Here, at BBox, we think that advertising is one of the main components of a well-functioning business. For a company to make a profit it is necessary for its products or services to be visible on the market and to attract customers. Although considered a recent ploy developed by “those greedy” marketing specialists, advertising has been around since the earliest civilizations. Ancient Egyptians would write down advertisements on pieces of papyrus and probably distribute them all across the city. Imagine an Egyptian college student on a part-time job distributing leaflets all around Alexandria just to get that extra allowance cash. Things never change, only the phones are getting smaller.
Nowadays businesses use the “magic” of applied psychology to determine whether their strategies will work on their chosen demographics. The process of making a good ad is hard and long but the end result involves a message that is clear, well written and with a pinch of humor and wits to “reward” a consumer i.e. to make him content he understood it. We all have that favorite brand of soda, shoes, headphones that we stick to sometimes subconsciously. That’s why we’ve prepared a list of tricks that advertisers use to “suggest” products or services to consumers without them even knowing it!
1. Rome wasn’t built in a day
The first thing an advertiser needs is a solid product or service that can be made out into a brand. A brand is a whole package, a synthesis of a quality product or service and a well-organized and thought-out marketing campaign. A brand may then associate itself with a need that it fulfills when consumed, and there are a lot of needs, indeed. In our experience, companies with well-branded products or services have the best chances of attaining a secure space in the market wilderness.
2. Promos and discounts
Promos and discounts are there to appeal to the lizard part of your brain. We humans sometimes can’t help but hoard and when the opportunity arises to seize a good catch, we just can’t resist it. The cause probably lies in our genetics. You see, prehistoric people had a very difficult time finding resources. That means that now whenever we see a discount, the caveman in our little heads goes nuts and we just have to get that, otherwise what will the tribe eat tonight? Although this strategy is effective, our company’s specialists suggest that investing in a long-term marketing strategy yields way more results.
3. Hitting that sweet spot
Love can conquer everything! Or it can at least get you to buy a product or service. Advertisers have been successfully implementing tricks to achieve an emotional bond between a customer and a product by trying to appeal to such emotions as love and intimacy. Some companies, such as Coca-Cola or Nestle, have been utilizing the notion of family and belonging to effectively rewire customers to associate their brands with family life.
4. Be a better version of yourself
Finally, there is the self-actualization part. Will you be a better person with this product or service? Yes, the ad exclaims in a pompous shower of fanfares and confetti! The bravest of them all try to sell a type of lifestyle to a consumer. These brands associate themselves with a type of subculture that is “hip”, “cool”, and “whatever it is kids are on to these days”. At one point everybody loses their confidence and want to feel a little bit better about themselves so it’s easy to see how this strategy works.
5. Creating the need
It’s the 21st century and nothing is the same now. If you can’t find a need to satisfy – create it. In the last couple of decades, customization and personalization of products are all the rage. Apart from that, social media has enabled advertisers to create hype on a massive scale even if there is none. There are literally hundreds of click farms working as you are reading this boasting the views for some Facebook or Instagram page. Potential consumers perceive products or services as valuable. They surely must be, look how many people “like” it. Although it looks like it solves all the problems, our experts suggest not to put much faith in it alone, but rather consider combining it with others.
Conclusion
Finding a right strategy is not an easy task. The branding process should be long and continuous and be built with good customer relations in mind. An easy way may make a profit in the short run but it won’t help build a good and reputable business. It is the opinion of our experts here at BBox that a solid advertising campaign should keep in mind the need the product or service satisfies, a demographic it serves, and how to bring those two factors together over time. If you’re having trouble deciding which strategy would be most suitable for your needs, contact us and we will set up a marketing consultation!
