Advertising psychology is a psychological concept in action. Giant brands use psychology in understanding consumer behavior. But the application of such concept varied. However, advertising techniques have something in common – that is to persuade consumers.
TV and other media commercials have uniform goals. These goals are;
1. To create awareness
The most obvious reason why companies spend big sum of money is to create consumer awareness. This goal is not limited among businesses, it also essential in election campaigns. The sole purpose of such endeavor is to make the public aware about the brand (especially if it’s new). The more choices the consumers have, the more difficult it is to vying consumers’ attention. This is the biggest challenge among startup companies – to get a piece of consumers’ attention.
2. To create product image
Part of creating awareness in the market is demonstrating positive impression. This process can only be achieved if your product is unique. No one pays attention to something that is regularly seen in a daily basis. No one will spend time seeing white cows because that’s how cows look like – they are mostly white. But if you see a violet cow, you’ll be interested.
The question here is what makes your product different from the other brands? What benefits your consumers will receive if they buy your products?
These questions cause companies strive to design their products in a different way. Uniqueness extends beyond color and packaging. Oftentimes quality is the most powerful force that can surely influence consumer buying behavior.
Take a look at gigantic brands, what do you think the common characteristics they have? It’s quality. Therefore, it is not just uniqueness that matters but also quality.
3. To create emotional appeals
All ads on different media try to convey happiness. This is because of the obvious reason – people want to be happy. In most cases advertisements persuade consumers by conveying positive emotional appeal. They show happy people who buy their products.
Emotions are influential predictor of consumer behavior. The more consumers feel good toward your product, the more they buy it. Understanding what makes people happy is fundamental in creating effective advertisement campaign.
These concepts are also applicable among small businesses (startup businesses). The only thing that differs is the application process. Small business might not have ample resources to implement huge media campaigns. But still, advertising goals are feasible.
I’m a licensed psychometrician, author, and blogger. I’m currently working as a University instructor teaching psychology. I love writing and doing psychological research.