The Psychology of Advertising

When looking at advertisements, I hardly ever think of what the minds behind the ads are trying to get me to buy their product. However, there’s a lot that goes into planning and executing how the company wants to portray their product to the public. “In in address before the Agate Club of Chicago the speaker said: ‘As advertisers, all your efforts have been to produce certain effects on the minds of possible customers. Psychology is, broadly speaking, the science of the mind. Art is the doing and science is the understanding how to do, or the explanation of what has been done. If we are able to find and to express the psychological laws upon which the art of advertising is based, we shall have made a distinct advance, for we shall have added the science to the art of advertising.’” Advertising isn’t random at all. Companies, and even scientists, look deep into consumer thought and the way we process information.

Source: http://www.toolofna.com

The most important thing that an advertisement needs to do is grab the attention of the consumer. According to the American Psychological Association, this is the reason many companies opt for the visual appeal of a logo instead of just printed text. Whereas we can’t quickly asses printed words, we can take in and remember the catchy image of a logo. To attract our attention, it’s important for advertisements to target our beliefs and to stick out using high contrast and texture. Just as important is exposure to advertisements. I’ve always wondered why companies like McDonald's plaster their logo all over billboards, magazines, and TV when they’re already well known. However, it’s been proven that we are more attracted to things that we have been repeatedly exposed to. So, even though that commercial that repeats over and over again on the TV might be annoying to you, you’re becoming more familiar and accustomed with it.

Even though there’s a lot of research yet to be done regarding psychology and advertising, the implications for it are huge. Connections are already being made between brain activity and advertising, and as we do more research and further our understanding of the brain, we could make advertisements that quite literally alter the way our brain is looking at a product. We’ve already seen how advertisements can affect young girls and their self perception, and I think there’s great potential for advertising to continue to alter how we think and perceive the world in the future.