Emotional Advertising
In the world of rhetoric there is generally three methods for building a persuasive argument; Logos, Ethos, and Pathos. Logos, which means word in Greek, is an argument that uses logic and reason to attempt to persuade the audience. E.g. Jumping off of high cliffs is deadly to humans, humans don’t want to experience death, and therefore we should all avoid jumping off of high cliffs. Ethos arguments are based on the use of authority (i.e. credibility) or behavior traits to persuade. E.g. Michal Jordan prefers Nike, therefore you should by Nike. Pathos arguments are appeals to the emotions of the audience. An example of that would be the Sara Mclachlan commercials where abuse animals are shown paired with sad music asking for donations to save the animals. Each of these arguments are appropriate to use under certain circumstances, however, advertisers know and actively exploit the use of Pathos arguments to subvert the rational brain of consumers to get them to spend irrationally. The use of pathos (emotional) based tactics to secure consumer purchases is a hijacking of personal freewill on behalf of companies to purposefully manipulate consumer behavior for their own ends and not for the good of their customers. This paper will discuss the pros and cons of using Pathos arguments in advertising.
Advertisers will say that they are not responsible for the choices that consumers make based on their advertising. After all media is not a magic bullet that subsumes the brain’s ability to work independently. They are merely using the most effective means at their disposal to improve sales and create profit for their clients. Since their goal is to provide the most effective marketing for their clients and not to educate consumers, advertisement companies would say that they have no moral or ethical responsibility to behave in any other way. Business is business.
Nigel Hollis, a chief analyst at the advertisement agency Millward Brown, argues that we are incapable of not having an emotional response to any experience whatsoever. He contends that it is a hard-wired and instinctual response for humans to have an emotional reaction to something prior to the conscious mind turning its attention to the moment. This idea forms the basis for his pro-Pathos argument. Humans are essentially an emotional machine that has an override, called consciousness or rationality, which can turn off or turn down the emotional response and engage directly with the moment. Hollis points out that this response happens on a continuum, with weak emotional response and weak attentional response on one side and strong emotional response and strong attentional response on the other. “Events that are familiar and unthreatening generate little attention. Those that are familiar and pleasurable generate more attention and attract us, while events recognized as painful or threatening repel us. When we come across something completely new, our brain’s first response is to relate it to something familiar. If that does not automatically determine how we should respond, the conscious mind will step in to figure things out.” (Hollis, 2010)
One study of emotional response to advertisements found that a cognitive model that considered humans to be rational actors when making purchases was not completely effective at predicting the purchasing habits of the participants. “Although cognitively-based models have been useful in the prediction of consumer behavior, they have been unable to completely explain the processes underlying advertising effects. This may be due, in part, to the failure to include “emotional” variables in these models. If emotion is considered at all, it is usually operationalized as a simple affect measure that deals with only one emotional dimension (e.g. like-dislike). This perspective ignores the multidimensional nature of emotion (i.e., love, hate, anger or joy).” (Hill & Mazis, 1986) Another study that focused on accurately measuring emotional response to advertising found that “emotion is not limited to isolated incidents, rather, it is ever-present. This theory suggests that an individual is in a constant state of emotion, “a state that can be described as a region within a three-dimensional space.” (Morris, 2014) The author of the study contends that according to the model that he is using there are three distinct and autonomous emotional functions that are in effect at all times, to varying degrees.
There are a variety of emotional advertisement strategies that are put into use regularly to engage consumers with specific kinds of emotional responses. Examples include:
Avante Garde-The suggestion that using this product puts the user ahead of the times.
Magic Ingredients-The suggestion that some almost miraculous discovery makes the product exceptionally effective.
Transfer-Positive words, images, and ideas are used to suggest that the product being sold is also positive.
Snob Appeal-The suggestion that the use of the product makes the customer part of an elite group with a luxurious and glamorous lifestyle.
