Why even smart people fall for advertising and how to stop doing it

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

Our mind has its own principles of work, formed in the process of evolution. And marketers are taking full advantage of them.

Advertisers are armed with hundreds of tricks based on the peculiarities of our minds. We figure out which cognitive biases are often used in sales, and tell you how to deal with them.

What drives us to advertise

Object familiarity effect

It would seem that the constant repetitions of the same commercials only cause irritation. But it really doesn't really matter if you like the ad or not: it still affects you.

And the blame for everything is the effect of acquaintance - a psychological phenomenon, because of which people prefer something simply because they already know it well. The effect works on words, pictures, images, sounds. Even people seem prettier to us if we are familiar with them.

This effect is constantly used in marketing. We get used to products, and they automatically seem better to us without any objective assessment and comparison with others.

In addition, the illusion of truth is included in the case, and you not only unconsciously grab a familiar product from the shelf, but also begin to believe - and sometimes prove to others - that it is really better.

Illusion of Truth

When people decide whether they have been told the truth or not, they rely on two things: whether it coincides with the beliefs they already have, and whether it sounds familiar.

The brain does not like to waste time analyzing information, because it requires considerable resources. Familiar stimuli are processed quickly, and information is easily retrieved from memory - it's a sin not to use it.

If a person hears old false information, and at the same time does not remember its source, due to acquaintance it seems to him to be true.

What, the brain works only 10%? Yes, yes, I heard something about it. Probably the way it is.

You won't be looking for studies to prove that these pain relievers are really effective, because you've heard advertisements a hundred times that they will relieve pain. It seems obvious. Moreover, not only you, but all other people, and this only strengthens you in your opinion.

Intra-group distortion

In the course of evolution, the human brain has been shaped to adapt to the complex social structure of a group. In the days of distant ancestors, to unite meant to survive, to remain alone - to die from hunger, predators or enemies.

Therefore, we love to create communities, divide people into categories and feel community with a specific group. And also consider “our” people a priori better than others and be proud of belonging to the community. This is called intragroup misstatement.

In marketing, it manifests itself as the creation of a cohesive community of users. Examples are many: Nike's Run Club, in which people from all over the city gather to run together, Harley Owners Group with group moto rallies and club attributes, CrossFit with its close-knit CrossFit boxes and spectacular games, where absolutely all athletes go to Reebok.

Each regional fitness center is trying to create its own community, and people are not just being led, but are doing it with joy. What difference does it make to how much money you spend on expensive sportswear if you feel like a member of the community in it?

Fear of loss

If you lose your wallet, your levels of dopamine, a neurotransmitter that provides a sense of pleasure, will drop. You will be sad and hurt. If you suddenly find a wallet with the same amount, your dopamine level will rise, but not as much as it would have dropped if you lost it.

Losses bring us much more grief than gains bring us joy.

To exploit this weakness in marketing, manufacturers impose trial samples and free trial periods. Until you consider the thing yours, you can endlessly doubt whether it is worth the money. But as soon as it is yours, even if it is on loan or for a short period of time, fear of loss will force you to shell out money without hesitation.

Compromise effect

In one experiment, people were asked to choose between two cameras with different prices: $ 170 or $ 240. The preferences were equally divided: some chose cheaper, others more expensive.

Then the researchers added a third camera for $ 470. This time, most people chose the "average" over 240. This feature is called the compromise effect - the tendency to choose something in between.

This effect manifests itself in any situation where you have to choose between three options that sound about the same, and you do not have the time or desire to dive into details.

Sometimes manufacturers deliberately add a third, unreasonably expensive version to force you to buy "something in between." You end up with a more expensive product, but you’re glad you didn’t spend too much.

Framing effect

In another experiment, people were asked to imagine an epidemic and choose a civilian rescue program. In the first case, they were offered the following options:

• Program A will save 200 people (200 will be saved, 400 will die).
• Program B with a one-third probability will help 600 people survive, and with a two-thirds probability it will not save anyone at all (1/3 - 600 people will be saved, 2/3 - 600 people will die).

