Persuasive Advertising, Autonomy, and the Creation of Desire

Roger Crisp

• ADVERTISING PLAYS ON THE UNCONSCIOUS DESIRES FOR:– Sex– Money– Adventure– Power

PERSUASIVE ADVERTISING

• All forms are wrong because– Includes subliminal advertising, puffery and

repetition– Removes autonomous reaction to decision

making– Based on linkage to things (sex, drugs and rock

and roll) outside of the object

ARRINGTON IN SUPPORT OF ADVERTISING

• AUTONOMOUS DESIRE (A search for a new look for the sake of a new look)– Crisp- no so because of linkage to secondary needs (sex,

drugs and rock and roll)• RATIONAL DESIRE AND CHOICE (People do not need perfect

information only enough to make a decision)– Crisp - The information provided is there to persuade not

educate• FREE CHOICE (The act of buying can be justified in the mind of

the purchaser)– Crisp - Desires may be so covert that individual is unaware

of manipulation• CONTROL AND MANIPULATION (Advertisements do intend to

control all conditions to meet a need)– Crisp - Causes people to be brain washed into accepting

what they would reject if aware of reasons for manipulation.

CONCLUSIONS

• PERSUASIVE ADVERTISING OVERRIDES AUTONOMY AND IS THEREFOR IMMORAL

• IMPOSES A DISTORTED SYSTEM OF VALUES ON CONSUMERS

• MAY PLAY TO STEREOTYPES OR DISCRIMINATION

Ethical Myopia: The Case of “Framing’ by Framing

Alan E. Signer

• Mental Accounting– How a person goes about accounting for money

• Framing– How the deal is framed rather than the objective value

• Transactional Utility Theory (TUT)– Segregated Gains (Two $50.00 winning tickets rather

an One $100.00 ticket– Perceived Price -Emotional Value ( Inaccurate pricing,

Inaccurate costing, Minimum Pricing, Add on)

• Market Clearing– Market works when Supply and Demand are balanced– Reframing to make people happier

EXPLOITING COGNITIVE HABITS

• Focus on peoples belief (how they see the world. This can be distorted by– Lying about product– Nondisclosure

(Herbal Medicine)– Labeling (price per

bottle or price per wash)

RECOMMENDATIONS

• Legislate protection against “deceptive practices”

• Teach social consequences in marketing classes

• Consumer education

• Researcher indicate areas that are appropriate and those to avoid

Marketing to Inner-City Blacks: Powermaster and Moral Responsibility

George C. Brenkert

• Heilman Brewery facing bankruptcy

• Decided to sell to inner city blacks using higher alcoholic content than other malts

• Appealed to Power and Boldness in customers

• Ads impacted viewers in a way that made them “exceptionally likely to be influenced by the advertising” Social vulnerability

CONCLUSIONS

• Marketers must look at the context of their campaigns

• Marketers who target a specific group must consider harm done to that group

• Marketers must accept collective responsibility for their products in the market place