Attention
Note: Slides with red titles are suggested for formal class lectures
Adapted from J. Scott Armstrong
Updated April 11, 2016
Attention 21
Experiential Learning
The lectures follow an experiential learning experience.
To make this work properly, view the lectures and solve
the problems before clicking for the answers. This takes
more time (and hopefully induces frustration), but it
has been shown to greatly improve your rate of
learning and retention.
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Learning Diary
The lectures follow an experiential learning experienc
To make this work properly:
1. Use a learning diary for all of your learning tasks.
2. Focus on planning applications of techniques and
principles, and with reviewing your progress when
practicing them.
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Objectives of this session
To understand and apply these principles and
techniques (not to convince you). Ask for clarification as
needed.
Set a goal for yourself on how many principles and
techniques you plan to use by the end of this session.
Even a goal of one will help you. Put this in your learning
diary now.
Note: We will discuss only some of the slides. When you go
through the lecture on your own, view it in “Slide Show” and
follow the experiential procedures.
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Procedure
Focus on understanding.
Record questions in your learning diary that will help
you to apply the techniques or principles, then,
after you decide which ones you want to apply, try
to answer these from the readings. If not clear, ask
others for help.
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You have something to say, so how do you
get people to listen?
“I believe that there is no proof that . . . an open
attempt to force the attention of the reader is
advisable or successful.” - Scott (1912)
“You have to be noticed, but the art is getting
noticed naturally without screaming or without
tricks.” - Leo Burnet (1950)
“…You can have all the right things in an ad and if
nobody is made to stop and listen to you, you’ve
wasted it.” - Bill Bernbach (1960s)
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Topics for Attention
8.1. Alert the target market
8.2. Campaign consistency
8.3. Campaign contrast
8.4. Slogans
8.5. Brand identifiers
8.6. Attractive visuals
8.7. Color for attention
8.8. Humor
8.9. Sex
8.10. Models
8.11. Technical quality
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Low-attention advertising
In “low-attention processing,” people are not aware
that they are seeing an ad. Thus, they are
expected to show less resistance to persuasion
attempts.
Write your predictions as to when that would be
effective in your learning diary along with your
explanation.
Then click here.
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Demonstration of low-attention effects
Creativity of advertising experts (6:40)
[Do not show in class]
This demonstrates that things that receive little attention do
affect our thoughts.
Questions about low-attention messages for advertising:
1. How long do they last?
2. When are they more effective that high-attention messages?
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Evidence on effectiveness of
low-attention advertising
Viewers who remembered seeing the ad were seven
times more likely to choose the brand than viewers
who were exposed to the ad, but could not remember
it.
(Mundell et al. 2006 in an examination of 316 ads for new
products; 65,000 respondents.)
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Alert the target market early
and prominently (8.1.1)
Identify the target market up front via illustration,
headline, or opening lines.
Evidence: Quasi-experimental data on 24 pairs of WAPB
ads found those with early alerts was almost 1.2
times higher on recall (Persuasive Advertising, p.218)
Apply this to ads that you have done for your
organization of for this course
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8.1.1. - Alert the target market early and prominently –
Iron - Complies
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8.1.1 - Target Market - Alert the target market early and prominently –
Stella Artois - Violates
Humorous, yes, but these ladies pictured are not the target market, of
course.
8.1.1 - Alert the target market early and
prominently – SAAB - Violates
This ad ignores the people who think they have brains and wealth.
- Discussed in Persuasive Advertising, p. 218
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Provide a consistent look to all aspects of a
campaign (8.2.1)
“Successful advertising must …harmonize with every
department of the business … The coat on the office boy,
the letterhead … store furniture, lights …”
Nathaniel C. Fowler, late 1880’s
Bose Wave Radio print ads have a consistent look with
similar size, fonts, and layouts.
Color, such as for packaging or advertising, should be
consistent with the sound of the brand name. (Klink 2003).
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Keep the advertising consistent across time
(8.2.2.)
“In successful advertising, great pains are taken to never change
our tone. That which won so many people is probably the best
way to win others.” - Hopkins 1923
Maxwell House Coffee ads were consistent for 40 years with
apparent success.
