Persuasive Advertising - J. Scott Armstrong [80]
An analysis of non-experimental data found that TV commercials above the median for ratings of “makes you think about the brand in a new way” had 4 percent better recall and 21 percent higher persuasion scores than commercials below the median (Walker 2008).
5.2.2. Focus on benefits or features rather than choices
Once people have made a product choice, they become resistant to alternatives. For example, if they have purchased a particular brand of vodka in the past, they may be resistant to suggestions that they should purchase a different brand. This resistance to change can be strong even if their initial selection is not optimal for their current needs.
An attempt to get people to change their choice (e.g., away from a currently used brand) could lead them to defend that current choice—otherwise, they might look irrational. Instead of asking customers to make a choice, ask them to first think about the benefits or features they desire, and then consider how the available options meet their criteria. Thus, they will look rational by picking the choice that is consistent with their criteria.
For example, an ad could ask people if they would prefer to control some of their investments or have politicians make all investment decisions for them. Then ask them to consider how they would like their country’s social security system to work.
This principle is based on received wisdom. It deserves to be tested.
5.3. Stories
A well-told story of one starving child will get more reaction than
the account of one hundred thousand famine victims.
Poffenberger (1925)
When arguing, people often use stories—well-described examples—to support their positions. This is not logical as an argument. However, when it comes to persuasion, the practice has merit.
5.3.1. When the target market has an opposing viewpoint, consider using a story
To combat the commonly held viewpoint that fast food is fattening, Subway told how Jared Fogle lost 245 pounds by eating Subway sandwiches, dieting, and exercising. It was regarded as a highly successful TV campaign, and it had the highest recall of any U.S. commercial during the 2004 Christmas holidays (“#1 Subway,” Advertising Age 76(2) (2005), p. 16).
Here is another effective story: The Wells Rich Green agency used a story in an ad to discourage people from driving after drinking. It showed a home video of a child and concluded with the printed message: “Alex Bishop, killed by a drunk driver on November 8, 1992, on Kent-Kangley Road, in Kent, Washington.” The agency could have used statistics about the thousands of deaths that drunk driving causes each year; however, this single, vivid example probably had more impact.
There are a number of reasons why stories are effective when the consumer has an opposing view. First, they can convey powerful emotional images that are easy to remember. Second, they can put facts into a context that aids recall. Third, they lead people to think about the example, not the evidence. Fourth, and probably most important, because they do not directly attack a person’s beliefs, they are less likely to induce counter-arguing.
Recall can be enhanced by telling a story so that it can easily be reconstructed. This suggests that a logical chronological order should be used.
To further discourage counter-arguing, use “drama.” That is, tell the story directly, without a narrator; that way there is no source to challenge.
Evidence on the effects of stories
In a lab experiment, 53 subjects received messages about the perils of drinking alcohol. The messages challenged their beliefs. Some messages included arguments dealing with health risks, economic and career harm, or drunk driving, supported by statistical evidence. Other messages, randomly assigned, contained a story about “Mark, a roommate of a friend of mine,” and his problem with alcoholism. The story was successful in changing opinions, whereas statistical evidence was not (Slater and Rouner 1996).
In a non-experimental study, 1,215 subjects viewed one of 40 prime-time national