recipient: to make the offer
attractive to the consumer
Two forms of Persuasion - correct answer-Increasing attractiveness of offer: increase
approach motivation.
Reducing reluctance of consumer: reduce avoidance motivation.
Informational or argument based appeal - correct answer-Present facts about item, price,
where to buy
Emotional or affect-based appeal - correct answer-Influence feelings rather than thoughts
about the item
Societal Function (Fennis and Straub, 2010) - correct answer-Funding mass media, creating
jobs, sponsorship of sporting and cultural events but these are offshoots of advertising and
not its primary function
Aims of advertising - correct answer-CAB - three components of attitude
Cognitive: how we think, what we believe.
Affective: how we feel, out mood.
Behavioural: how we act and intend to act
Traditional view of advertising - correct answer-Attend to message (attention = cognitive),
Remember it (memory = cognitive), Like it (emotion = effective), Buy product (action =
behavioural)
Heath 2012 - correct answer-Difficult to know how successful advertising is because
1. Companies who use ads do not want to loose competitive advantage by releasing info.
2. Often they don't know anyway
Heath 2012 influencing memory - correct answer-2001 O2 ad with the message 'see what
you can do' ads communicated very few facts. In 2005 O2 was the UK's biggest phone
company
Heath 2012 influencing memory and beliefs - correct answer-Renault Clio ad showed two
well off French people - father and daughter driving around the French countryside. When
researchers checked on the effectiveness of the ads. No one could remember the message
but Clio has the most successful car launch ever in the UK. Get consumer to like it - emotion
= affective
Heath 2012 influencing affect - correct answer-Meerkat ads - amusing ad of confusion
between market and meerkat. Very popular with a meerkat toy
, Market-Response Models - correct answer-Compare input (advertising spend) to output
(overall sales, market share or profit).
Hierarchy of effects models - correct answer-Propose fixed sequence of stages in
advertising, each of which contributes to the effectiveness of ads
Concave sales response model (Fennis and Straube 2010) - correct answer-Sales follow law
of diminishing returns. Level of sales tails off as total advertising spend increases. Once
message reached saturation point additional ad expenditure will not increase sales
S-shaped sales response model - correct answer-Initial impact of ads low as communication
spreads. Initial phase = advertising 'wear in.' Sales increase with increasing ad spend up to
saturation point when impact of ad wears off. Sales returns may then diminish in relation to
ad spend
Problems with Aggregate Approach - correct answer-Does not take into account numerous
contributory factors to ad effectiveness. Simply looks at inputs and outputs without
understanding processes underlying effectiveness
Edward Thorndike - the law of effect - correct answer-'Responses that produce a satisfying
effect in a particular situation become more likely to occur again in that situation, and
responses that produce a discomforting effect become less likely to occur again in that
situation
Hierarchy of effects models - correct answer-AIDA- attention, interest, desire, action.
AIDCA- attention, interest, desire, conviction, action.
Problems with hierarchy of effects models - correct answer-(Vakratsas and ambler 1999)
very little empirical evidence for models
Attention - correct answer-High cognitive consumer engagement with ads is not normally the
norm.
Episodic buffer - correct answer-Organises material into episodes or chunks and integrates
material with the LTM
Levels of processing theory (Craik and Lockhard, 1972) - correct answer-Deep vs shallow
processing. The deeper the level of processing, the easier it is to recall information.
Using semantic categories when encoding information may involve deep processing.
Foot, Cone-building (FCB) grid - correct answer-High involvement: THINK FEEL DO.
(Houses, loans, cars) FEEL THINK DO. (Sportscars, jewellery, designer sunglasses)
FCB grid - correct answer-Low involvement: DO THINK FEEL. (Shampoo, toilet paper)
DO FEEL THINK. (Lemonade, snacks, candy).
DAGMAR - correct answer-Defining Advertising Goals for Measured Advertising Results
