Persuasive Techniques: The Language of Advertising & The Use of Visual Images in Advertising Lesson

Introduction

Language is more than just a way to communicate; it can influence people and their choices. Therefore, language is very important in the field of advertising. The choice of language can help to convey a specific message with the purpose of influencing people. Advertisers use the manipulation of language to create statements about products.
The use of images in an advertisement is meant to create a positive attitude towards a brand or product. Advertisers focus on creating an image that will last with consumers. Through appealing to the consumer's values and lifestyles or by creating a sense of familiarity with a product, advertisers hope to help lead you to purchase the product.

Let's look more closely at some of the different language and persuasive techniques that appear in advertisements:

Association (also known as Transfer)- This technique uses positive words, images, and ideas that suggest that the product is also positive. Good feelings, looks, or ideas are associated or transferred to the person for whom the product is intended. A good ad can create a strong emotional response and then associate that feeling with a brand. In the example to the left, coke and the concept of family are paired together.

Bandwagon- This technique focuses on our desire to belong. Advertisers using this technique often show a visual scene with lots of people using the product. This implies that everyone is using that product and that if you aren't, then you may be left behind. For example, the simple slogan, "I want to be a Toys R Us Kid!" plays on children's interest in being part of a group and may even make parents worry about their children being left out if their toys don't come from this store.

Beautiful people- The use of an image focusing on the inclusion of "the beautiful people" hopes to encourage us to identify with the people within the image. It is the image of those people who we think we would like or who we would like to be. The advertisement doesn't promise anything, but it does imply that consumers, too, could look like those using the product.

Celebrities- The use of a celebrity grabs your attention. As consumers, we often identify with the celebrity endorsing the product, and therefore the product must be worthwhile. It also helps us to remember the claim. For example, the "Got Milk?" advertisements have included celebrities in their marketing campaign for several years. In the example to the right, advertisers capitalized on the release of a big movie blockbuster by highlighting the Fantastic Four and the idea of staying strong against evil by drinking milk.

Experts- We rely on experts to advise us about things that we don't know ourselves. Scientists, doctors, professors and other professionals often appear in advertisements, lending their credibility to the product, service, or idea being sold.

Intensity (Comparatives and Superlatives)- The language of advertisements is full of intensifiers, including superlatives (greatest, best, fastest, lowest prices), comparatives (greater, better, lower prices), hyperbole and exaggeration (amazing, incredible, forever). This is a way to hype the product to get to the consumer to purchase the product. The example to the left states that the pizza from the local pizzeria is, "The best pizza on the block!"

Plain folks - This technique is used to focus on the idea that this is a product "of the people". Unlike a celebrity endorsement, it tries to sell the product to someone who may be a part of your everyday life, like a friend or neighbor. For example, a parent or guardian--much like your own, may be the focus of an ad for laundry detergent because we can use those products ourselves.

Purr words- Using words like amazing and incredible make products seem really exciting. They also help to make the product more desirable; however, such words don't give any particular details about the product. In the example to the right, purr words such as spicy and sweet are even used in the name of the type of Doritos being advertised.

Repetition- Repetition is used to keep a brand or product in the consumer's mind. Repetition can build brand familiarity. For example, " I am stuck on Band-Aid brand because Band-Aid sticks on me. " Jingles, a popular language technique, often include the repetition of words that advertisers want associated with the product.

Check out these resources for more information about the different persuasive techniques:

Using Language to Persuade

Persuasive Techniques

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