Advertising and Its Role in Consumer Psychology

As typical Americans, we are affected by consumer psychology on a daily basis. Whether we notice it or not, we are constantly bombarded with advertisements, brand names, window displays, and other attention grabbing media designed to distract and lure in the potential consumer. Whether reading a magazine, watching television, or driving past a billboard on a highway, advertisements through media are extremely apparent in today's competitive society. However, media does not always target mankind as a whole. Instead, most advertising companies work to create ways to make products attractive to individual groups of people. This use of media to attract a specific group can be summarized in three steps: Segmentation, Targeting, and Positioning (defined below).

Studies have shown that segmentation is a more profitable approach to advertising merchandise. Instead of trying to please everyone, focusing on a smaller unit, such as a family, would be a more executive decision. Because there are so many cultures, ages, establishments, and lifestyles that come into play, the process of choosing which group to appeal more highly to can be complicated. This is where step two of successful advertising is initiated. The process of selecting which segment or segments to serve is called targeting. For example, if an advertising company wanted to please all consumers looking for a car, they would have to appeal to those looking for speed and comfort, performance and safety, and attractiveness and spaciousness. This is almost impossible since the qualities of a mini van as well as a sports car were just described. Instead of attempting to make an automobile seem attractive to everyone, a smart advertising agent might come up with a commercial that appeals to families looking for a car that is safe and comfortable. Creating such a commercial is an example of positioning, which is used to generate an image or idea that appeals to the chosen segment: in this case, the family.

A great example of using positioning to attract families with the lure of comfort in style, is the series of youtube videos released by Toyota advertising "The Sienna Family". These videos, such as "Swagger Wagon" (link below), depict a family of four who own a Toyota Sienna. Instead of trying to make the Sienna appeal to those interested in speed and dynamics, the videos demonstrate, in a hilarious manner, how the Sienna fits right in with family life, but still does not "cramp your swagger".

Reference for this post:

http://www.consumerpsychologist.com/