Persuasive Advertising - J. Scott Armstrong [169]
Evidence on the effects of attractive models
As was the case for spokespersons, beauty sells when relevant. A meta-analysis of 53 journal articles and 23 dissertations concluded that beauty aids persuasion in areas related to “social competence,” somewhat so for “intellectual competence,” and not at all for “integrity and concern for others” (Eagly et al. 1991.)
In a representative study, 251 female subjects were shown ads for beauty-enhancing products (earrings and lipstick) and utilitarian products (acne cover and acne treatment). Experimental versions of the ad used either highly attractive models or somewhat attractive models. Ads with highly attractive models led to substantially higher product ratings for the beauty-enhancing products, while there were no differences for the non-beauty products (Bower and Landreth 2001).
8.11. Technical quality
Make ads look professional; high technical quality implies, “we do things well.” Seeing a clean, shiny tanker truck with the words “Poland Spring Water” on the side made me think that they have clean water inside the truck.
8.11.1. Strive for good technical quality at a low cost
Ads should typically be of good technical quality with respect to aspects such as printing, filming, and website design. This would seem especially so when product quality is a major concern of the target market.
This would seem to be an obvious principle. Wouldn’t you want to demonstrate that you do things well—including your advertising? However, Hopkins (1923), drawing on responses to direct mail, said: “It has been found that fine stationery and pamphlets lessen the effect. They indicate an effort to sell on other lines than merit.” Ogilvy (1985, p. 113) stated: “I have no research to prove it, but I suspect that there is a negative correlation between the money spent on commercials and their power to sell products.”
Technical requirements can lead to enormous increases in expenditures—for example, paying hundreds of thousands of dollars for producing a TV commercial, instead of settling for one costing about one-tenth as much. In 1995, a British Air TV commercial, filmed in Australia, involved 300 actors, 40 boats, helicopters, stunt pilots, and 40,000 square feet of red and white silk to cover a small island (Kanner 1999). Was the expected ROI calculated for this ad?
Given the high cost of producing professional-looking commercials, I suggest that cost/benefit analyses be done to determine the expected return on technical brilliance compared with other ways to invest in advertising such as by developing cosmetic and substantive variations.
Evidence on the effects of using high technical quality
Non-experimental data were obtained for 30-second commercials of consumer packaged goods that were pre-tested by Ipsos ASI during the early 2000s. There were 1,208 rough ads and 1,087 finished ads. The persuasion scores for the rough ads averaged 103.7, while the finished ads averaged 105.8. On average then, finished ads were only a bit more persuasive.
Checklist 8 summarizes principles for attracting attention.
Checklist 8 Attention
8.1. Alert the target market
8.1.1. Alert the target market early and prominently.
8.2. Campaign consistency
8.2.1. Provide a consistent look to all aspects of a campaign.
8.2.2. Keep the advertising consistent across time.
8.3. Campaign contrast
8.3.1. When strong arguments exist, consider using ads that contrast with competitors’ ads.
8.4. Slogans
8.4.1 Consider a short memorable slogan with the brand name and benefit.
8.5. Brand identifiers
8.5.1. In a long-term advertising program, emphasize brand identifiers.
8.5.2. Use logos to express meanings or emotions.
8.6. Attractive visuals
8.6.1. Consider using visuals that create favorable associations with the product.
8.7. Color for attention
8.7.1. To gain attention, consider using color.
8.8. Humor
8.8.1. Consider using humor for well-known, low-involvement products.
8.8.2.