Bribery-Bribery offers you something “extra.” (Persuasive techniques in, 2009)
Each of these examples are used to varying degrees and effectiveness to build brands, drive traffic, and to engage specific kinds of emotional response in consumers to the products. While there are more strategies, these mark a broad range of tactics that seek to reach consumers on different levels and with different emotional goals, not just positive or negative emotions generally, but also belonging, avarice, etc. As Hollis points out, “Advertisers select a strategy in accordance with their specific advertising objectives; ultimately they want to generate sales.” (Hollis, 2010)
As we have seen the advertising community purposely and effectively engages emotions through their advertising campaign. In my view this is a hijacking of the consumer’s free will. The advertisers know that the strategies they are employing are subverting the intelligence of their customers and they do it because it is effective at driving sales. Earlier this paper discussed the three rhetorical models that are used in persuasive arguments. Pathos, being the appeal to emotion, is the least honest method for persuading an audience. By conflating the issue being debated with an emotion distracts the audience away from the real point and onto a red herring. Political advertisements are especially guilty of this approach, they will argue that so-and-so are not good choices for office because their scary for some reason or another, like Obama being labeled a secret Muslim.
Ethos arguments are similarly dishonest in that they conflate a person’s behavior/personality with the outcome that the arguer desires. This appeal to authority is one of the first rhetorical strategies that children find untenable. “Eat your veggies so you can grow big and strong like daddy!” These fail for children, in part because the pain and anguish of an unpleasant experience is much or relevant that some future state that they cannot conceptualize. However, Ethos arguments do have their merit, such as when a professional gives you advice on something.
Logos arguments are the only method that honestly describes the issue at hand and responsibly engages the audience to make-up their own minds about the whether they agree or disagree with the argument without undermining them as people.
Annotated Bibliography
MORGENSON, G. (2008, July 20). Given a shovel, americans dig deeper into debt. The New York Times. Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/20/business/20debt.html?_r=0
This article discusses the complementary behaviors between consumer and company, mostly focused on the debt problems that many American suffer from. In many ways, it shows that the emotional behavior of consumers is hijacked by companies that are cognizant of the problems that they are helping to create.
LANDLER, M. (2008, August 09). Outside u.s., credit cards tighten grip. The New York Times. Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/10/business/worldbusiness/10card.html?adxnnl=1&adxnnlx=1392923037-BMKA1TrdgZHVTedPxQ NhQ
This article shows that the emotional tactics function even in a country that has specific cultural taboos against debt, debtors, and materialism in general. It examines some of the social and cultural prohibitions against debt and how those have been supplanted through various marketing schemes.
Hill, R. P., & Mazis, M. B. (1986). Measuring emotional responses to advertising. Advances in Consumer Research, 13, 164–169. Retrieved from http://www.acrwebsite.org/search/view-conference-proceedings.aspx?Id=6485
This study looks at the emotional responses of the participants in an effort to grasp the response rates and types to various forms of advertising techniques. Their findings show that the use of emotional manipulation tactics is well-known and purposefully utilized by marketing companies.
Morris, J. D. (2014). Observations: Sam. Informally published manuscript, University of Florida, Retrieved from http://adsam.com/files/Observations.PDF
This study examines the cross-cultural emotional response to a self-administered test, for diagnostic purposes. Though it is not directly related to the thesis this study helps to show that the style and content of advertising has a direct emotional component that is universally exploitable.
Persuasive techniques in advertising. (2009). Retrieved from http://www.readwritethink.org/files/resources/lesson_images/lesson1166/PersuasiveTechniques.pdf
This document shows the specific tactics that advertisers use in order to drum up emotional responses with their target demographic. It is not particularly in depth but it clearly shows that the strategies that are being mobilized against consumers are intended to circumvent rational thought and debate.
Hollis, N. (2010). Emotion in advertising: Pervasive, yet misunderstood. Retrieved from https://www.millwardbrown.com/Libraries/MB_POV_Downloads/MillwardBrown_POV_EmotionInAdvertising.sflb.ashx
Hollis argues for the inevitability of using emotional arguments in advertising predominately because of the futility in trying to avoid it. His basic argument is that human respond to everything emotionally.