Advertising can influence consumers’ thoughts and purchasing decisions through brand awareness, information, and direct response techniques. It can be particularly effective for children, but controversial due to the promotion of sugary cereals, toys, and fast foods.
The known effects of advertising on consumers range from awareness of the product or service to influencing a purchasing decision. Advertising can create a shift in consumers’ thinking, which can take many forms. For example, after viewing an ad, a consumer may decide that their usual product looks better or worse than the advertised one, without knowing exactly why. Other effects of advertising that create a more conscious shift in consumers’ thought processes may be due to a strong informational aspect.
In the case of advertising that provides statistics or facts, this information can convince a consumer to switch brands. For example, if the makers of a soup that most kids love announce that the soup now has a full serving of vegetables in every serving, it can impact many parents’ decisions to switch brands. Other parents who don’t typically buy commercial soups, but make their own, may simply get the effect of recognizing that this brand now seems healthier. While these brand awareness effects likely won’t influence consumers to buy the product immediately, the soup may be on parents’ minds to buy if they fail to make their own at some point.
Direct response advertising, such as the informational programming often shown late at night on many television stations, works very differently than advertisements that have brand awareness or future purchase decision effects. This type of advertising is designed to create a sense of urgency to order products immediately. These compelling and compelling effects are usually accomplished using demonstrations, an excited sounding presenter who highlights the product’s unique benefits and adds incentives to take immediate action. For example, common order incentives include receiving free products or even two sets of products for the price of one.
The persuasive effects of advertising are particularly effective for children. The advertising of sugary cereals, toys, and fast foods on children’s television programs is controversial, as many parents and child advocates argue that children should not be subjected to these advertisements. Although parents ultimately make the purchasing decisions, children who watch commercials touting products that capture their interest typically ask a parent to purchase the items. These consumer effects of advertising may annoy parents, but at the same time, parents are likely to purchase at least some of the advertised products for their children, as a birthday gift or special treat.
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