Connecting To Advertisements
Sometimes an advertisement can “speak” to you and sometimes it won’t. But what makes you pay attention sometimes rather than others? Is it the brand? Is it the product they are trying to sell? Companies like to use different strategies to grab your attention and help you connect to the brand/product. Here are 5 different methods, that companies use, to help you connect to the product.
1: Physical Need
One possible way you can connect to a product is through physical need. Have you ever been watching television late at night and a Taco Bell commercial will come on with very graphic pictures and persuasive conversation? It is likely that after watching that commercial, you may feel hungry and need to fulfill your hunger. This advertisement uses physical need to make you feel hungry to go out and buy their product.
2: Personification
Another way advertisements can connect to you is through personification. Personification is when you give human-like features to objects, animals, and/or things. Studies show that when objects, animals, and/or things are personified within an advertisement, you are more likely to connect with the ad.
A popular example would be Hershey’s candy “M&Ms”. In their commercials, they tend to give the candy arms, legs, eyes, and a mouth. There are many different colors of M&Ms resulting in many different types of personalities. This results in a potential connection between the viewer and the advertisement
3: Celebrity Endorsements
In addition to physical need and personification, advertisements can also use celebrities to gain a connection between the viewer and the advertiser. When using a celebrity in an advertisement, it enhances the trust and respect of the company. An example you may see in today’s world is Lebron James working alongside Nike. With Lebron James entering his 20th season, 4x NBA champion, and 4x MVP, his credibility towards Nike’s demographic is very high.
Another example of celebrity usage is when Kylie Cosmetics uses Kylie Jenner to promote their products. Ever since taking the stage, in 2007, on the popular reality T.V. show “Keeping up with the Kardashians” Kylie Jenner has been able to gain popularity which sparked her cosmetic company resulting in her being the face of the company.
4: The Bandwagon Appeal
The bandwagon appeal. In this connection between the viewer and the advertisement, the connection happens when the viewer wants to be like “everyone else”. The bandwagon appeal will, in some sense, make you feel left out because the majority have it.
An example of this would be how Mcdonald’s restaurants will put “billions and billions sold” in their advertisements. By using that large number, it indicates that a lot of people have bought their product, making you feel like you should be the next customer.
5: Youth Appeal
Another example of the connection between the viewer and the advertisement is through the youth appeal. I think it is safe to say that the majority of people want to be younger. Advertisements have the capability to make you think that buying the product, it’ll make you feel younger. A place you may see this is through Snickers candy bar advertisements.
After eating a Snicker bar, the person consuming the bar usually turns into a more elegant version of themselves. Another example of this connection can be found within Copperfit advertisements. Copperfit is a material that helps support muscle stiffness, pain, and/or soreness. Wearing Copperfit, will make you “feel younger” resulting in the youth appeal.
End Note:
As we did not discuss every way to connect through advertisements, there are many different other ways to connect to an advertisement. You may fully be aware of what the advertisement is trying to do, or the advertisement may be trying to reach you subconsciously. With that being said, almost every advertisement you see is trying to connect with you and you must ask yourself, are you willing to connect?
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