Topic Summary
Did the ad make you buy it?
Advertisements are everywhere, and they are designed to persuade you to make a purchase. How often have you been browsing online and ended up buying items you hadn’t planned to purchase? It’s easy to fall into the trap.
Consider some common tactics used in advertising:
- Incentives: Ads often highlight discounts or free shipping with bold, eye-catching text (often in red) to create the impression that you’re getting an excellent deal.
- Urgency: Retailers may imply that unless you act quickly, the item will run out or its price will increase.
- Perceived Need: Sometimes, advertisements make you believe that a non-essential item is a must-have. If you don’t truly need or plan to use the item, you might end up spending money that could be better allocated elsewhere.
Question
A critical consumer is someone that:
Discussion
If you see an item advertised, how will you decide whether to buy it?
How it works in real life
The next time you see a bus drive past, look at the advertisement on the side. How is it persuading someone to buy something? Did they use Incentive, Urgency or Perceived Need?