Advertisment and PSA Techniques

Association. The linking of a product, service, or idea with something already liked or

desired by the target audience, such as fun, pleasure, beauty, security, intimacy, success,

wealth, etc.

2. Bandwagon Many ads show lots of people using the product, implying that"everyone is

doing it"(or at least,"all the cool people are doing it"). No one likes to be left out or left

behind, and these ads urge us to "jump on the bandwagon.”

3. Beautiful people. Beautiful people uses good-looking models (who may also be

celebrities) to attract our attention.

4. Bribery. An attempt to persuade consumers to buy a product by promising to give us

something else, like a discount, a rebate, a coupon, or a "free gift.” Sales, special offers,

contests, and sweepstakes are all forms of bribery.

5. Celebrities. We tend to pay attention to famous people. Ads often use celebrities to

grab our attention. By appearing in an ad, celebrities implicitly endorse a product;

sometimes the endorsement is explicit.

6. Experts. Experts advise us about things that we don’t know ourselves. Scientists,

doctors, professors and other professionals often appear in ads and advocacy messages,

lending their credibility to the product, service, or idea being sold.

7. Explicit claims. Something is "explicit"if it is directly, fully, and/or clearly expressed or

demonstrated. For example, some ads state the price of a product, the main ingredients,

where it was made, or the number of items in the package – these are explicit claims. So

are specific, measurable promises about quality, effectiveness, or reliability, like “Results in

less than 24 hours!”

8. Fear. Something disliked or feared by the intended audience (like bad breath, failure,

high taxes or terrorism) to promote a "solution.” Ads use fear to sell us products that claim

to prevent or fix the problem.

9. Humor. Many ads use humor because it grabs our attention and it’s a powerful

persuasion technique. When we laugh, we feel good. Advertisers make us laugh and then

show us their product or logo because they’re trying to connect that good feeling to their

product.

10. Intensity. The language of ads is full of intensifiers, including superlatives (greatest,

best, most, fastest, lowest prices), comparatives (more, better than, improved, increased,

fewer calories), hyperbole (amazing, incredible, forever), exaggeration, and many other

ways to hype the product.

11. Plain folks. This technique works because we may believe a "regular person" more

than an intellectual or a highly-paid celebrity. It’s often used to sell everyday products like

laundry detergent because we can more easily see ourselves using the product, too.

12. Testimonials Media messages often show people testifying about the value or quality

of a product, or endorsing an idea. They can be experts, celebrities, or plain folks. We tend

to believe them because they appear to be a neutral third party.

13. New. We love new things and new ideas, because we tend to believe they’re better

than old things and old ideas.

14. Nostalgia. Many advertisers invoke a time when life was simpler and quality was

supposedly better ("like Mom used to make"). This technique works because people tend

to forget the bad parts of the past, and remember the good.

15. Simple solution. Life is complicated. People are complex. Problems often have many

causes, and they’re not easy to solve. These realities create anxiety for many of us.

Persuaders offer relief by ignoring complexity and proposing a Simple solution.

Color: Every advertisement uses color to advertise its product. Different colors can

evoke different responses in the audience. Blue evokes calmness. Green symbolizes

freshness. Red can connote alarm or passion. Here is a good handout with many

associations with color.

Composition: Composition is the organization of visual elements in the advertisement.

Balance is very important in the composition of an advertisement. We also look for how

the viewer’s gaze is pulled towards different aspects of the design. Here is a good

handout with a more detailed look at the composition and visual elements.

Rule of Thirds: Advertisements often use the placement of images and details using

the rule of thirds. Imagine an invisible 3 x 3 grid that is overlaid on the advertisement.

The four intersecting points of these panels is where you want to place important things

like logos, slogans or the product itself.

The Focal Point: This is where our gaze is directed. Certain techniques like blurring and

exposure can help to draw our attention to certain parts of the image. Light can also be

used to create a clear focal point.

The Visual Path: The path that our eye takes when we read an advertisement is a very

important element. We often gaze from the top left over to the right and then down in a

Z pattern. Another visual path is the F path from top left to the top right and then

bottom left to bottom right.

Typography: The font style used in an advertisement is vital. Ads want to balance

visuals and text and they use fonts very deliberately. Pay attention to font color, size,

and style when analyzing an ad.

Repetition: Advertisers use repetition to really drive home a message and make it

memorable. This is often presented visually so look for images and details that are

repeated in the ad and also look for repetition in language. Ad campaigns will repeat

the slogan and image through many ads in a campaign.

Body Language: Consider the posture and body language of the subjects in the

advertisement. Certain postures show confidence, seduction, power and compassion

so look at body language and how subjects are posed in relation to each other.

The Gaze: Subjects in advertisements often look directly at the camera which clearly

reaches out confidently to the audience which triggers an emotion in the audience to

buy the product. Subjects can also look up which shows confidence or look down

which shows confidence.

Point of View: This technique takes the audience into the point of view of another

person. This is often used in video ads.

Association: This is our favorite technique. This is when visuals in the advertisement

are associated with certain ideas or values and are then associated with the product.

Symbolism: This is a technique that uses objects and ideas that are symbolic and

stand for an important concept like love or family.

Anthropomorphism: Advertisers also take objects or animals and give them human

characteristics. This is common in advertisements and helps entertain us and connect

us to the human condition.

Emotional Appeals: Advertisers often connect directly to our emotions and make us

feel a certain way and thus want to buy our product. We can feel nostalgic, inspired, or

compassionate. Ask yourself what emotions are evoked by the visuals of the

advertisement.

Storytelling: Advertisers often tell a narrative that can connect directly to their product.

This story can show us people in real situations and help sell their product. Look for

ways that the visuals tell a story.