Persuasive Advertising - J. Scott Armstrong [72]
Advertisers who have no good arguments for their brand might resort to using mere exposure to avoid counter-arguments. This might be appropriate for low-involvement products.
Interestingly, customers are unaware that mere exposure affects their attitudes. They believe that they respond only to a product’s attributes (Bornstein 1989).
In the late 1800s, Thomas S. Barratt purchased a quarter of a million French 10 centime pieces (accepted as English pennies) and stamped “Pears” on them. He then put the coins in circulation as pennies, to increase sales of Pears soap. The campaign was successful until the authorities told him that the tactic was illegal.
Evidence on the effects of advertising only the brand name
A meta-analysis of 208 experiments concluded that repeated exposure led to increased liking. These studies examined such things as music, people, scents, photographs, and words. One advantage of mere exposure is that since this type of ad does not present arguments, it reduces the possibility that people will develop counter-arguments. The hope of advertisers is that the brand name will spring to mind when one thinks about purchasing a product (Bornstein 1989).
Three lab experiments found that mere exposure is especially relevant for publicly consumed products that reflect on the social awareness of the user (Rindfleisch and Inman 1998).
In most commercial situations in which some competing products are already known, a campaign using mere exposure for a previously unknown product makes little sense. Two lab experiments support this. When involvement was low, mere exposure had effects regardless of quality differences. But for high-involvement situations, mere exposure could not overcome quality differences. When subjects were told that, based on tests by Consumer Reports, toothpaste and motor oil brands differed in quality, repetition of the brand names had a little effect on the subjects’ brand choices. In other words, for high-involvement products, repetition had an effect only when there were no quality differences (Baker 1999).
4.2. Product placements
Product placements—or “brand placements”—can appear in a wide variety of entertainment vehicles, such as movies, novels, plays, and songs.
The use of product placements has a long history. In 1908, Cracker Jack managed to have its brand name included in the lyrics of “Take me out to the ballgame.” In the early days of radio, products were frequently mentioned during radio programs. MGM Studios has maintained a product-placements office since the 1930s. The practice has been grown over the years, and anecdotal stories claim great success, such as the use of Hershey’s “Reese’s Pieces™” in the film E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial
4.2.1. Link the product to familiar and positive situations
Having the simple name constantly forced before one’s indirect vision is
enough to make many people react sufficiently to get the article.
Harlow Gale, 1900
In 2005, Tiger Woods was playing an important golf tournament. He hit a chip shot on the 16th hole; the ball rolled to the lip of the hole and then seemed to hang there with part of the Nike logo visible on the ball. As the ball rolled in, the Nike logo on it showed clearly.
Advertisers hope that when people see a product or brand in a familiar and positive situation, such as at a music or sporting event, they will associate that product with the good feelings engendered by the situation.
A survey of 28 marketing experts suggested that product placements in movies were most effective under the following conditions, using a scale of 1 to 7, where 7 means “extremely important” (Karrh, McKee, and Pardun 2003):
When product placements are effective in movies
Criterion
Rating
Brand has a very recognizable package or design
6.7
Brand is supported with other promotion