In 2009, Ikea changed the font for its 200 million catalogues. It
had been used for 50 years. Customers vented their anger on
the Internet.
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Evidence on consistency
Recall was 11% higher when ads used continuing
characters, music, taglines, or slogans, than for ads
where none of these elements were consistent over
time.
Persuasion was 3% higher. (Analyses of 1,513 thirty-second
TV commercials)
Commercials that were above the median for “fits with
the way that you feel about (the brand)” were 17%
higher on recall and 14% higher on persuasion.
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Camera phone experiment on pricing
• Subjects were randomly assigned to ads for a camera phone
that were identical except for these offers:
___ A: “Get 20% off the regular price,”
___ B: “Pay 80% of the regular price.”
Which print ad for a camera phone was more effective -- and
why?
• B’s intentions were 28% higher than A’s, in an experiment run
in the U.S. But the results were reversed in Hong Kong. Why?
Explain why why in your learning diary.
• In Hong Kong, ads typically say “pay x% of the regular price.”
• Formulate this principle in your learning diary. Then click here
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When strong arguments exist, consider using
ads that contrast with competitors’ ads (8.3.1)
Evidence on this principles is based on this one
experiment. (Kim & Kramer 2006) (See PA p.221 for further
discussion)
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Use a slogan if a simple USP exists
Should hold up over time and across cultures.
“When it rains it pours.” Morton’s salt
“Better things for better living . . . through chemistry”
lasted 64 years for DuPont.
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Identify the companies for each tagline
Write your guesses in your learning diary.
A. We Do it All for You.
B. Have You Had Your Break Today?
C. We Love to See You Smile.
D. Smile.
E. I’m Loving It
All of these taglines were from McDonald’s.
How can you solve this problem? Explain in your diary.
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Identify the brand/company in the tagline
“If anyone can, Canon can.”
“You’re in good hands with Allstate.”
“I’d walk a mile for a Camel.”
“Guinness is good for you.”
“It’s the real thing. Coke”
“With a name like Smuckers, it’s got to be good,”
“It’s Miller Time.”
“Gottahava Wawa.”
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Consider a short and memorable slogan with
the brand name and benefit (8.4.1.)
Adslogans.com listed 29 English language slogans in its
Hall of Fame as of August 2005. The median number of
words was five.
What is the tagline for your organization? Or for your
house ad . . Or project.
Can you improve the slogan for your
organization/house ad? Write ideas in your learning
diary.
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States in the U.S. have taglines: Should they?
Few have a USP.
Example of New Jersey:
A $260,000 consulting contract produced
“We’ll win you over.”
No, said governor who then held a contest and
selected:
“New Jersey: Come see for yourself.”
My favorite entry was:
“New Jersey: You got a problem with that?”
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Test the tagline
“Go away”
– Travel agency
“People expect us to be better”
– Stouffer’s frozen foods
“No one comes close”
– U.S. Air Force
Do copy testing of alternative taglines
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Brand identifiers: Logos,
trademarks, icons, mascots
Typical practice: By the early 1900s, 60% of national
advertisers used brand identifiers.
Logos receive “by far” the most eye fixations per
unit of surface and text was next: Eye tracking
studies.
Use of a trademark increased calls from customers
by 24% compared with a same-size ad with only
the brand name:Yellow Pages experiment with 9
pairs of ads
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In a long-term advertising program,
emphasize brand identifiers (8.5.1.)
Typical practice for full-page print ads, average of
12% of space (mostly for logos). (See PA p.225-226 for
further discussion)
Test your ads to see how they compare with typical
practice.
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Use logos to express meanings or emotions
(8.5.2.)
Logos and mascots were used to express meanings
during the Middle Ages in England, taverns used
logos to represent strong beer (bull).
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Consider using visuals that create favorable
associations with the product (8.6.1)
Ads that include images that the target market views
favorably might lead customers to associate favorable
feelings with the product.
On the negative side, highly favorable visuals might
distract from the message.
Weak evidence: PA, p. 228
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British Coal Ad: Real Fires
Does it comply with the principle.
But had little effect for selling coal. However, it did
increase sales for bulldogs.
How did they make it?
Backwards.
