Persuasive Advertising - J. Scott Armstrong [128]
6.1.1 Describe a problem and show how the product solves it.
6.2. Demonstration
6.2.1 Demonstrate product benefits.
6.3. Evidence
6.3.1 Provide quantitative evidence.
6.3.2 Offer verifiable evidence.
6.4. Data presentation
6.4.1 To aid understanding, use absolute numbers for small values and frequency rates for large values.
6.4.2 Use simple tables or graphs if you have substantial amounts of data.
6.5. Customer endorsements
6.5.1 Consider endorsements by customers.
6.6. Celebrity endorsements
6.6.1 When an ad contains strong arguments, avoid the use of celebrities.
6.6.2 Consider celebrity endorsements for gaining attention.
6.6.3 When using celebrities, make sure they are relevant and credible.
6.7. Expert endorsements
6.7.1 Consider support from an expert unless the target market already agrees with the message.
6.8. Comparative advertising
6.8.1 Use comparative advertising for brands that have clear comparative benefits and a small market share
6.8.2 Compare the product with market leaders.
6.8.3 When making a comparative claim, provide objective support and offer it gently.
6.9. Negative advertising
6.9.1 Consider negative advertising when there is only one major alternative to your brand, and it has serious shortcomings.
6.9.2 Attack ads should employ objective information, not emotion.
6.10. Refutation
6.10.1 Respond to negative claims that are likely to become widely known.
6.11. Puffery
6.11.1 Consider mild puffery.
6.12. Questions
6.12.1 Use product-related questions only if you have good answers.
6.13. Repetition
6.13.1 Space repeated claims.
6.13.2 Consider cosmetic variations rather than exact repetition.
6.13.3 Use substantive variations when arguments are strong.
6.14. Subliminal messages
6.14.1 Use subliminal messages only if the customer is warned.
6.15. Memory devices
6.15.1 Use mnemonics when consumers will be purchasing at a later time.
6.16. Word of mouth
6.16.1 Encourage customers to tell (or ask) others about the product.
6.17. Call for action
6.17.1 Ensure action steps are clear and specific.
6.17.2 Use a gentle call for action for high-involvement products.
6.17.3 When using an explicit action step, make it immediate, easy, and low risk.
6.17.4 Consider a bonus to a good offer when customers can respond quickly.
7. Message
This section deals with the crafting of messages to communicate information through words, pictures, sounds, and color. The principles sections are arranged as follows:
7.1. Arguments
7.2. Clarity
7.3. Forceful text
7.4. Interesting text of speech
7.5. Tone
7.6. Word selection
7.7. Wordplay
7.8. Metaphors and figures
7.9. Simplicity advertising
7.10. Informative illustrations
7.11. Informative color
7.12. Ad consistency
7.13. Disclaimers and corrective
7.1. Arguments
Aristotle recommended the use of rational arguments when trying to persuade others. However, a meta-analysis of 30 studies found that, in general, the average correlation between the rationality of arguments and attitude change was modest (Stiff 1986). Why only modest? As discussed in Section 5, arguments are not very effective when people have strong prior beliefs. In addition, many people do not think rationally (that is, in terms of examining costs and benefits); for example, they might rely on their values to decide what seems fair or proper in a given situation. However, arguments are persuasive for high-involvement products if resistance is not a key issue. This section discusses what arguments to use, how many, and how to express them.
7.1.1. Use only strong arguments for high-involvement products
When people are presented with arguments, they often average the strength of a set of arguments rather than sum them. Thus, one strong argument is more persuasive than one strong argument plus one weak argument. The following ad would not be advisable: “Luxurious hotel suites. Free coffee provided.”
In contrast, when involvement is low, increasing the number of arguments tends to increase persuasion regardless of the quality of the arguments.