Unit 5 Inside advertising-section 2Part Two: Teaching ResourcesSection 2: Background information for Unit 5 Inside advertisement1. Techniques of advertising Advertisers use several recognizable techniques in order to better convince the public to buy a product and shape the public's attitude towards their product. These may include: Repetition: Some advertisers concentrate on making sure their product is widely recognized. To that end, they simply attempt to make the name remembered through repetition. Bandwagon: By implying that the product is widely used, advertisers hope to convince potential buyers to "get on the bandwagon." Testimonials: Advertisers often attempt to promote the superior quality of their product through the testimony of ordinary users, experts, or both. "Three out of four dentists recommend..." This approach often involves an appeal to authority. Pressure: By attempting to make people choose quickly and without long consideration, some advertisers hope to make rapid sales: "Buy now, before they're all gone!" Appeal to emotion: Various techniques relating to manipulating emotion are used to get people to buy a product. Apart from artistic expression intended to provoke an emotional reaction (which are usually for associative purposes, or to relax or excite the viewer), three common argumentative appeals to emotion in product advertising are wishful thinking, appeal to flattery, and appeal to ridicule. Appeals to pity are often used by charitable organizations and appeals to fear are often used in public service messages and products, such as alarm systems or anti-bacterial spray, which claim protection from an outside source. Emotional appeals are becoming increasingly popular in the health i...
