Advertisers depend on their advertising strategies to persuade consumers to purchase goods and services. Although there are many different appeals that are commonly used, there are five appeals that are seen regularly on television or in magazine advertisements or other media. Advertisers aim to appeal to emotion and intellect. They also use strategies such as demonizing the "enemy" (the
. competition), appealing to one's sense of patriotism, and sexual appeal.Appeals to emotion are strategies that advertisers use to evoke an emotional response within the consumer. For example, a commercial might show a child falling down and scraping his or her knee and a mother running with a name-brand bandage to help and comfort the child. The unspoken message of the emotional appeal is that caring mothers who are there for their children use this particular bandage. Advertisers know that ads must have a psychological impact on the consumer in order to sell the product.The intellectual appeal says, "All smart people buy this." For example, if the item being sold is a cleaning product, there will usually be a person with the personae of a librarian who informs someone less knowledgeable about the many benefits of the particular product. One person is usually all-knowing about the product while the other person gleans the information and decides on purchasing the advertised product.Demonizing the enemy is another effective advertising appeal. The "enemy" is a competitive brand or idea that is presented as wrong or out of touch. This appeal assumes that any contrary opinions are unacceptable and those who hold them are disliked among those in society and are even shunned.Appealing to one's sense of patriotism is also an effective appeal. Loaded language with patriotic terminology can also be used as an advertising tactic and has proven to be very effective. A Fourth of July picnic scene in a commercial may show the product, whatever it may be, and then the camera might pan to a character who is saying something patriotic. This appeal evokes strong emotions within the consumer and is a common tactic to sell products. Another appeal is the sexual appeal. Some companies approve advertisements that sell both the product and sex. Who has not seen the beautiful scantily clad woman on the hood of the car to sell cars? There are many strategies that advertisers employ in order to sell goods and services. The savvy consumer will identify them to think critically and make purchasing decisions that are based on reason rather than on manipulation. More reference links: www.articleswave.com/advertising www.buzzle.com
