Persuasive Advertising - J. Scott Armstrong [170]
8.9. Sex
8.9.1. Use sex only when it has relevance to the product.
8.10. Models
8.10.1. Match the model to the target market and product.
8.10.2. Use physically attractive models when the product enhances beauty or social competence.
8.11. Technical quality
8.11.1. Strive for good technical quality at a low cost.
1 Lisa Abend, Time, August 28, 2009; Edward Rothstein, New York Times, September 15, 2009.
2 Webster’s Dictionary also uses the term “tagline” as a synonym for “slogan.”
3 The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines these terms for brand identifier: icon, a pictorial representation; logo, an identifying symbol; and trademark, a distinguishing characteristic or feature firmly associated with a person or thing.
4 This is a poorly framed objective in terms of the criteria suggested early in this book.
Media-specific tactics
Most persuasion principles in this book apply regardless of the type of media. However, some principles are related closely to the type of media. For example, different principles apply for media where people are actively searching for information (e.g., the Internet) versus those where the focus is on entertainment (e.g., TV).
If there are strong arguments for a product, use long-exposure media such as magazines, brochures, or websites. They allow people to pace themselves and to reflect on the arguments.
When the message is new or complex and it is important to ensure comprehension, still media are more effective than sound and/or motion media. They allow the customer to decide when to read an ad and at what pace.
The media differ substantially in their ability to communicate information. Here are findings from a meta-analysis of 117 data sets obtained from 64 studies published since 1977. The samples were large, such as the 56 studies (involving 33,000) ads that were used to summarize information in magazine ads, except that only six studies were done on radio. Note that only 71 percent of the TV ads had information (Abernethy and Franke 1996):
On average, newspapers had 2.6 pieces of information, followed by magazines at 2.4, then by radio at 2.2, and TV and outdoor ads at 1.4. Websites obviously contain far more information than any of these. There was no change across the first eight decades of the 1900s in the average number of pieces of information in print ads in top-circulation magazines (Pollay 1985). This is interesting because the typical print ad became much larger over time. In contrast, the information in TV ads has been increasing during the latter part of the century, despite their getting shorter (Weinberger and Spotts 1989a; Resnik and Stern 1977).
The next table, also from Abernethy and Franke’s paper, shows that the type of information varies by media. For example, 56 percent of ads in newspapers contain information on prices.
Matching the media to the conditions
Still media communicate information more rapidly than audio media. While the preferred listening rate is about 175–200 words per minute, the average adult reads hard copy at 250 words per minute. Some people read 300 words per minute, while others slog along at 150 or less. Readers can vary the speed based on their capabilities and on the newness and complexity of the material (Ketrow 1990; Just and Carpenter 1987).
In a lab experiment, subjects were given either an easy or a difficult version of a message about a legal dispute. Some subjects were assigned to read the message and others to listen to it on either audiotape or videotape. When the message was simple, comprehension was similar via each media; when difficult, however, print led to much better comprehension and was more persuasive. In addition, the audiotape was more effective than the videotape with respect to communication of difficult material (Chaiken and Eagly 1976). Similarly, a lab experiment with 80 subjects found that recall from a newscast was twice as high for audio-only than for audiovisual (Engstrom 1994). Perhaps this was because