As marketers, we know how important that advertising can be. Nonetheless, with all of the message clutter due to competition and the expansion of multiple ad platforms — especially digital ones, getting advertising to stand out can be quite a challenge.
Consider these observations by content marketer Chris Zook, writing for WebpageFX:
“With so much ad-noise in the world, it’s a wonder that any advertisement can stand out from all the others trying to get consumers to spend money. But companies can’t just give up because there are a lot of ads — they need to make money, and they won’t make money if nobody hears about them. So instead, advertisers have created a tried-and-true arsenal of different techniques that are all aimed at getting consumer attention. And even if we don’t realize it all the time, these strategies often work exceptionally well.”
Take at the infographic from WebpageFX to learn “How Advertising Makes Us Buy.”
Created by WebpageFX
While reading about the tactics that advertisers use, I was surprised. I took an advertising class in high school, and learned many of the tactics that advertisers use. However, I realized that I never think of them when I’m shopping. The advertisement that I particularly related to was that they use signature scents to attract customers. Good examples are Abercrombie and Hollister, because the scents are pleasing, but they’re also very strong. People of many ages know the smell of these companies, even if they don’t shop there! Just walking by the store in a mall engraves the scent into your memory.
While reading this entire excerpt, I connected with all of the advertising tactics. The times that I am simply shopping in the mall were the first examples that came to my mind. The photoshopped bodies of females and males stare at you while walking though any store, whether it be Victoria’s Secret or even Bose Speakers. The smells ad immediately made me think of Hollister and Bath and Body Works. I can immediately gauge whether someone is wearing any of the scents because of how strong each fragrance is when even walking past the store. The color of advertising is something I have known about but with regarding food. Somewhere I read that food industries usually feature orange, yellow, or red in their company logos to invite the thought of hunger. Whenever I pass a fast food restaurant, I usually look at the logo to see if any of the three colors are shown, and in almost every case they are.