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8.6.1 - Consider using visuals that create favorable
associations with the product – Parmalat - Complies
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To gain attention, consider using color (8.7.1.)
Especially for low-involvement products.
Expert opinion, typical practice, and experimental
studies show that this is a persuasive principle.
See, for example, the Yellow Pages experiment which
showed that color led to more attention (Lohse 1997).
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Humor: According to the Experts
Famous experts:
“People do not buy from clowns.”
- Claude Hopkins, 1923
“Humorous copy, like clever copy, should be
avoided by 99 copywriters out of 100.”
- John Caples, 1932
True?
No. So when should you use humor? Write your
ideas in your learning diary.
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Conditions for humor
Write at least two conditions for the effective use of humor in
your learning diary. Then click for evidence-based ones.
Humor is more persuasive to the extent that
1. target market does not need much information,
2. target market already has a favorable attitude toward the
brand,
3. low-involvement product,
4. humor appropriate to the product,
5. simple message,
6. humor reinforces selling point,
7. humor is not offensive,
8. advertisement viewed in presence of others
You will be asked later to evaluate some humorous TV
commercials. Please keep these conditions in mind.
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Appropriate situation?
Apply the conditions just listed to an experiment in which ads
had either humorous or non-humorous illustrations. In
which events did a humorous ad increase attendance?
Reduce attendance? Write your predictions and why in
your learning diary.
1. Picnic
2. Clambake
3. Fireman’s muster
4. Neighborhood meeting
5. Zoning referendum
6. Council meeting
Increased for 1-3; reduced for 4-6
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Humorous ads can add consumer value
to the product
The humorous ad in the above experiment led to
much higher enjoyment for people who attended:
• picnic
• clambake
• fireman’s muster
Source: Scott et al 1990
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Consider using humor for well-known, lowinvolvement products (8.8.1)
Typical practice: U.S. and UK surveys from 1989 and
1998 showed that humor was used primarily for
low-involvement products (Toncar 2001).
Pepsi-Coke diner: Complies
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8.8.1 - Consider using humor for well-known, lowinvolvement products – Wolfschmidt’s Vodka Complies
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8.8.1 - Consider using humor for well-known, lowinvolvement products – Budweiser Frogs - Complies
Budweiser Frogs (0:28)
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Consider humor for high-involvement products
only if relevant to a simple argument. (8.8.2.)
To test this, remove the product from the ad. If the ad
is still funny, it fails.
Humor can be used as a distraction for a product with
no good selling point, but that is unusual.
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Wendy’s: Soviet Fashion Show (0:60)
Are the conditions appropriate for humor for this product? Write
your answer in your learning diary.
Good conditions:
1. target market does not need much information,
2. target market already has a favorable attitude toward the
brand,
3. low-involvement product
4. humor appropriate to the product,
5. simple message
6. humor reinforces selling point
7. humor is not offensive
8. advertisement viewed in presence of others
Bad: None
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Wendy’s Where’s the Beef? (0:30)
Good conditions: All
Bad: None
This ad is consistent with all of the conditions for the
successful use of humor. And it is widely regarded as a
masterpiece.
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Ikea furniture (0:30)
This ad for a high-involvement product addresses a
problem that had been known to the market. It
meets the conditions, although a non-humorous
approach would likely have been more believable.
This is one of the all-time favorites for the CLIO
Awards.
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Make the humor gentle for highinvolvement ads: Complies
“ If your Harvey Probber chair wobbles,
straighten your floor.” . . . “The lovely chair
above could be made with 14 less dowels, 2
yards less webbing, thinner wood, and so forth.
You wouldn’t know the difference, but Harvey
Probber would. Of course, in a few years, you
would know too.”
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Evaluate this Isuzu ad
Is this a good application. If not, state why in your diary.
Click here when you have completed your analysis.
Good conditions:
1. Does not violate tastes
Bad conditions:
All other conditions
Outcome? Enormous awareness. Joe Isuzu was as well known
as the president of the US.
But it did not persuade people to buy the car.
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Norway Dagbladet
Persuasive ad? Write your answer in your learning
diary.
Evidence-based answer: Funny, but not related to
the product or brand.
For example, it might associate the brand with a
tendency to cover up mistakes.
