Advertising as communication

Advertising TheoryUnit 1: Advertising as Communication

What is advertising?Social valuesSocial attitudes

By representing a wide range of consumer goods to the public

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Advertising is paid persuasive communication that uses personal mass media- as well as other forms of interactive communication-to reach broad audiences to connect an identified sponsor with a target audience (Wells, Burnett & Moriarty, 2000:5)

The function of advertising

For this reason, today advertising fulfils the role that art and religion once did

The Advertising EnvironmentAdvertising requires a particular environment in which to opperate

A centralised exchange In the past it was possible for the buyer to interact directly with the seller, today merchants sell goods

An economy where supply surpasses demandAdvertising informs buyers of what products are available

It also creates the idea that one brand is better than another

Communication Communication and persuasion theories

Interpersonal communicationInterpersonal communication refers to a conversation or interaction between two people

A single source (communicator) conveys a message to a single receiver

Feedback is almost immediate between the receiver and the sourceThe process is interactional or transactional, so each party is simultaneously source and receiver

Media communicationMedia communication refers to the process of communicating through media

Mass communication Mass communication is part of media communication and usually involves complex structural organisation a medium such as national television

The audienceUsers are refereed to as audiences and these are typically:HeterogeneousDemographically diverse Anonymous to the communicator

Definition of mass communication

Functions of mass media

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Communication theories

Early theoriesLinear transmission models

Modern theoriesCommunication is a processAppears to have no beginning or endIrreversible and always moving forwardthe processes by which messages are formulated, exchanged and interpreted

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Persuasion Persuasion is the act of creating changes in beliefs, attitudes and behaviours(Duncan, 2002:183)

Persuasion is a process of communication which:

Persuasion is an integral part of our daily communication We alternate between persuader and persuadeeThis is part of all :

Persuader and persuadee respond to forces outside, as well as inside respond to forces outside, as well as inside themselves The communication takes place within a context and is often unconscious

It is extremely difficult to measure the success or failure of persuasion It is difficult to pinpoint beginning and end of the process

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Forms of persuasive communicationEducation | Seduction | Sanctions | Manipulation | Propaganda | Indoctrination | Brainwashing | Psychological warfare

Education Recipients are helped to understand why they behave in a particular manner

Seduction

Most often used in advertising and public relations; makes use of overt and covert bribery

Sanctions

Overt or covert; force an individual or group to behave in a particular way (can be financial, sport, cultural, or trade).

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Manipulation

Everyday life; persuade people to act in a way that is against their best interests.

Propaganda

Directed at groups of people to bring a uniform system of beliefs, behaviour, and ideology.

Indoctrination

Instils ideas without allowing any alternative ideas to be considered (cults).

Brainwashing Similar to indoctrination, but receiver is deprived of certain basics, such as freedom, food, own environment, etc.

Psychological warfare

Makes receivers doubt the validity of their actions or beliefs, thus weakening their morale

A leaflet meant to be dropped onto a German city, this is an example of psychological warfare on the part of the 8th Air Force. Translation: At the top On February 18, 1943, a few weeks after the catastrophe of Stalingrad, Dr. Goebbels, to a mass meeting in the Berlin Sportpalast, put the question: Large print DO YOU WANT TOTAL WAR? On the right An enthusiastic Yes was the answer of the Nazi-Meeting. Today Germany knows what total war means, better than Goebbels and his yes-shouters foresaw. The total war, wanted by the Nazis, will be continued with ever increasing weight and effectiveness, until Germany capitulates unconditionally. Beneath the picture THE GERMAN PEOPLE MUST CHOOSE FOR THEMSELVES:EITHER continuation of the total Nazi-war until final destruction of German man-power and industry

Contemporary models of persuasive communication

Ranks model of persuasion

Intensifying

Intensifying persuaders good points and the oppositions bad points

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MM8s1ilxab8

Downplay

Downplay the persuaders bad points and the oppositions good points

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JaQU7iHAjwM

Intensification methodsIntensifying makes use of:

Downplaying methodsDownplaying makes use of:

AIDA principle

Change and actMarketers attempt to get people to change and then to act. The role of the brand message is to attract the attention, create interest in the brand, evoke desire for the brand, then prompt action (seeking more information, buying, getting quotes, investigating product, etc.)

DAGMARAIDA is a persuasion model. ANA (the Association of National Advertisers) developed a model called DAGMAR, which is a hierarchy-of-effect model. It assumes consumers move through a process.

Dagmar definitionA process of establishing goals for an ad campaign such that it is possible to determine whether or not the goals have been met. It stands for Defining Advertising Goals for Measured Advertising Results (Lake, 2009).

The decision-making process activitiesThough this is not always linear, the order can vary depending on the type of product, level of involvement, and the type of buyer. This will be discussed in more detail in Unit 5.

Monroes motivated sequence

Capturing attention

Creating a need They are losing something, about to lose something, they will gain something.

Visualisation and satisfaction Give data, examples, testimony, or proof. Show the benefits or consequences.

The action that needs to be taken Give guidelines, spell out what must be done. Register, buy now, call now, qualify, save.

The Elaboration Likelihood Model (ELM)

A general framework for organisingPetty and Cacioppos (1981, 1986) Elaboration Likelihood Model provides a general framework for organising, categorising, and understanding the effectiveness of persuasive communications (Haugtvedt and Petty, 1989).

The central routeIn terms of this model people take two routes to persuasion: The first is the central route, which follows careful and thoughtful consideration, and the individual must have the ability and willingness to evaluate the information.

The central route to persuasion relies on presenting with relevant information a person motivated to absorb it and with ability to process the information and the knowledge to make sense of it. If these circumstances exist, then persuasion can take place.

This approach is generally used for products or services that are promoted through their numerous features simultaneously. This technique is typically illustrated in truck commercials, gadget/tech products, and real estate listings such as this one

The peripheral routeThe second, or peripheral, route is used when the individual does not possess the ability to evaluate the information and merely bases their decision on a cue provided in the persuasive message. The peripheral route to persuasion relies on changing a persons attitude. This low level elaboration occurs only with low involvement products.

http://www.nightmareonelmst.info/peripheral.html

The ad features a digital model of a torso (created in Adobe Illustrator) and a pair of blue jeans that was scanned into Photoshop and retouched. The slogan involves obvious puns on the words sly, wild and hip. The Dark Blue logo was designed to mimic characters from the popular Tim Burton film, Nightmare Before Christmas, with a manic-pop-thrill kind of font. The torso echoed CG images from the movie Final Fantasy, where all characters were photorealistic CG models. The ad appeals to the students pre-existing interests, not their evaluation of blue jeans. The content of the campaign is that if the students like theelements of the ad, they will like the jeans.