English Advertising Techniques

IB SL ENGLISH LANG &LI

Stereotyping

Highlights stereotypes in society and further reinforces/shatters them through a message in the advertisement

Name Calling

Linking a person or idea to a negative symbol. This technique hopes the audience associates the person/idea with the negative connotation and reject this person/idea without looking at the available evidence.

Ad Nauseam

It is used to refer to something that has been done and repeated so often that it becomes tiresome or sickening.

Logical Fallacy

Error in reasoning common enough to warrant a fancy name

Unwarranted Extrapolation

To made huge predictions about the future based on a few small facts. It is a logical fallacy where evidence from a situation is used to drawn conclusions of other situations.

Appeal to Prejudice

Using loaded or emotive terms to attach value or moral goodness to believing the proposition. It is the approach to attract the attention of customers and influence their feelings towards their brand/product

Glittering Generality

Using emotionally appealing phrases to sell a product. Indirectly creates the idea that if you buy this item, it will change your life.

Euphoria

A feeling of great happiness or well-being.

Deficiation

The act or process of exalting (speaking highly) to the position of a god

Transfer

Attempts to transfer the customers feelings about one topic/product to another topic/product. For example, using the positive associations that customers have in one area and creating a product that with the same positive associations.

Testimonial: Consists of a person's spoken/written statement praising the virtue of the product.

Consists of a person's spoken/written statement praising the virtue of the product.

Endorsement:

Form of advertising that uses famous celebrities and personalities who have a high degree of recognition/trust and respect amongst the community. These people "lend" their names/images to promote the brands product/service.

Virtue Words

The quality of being morally good

Flag Waving

Fallacious argument/propaganda technique that is used to justify actions based on nationalism or patriotism.

Plain Folks

The use of ordinary people to promote a product or service. The goal is to show that the product or service is of appeal and value to everyone.

Bandwagon

Focusing on the customers desires to be included, it creates the sense of isolation and triggers the fear of missing out on a certain product/service.

Scapegoat

Someone or something that is blamed as a way of distracting attention from the real culprit.

Fear

Intended to scare the audience by describing a threat to them and motivating them to purchase a product or contribute to the cause.

Sloganeering

A slogan is a catchy phrase or series of words used to help consumers remember a company, brand or product.

Rule of Three

A principle that states how things that come in threes are more satisfying and more effective.

Least of Evils Fallacy

Is the principle that when faced with selecting from two immoral options, the least immoral one should be chosen.

Beautiful People

Using attractive people to sell more products to make the customer think that if they use this product they will look like them as well.

Card Stacking

Creates the assumption to the consumers based on the partial information that is given. For example if the advertisers claim that their snack bar is low in fat, it implies to the customer that it may also be low in calories.

Demonising the Enemy

Propaganda technique that promotes the idea of the enemy/rival is threatening and "evil"

Artificial Dichotomy

Prompt customers to choose between two unrelated topics/ not jointly exhaustive options.

Appeal to Authority

Insisting that a claim is valid because an authority or expert stated that it was true, even without any evidence to support the claim.

Hyperbole

Hyperbole is the use of exaggeration and exaggerated statements. Advertisers would use hyperbolic statements to attract customers with the wild exaggerations that don't respect the truth of the product.

Understatement

When a product is expressed to be better than it really is, where it can be presented as smaller or worse than advertised.