Eight advertising techniques

testimonial/celebrity

If someone tells you about a personal experience with a product, then you are likely to believe that person. This approach to advertising (and political campaigns) appeals to the audience's sense of ethos, i.e. that which gives someone credit or a mandate. If a third, independent party has approved of a product or idea through experience, then the speaker's voice is validated. What's more, the audience may be able to identify with the person if s/he is from the same demographic group as the target audience. When famous or well-known personalities are involved, the premise is that people want to identify with that person.

problem/benefit

If you can convince someone that they have a problem, you can sell them a solution. This persuasive technique is often used by advertisers and politicians. If an audience can identify with one characteristic of the problem, then they can be persuaded to believe that they must buy into the solution.

conflict

Including a situation in which there is an unresolved opposition or problem in an ad helps sell a product or an idea. This advertising technique relies on the audience's interest in seeing the tension resolved. If you think about how children are intrigued by fights in the schoolyard, then you understand how this technique advertising draws our attention to a product. This type of advertising can sometimes lead to shock advertising if it is scandalous or controversial, which goes one step further in creating a media-hype and drawing attention to the product or brand.

bandwagon

This is a propaganda technique that suggests one should do something because everyone else is doing it. It is an argumentation fallacy, because something does not have to be true if everyone is doing it. It comes from the idea of a parade, where happy people go by on trailers/carriages and people in the crowd have the urge to 'hop on'. This effect is an age-old technique used to recruit soldiers for war or sell hamburgers to the masses.

anti-ad

This kind of ad draws your attention to, and makes you aware of the conventions of advertising. In effect these ads seem to tell the audience that they are smart enough to see through the tricks played by advertisers. Not only does this kind of ad break the rules of advertising. It shows you how and why they have done this.

association

is the technique of linking products closely with certain values.

fear

In advertisements, speeches or even newspaper articles we see that writers and speakers work on the principle that if you can make people scared, then they will believe or buy anything. We see it in advertising, political campaigns and public service announcements. It is an age-old technique used many campaigns from the 'War on Terror' to the 'War on Drugs'.

shock

This controversial technique is used to gain attention. If an advertisement is controversial, then it gains free publicity through the press and on blogs. Even though this kind of publicity can be negative, it is still publicity nonetheless. This kind of advertising leads to brand awareness and an eventual rise in sales. Many companies that use this approach do not even show their product. The interest is solely on creating a very memorable impact on their audience. Studies show that this kind of advertising can be effective for increasing brand awareness and sales (see 'Buyology' by Martin Lindstrom).