Advertising is a crucial aspect of a business’s success. You won’t find a single company that doesn’t set aside a budget for marketing. This helps the company get the word out about its products or services.
Additionally, any marketing and advertising expert will tell you that you can’t run a successful marketing campaign without the use of psychology. You need to know the ins and outs of the human mind to be able to affect it enough to buy your product.
Marketing methods have changed drastically over the last few decades, evolving along with society. Still, the psychology behind it has stayed the same.
Below you can find out more about the psychology behind marketing and how advertising can affect the consumer’s emotions to buy products.
Psychology in advertising with examples
You may have noticed nowadays that ads no longer last 2 minutes. Most companies and brands who know how to market their products to their target audiences have shortened their ad time to 8 seconds or less.
This is because that short period of time is enough for people to lose concentration. It’s unknown whether this is a result of the popularization of short-form media such as TikTok and Vine. Still, brands aim to hold their audiences’ attention. Because of this, it’s rare to see an ad run for longer than 8 seconds nowadays.
With that in mind, here are a few marketing methods used by the largest companies to attract more customers.
The reciprocity principle
This principle, as studied in social psychology, describes a give-and-take relationship between humans. When you give someone something, they expect to reciprocate and pay you back for it.
Businesses use this a little bit differently, though. They give customers free services to be able to keep their patronage afterward.
A great example of this is free spins in online casinos. Online casinos will often offer different promotions and bonuses in the form of free spins and no-deposit plays.
While this keeps the consumer coming back, it’s a good deal for the player, too. Essentially, they get a good deal to try something new out. If they don’t like it, there’s no harm done. If they do, the online casino has gained a new returning customer.
Scarcity
The concept of scarcity is one that will always keep buyers returning and purchasing in large quantities. Starbucks’s famous pumpkin spiced latte is a testament to this fact.
Because this signature Starbucks drink is only available for a short period of time, customers rush to buy it. This artificial scarcity keeps more people coming back to enjoy a seasonal treat. It also creates more revenue for Starbucks.
Scarcity is easily recognizable in timed promotions and a limited supply of products. This method may either become worn out over a certain period of time or it may become a staple of that time of year. In the case of the Starbucks pumpkin spiced latte, it seems the drink has become an iconic welcome to the fall season.
Relatability
If you like a company and relate to the messages they’re trying to send, you’re more likely to buy the products. This is a marketing method that has popularized even more with the spreading of social media.
Of course, brands have to be mindful of the audience they’re trying to market their products to. A gaming company won’t take a more serious approach to its audience like a law practice would. In essence, each brand then gains a following and cultivates a community of like-minded individuals.
Nowadays, you’ll find that most brands shoot for the relatability factor through the use of memes and other staples of the internet. Additionally, you’ll find that consumers develop a closer relationship with the brand and, in turn, purchase their products more loyally.