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Do you use humor in your
management presentations?
Should you?
Under what conditions?
What type of humor should you use?
Write your answers in your learning diary.
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8.8.2 - Consider using humor for high-involvement
products only if relevant to a simple argument –
Violates
Flight Instructor (0:48)
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Consider parodies only when the work is wellknown to the target market
But if you make money,
you might get sued.
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If using humor, rely primarily on shortexposure media
Humor is appropriate when customers do not need to think
about arguments for a product.
Typical practice: Humor used in
30% of radio ads,
24% of TV ads, and
3 to 10% of magazine ads.
Non-experimental evidence:
Humor was positively associated with persuasion for 15second TV ads, but negatively related in 30-second TV ads
(study of 601 tested TV commercials for fast-moving
consumer goods by Stanton & Burke 1998).
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When should sex be used in advertising?
Use sex only when it has relevance to the product
(8.9.1)
A woman wearing pearls is shown in a steamy
horizontal embrace with a man. The caption was:
“Actual results may vary.”
Reason: Sex detracts attention from the message,
unless the message is related to sex.
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When using sexual content, be subtle
Do not let the sex overwhelm the ad.
The circumstances surrounding the ad can also block
information. So for example, persuasion drops on shows
featuring sex (or violence).
Experiment: Participants saw 12 ads for unfamiliar
inexpensive product in programs with explicit sexual or
violent content performed poorer on
brand recall (e.g., brand recall was 68% lower),
brand recognition,
buying intentions, and
coupon redemption.
Source: Bushman (2005).
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Miller Lite Cat Fight (1:08)
DO NOT SHOW IN CLASS: Not Subtle
Low-involvement ad that shows a good time to some of
the audience, but is in poor taste. Watch if you care to.
Viewed over 1 million times on You-Tube.
Around this time, beer companies began to worry that
their ads in poor taste were related to declining sales
(especially in comparison with wine). Reports suggested
that many customers were bothered by such ads.
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Match the model to the target market
and product (8.10.1)
The potential customer should think, “that person is
like me (or like the person for whom I am
purchasing).”
This principle was used by Baker Petfoods in the U.K.
In contrast to the beautiful dogs shown in dog
food commercials by its competitors, it used a
range of “real dogs.” (IPA winner for effectiveness.)
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8.10.1 – Match the model to the target market
– Arrow shirts ads by Leyendecker – Complies
Note: The use of models has a long history in advertising. For example, in
1905, ads using drawings of models by the artist J. C. Leyendecker had a
strong impact on college men. They followed every detail of dress in his
Arrow Collar shirt ads.
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Use physically attractive models when the
product enhances beauty or
social competence (8.10.2)
Meta-analysis of 75 studies supports this principle.
(Eagly et al 1991).
Example: Experiment on beauty enhancing
(earrings and lipstick) vs. problem solving (acne
cover).
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Create your own physically
attractive models
What makes for physical beauty? When photographic
portraits of people were averaged, the composite
portraits were judged as more beautiful because of
fewer irregularities. See Galton (1879) with many replications.
Composites now much easier to make with computers.
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Ideas for Applications of Principles
To learn the principles, use the checklist for creating
ads to apply the message principles.
If you are not currently working for an organization,
pick something to advertise, perhaps a charity.
If you are in a class, design an ad for yourself as the
owner of small advertising agency (commonly
called a “house ad”).
If you are seeking a job, apply the principles to your
resume
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Application of Techniques
In your diary, describe the techniques that you were
able to use for your attention advertisement and
rate your success (e.g., creativity, objective setting)
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Advice on learning
One study found that fewer than 10% of students were
successful in applying new knowledge.
• This went to 20% if they actively applied what they
were taught during a class session.
• It went to 90% when they worked with a learning
partner and coached each other.
Select techniques to apply
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Follow-up: Complete prior to next session
1. ___ Go through this lecture on your own (It is on
the Educational Materials page)
2. ___Study Persuasive Advertising pages 217-239
and record your reading time in your learning
diary. Highlight techniques and principles that you
want to apply in yellow.
3. ___ Complete the End of Chapter Questions for
“Attention” and check your answers against PA.
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