72% of the participants chose program A. Then the same question was asked in a different wording:

• With program C, 400 people will surely die (again, 200 will be saved, 400 will die).
• Program D with a probability of one third will save absolutely everyone, and in two thirds it will kill 600 people (and again 1/3 - 600 will be saved, 2/3 - 600 will die).

Now 78% have chosen program D, although the essence was the same, only the wording has changed. This perceptual phenomenon is called the "framing effect" and is commonly used in marketing.

For example, if a manufacturer wants to present their cookies as a healthy product, they can write on the packaging: "with whole grains" or "non-GMO". At the same time, the cookies will contain 500 kcal per 100 g, a lot of sugar and fat.

Moreover, the presentation will not only force you to choose the product, but also to perceive it better.

In another experiment, participants were given beef to taste. One was labeled “75% pure meat”, the other “25% fat”. The same meat, the same essence of the descriptions, but the first one was more pleasant to people and seemed less fatty to them.

Serial arrangement effect

This effect is associated with the peculiarities of human memory. If you list any data in a list, a person better remembers the information submitted first (effect of primacy) and last (effect of recency).

This feature is used in advertising to emphasize any quality of the product. The most significant benefits will be cited first or last. What was in the middle, you will not remember.

The same effect makes us give preference to the first products on the list. A 2007 study found that users are 2.5 times more likely to buy the first product on a list, even if each option has different characteristics.

The primacy effect is often combined with the anchor effect. This is when you get a piece of information, and evaluate all subsequent data based on the first information. In the list of products on the website or even in the restaurant menu, the most expensive products are placed first. And even if you don't buy them, the rest of the products will seem quite affordable to you compared to the first positions.

The drowned cost trap

The drowned cost trap keeps people going for years to support decadent projects. A person cannot afford to admit the matter is a failure, because so much effort has been invested in it. To accept this is to get too much emotional pain from wasted time and resources. It turns out that we must continue. No matter what.

It's damn bad, but marketers have figured out how to use it to boost sales.

First, in order to reliably tie the buyer, he is periodically shown how much he has already spent on the purchase of the company's goods or services.

Secondly, they issue cards with a free 10th or 20th visit, a glass of coffee or some other bonus. Most likely, you will not change the coffee house if there are several marks left in the loyalty card before the free glass, even if you have found another establishment where coffee is cheaper and tastier. After all, it was not for nothing that you bought those five glasses!

Hyperbolic depreciation

This is when you are ready to receive 100 rubles right now, not 200, but in a week. And this is not a weakness of character or infantilism. Our brains are aimed precisely at this development of events.

This can be explained in terms of survival. If an ancient man saw an antelope, he immediately killed and ate it, and did not miss the animal, expecting something fatter. In matters of survival, expectation often meant death by starvation, which is entrenched in our nature.

The main task of the human brain is to increase the level of reward. And he prefers to do it right now, not sometime later. Moreover, it turns this automatically, so you don't think about the reasons and just want to. Right now.

The last phrase often flashes in advertising messages: “improve your life right now”, “buy and receive a gift right now”.

For expensive purchases, sellers can use a take now, pay later. For example, a loan or an installment plan without the first payment, which gives you immediate pleasure from the purchase. And no suffering from losing money.

Psychologically, it is much easier to agree to such conditions than to shell out your money right away. Therefore, the choice will be less deliberate.

How to avoid ad traps

Any cognitive trap works great when you don't have the time or inclination to analyze the seller's offer. Use a few simple tips to overcome this.

1. Don't shop in the heat of the moment. Before you buy something, especially if the item is expensive, do some research. Recalculate the price of the product by the number of grams, and the price of the service by the number of days, compare the characteristics of smartphones and the composition of the fabric, read the composition of products and cosmetics.
2. Don't trust your intuition, doubt everything. Intuition is a part of your subconscious, in which slogans from advertisements and the opinion of Aunt Masha from the next doorway lie in even rows. Ask yourself how do you know this product is better?
3. Remember what you earned this money. Count how many hours you spent to get money for this thing. And only then decide if it's worth it.
4. Think about what you are buying: a thing, status, a sense of community, a feeling that you are free, wealthy and worthy of it? And remember that most purchases won't change your life, even if the ads tell you otherwise.