The impact of advertisements on customers - Research Paper Example

Topic: The impacts of advertisement on s Advertising is one of the most powerful tools through which a company can promote its products and inform the customers about the features of its products. This is a way through which a company can increase its sales by creating an impact on the minds of the customers. Advertising is most commonly defined as a paid form of promotion or presentation of different ideas, goods, services etc. (Marketing, Web). This type of promotion and presentation affect the customers in such a strong way that they decide to actually buy the product and benefit from its features and characteristics. Therefore, the advertising done by any company should be planned and executed in an excellent way so as to affect the customers. Successful advertising can impact on customers psychologically, emotionally and rationally. Advertisers have to pay a lot of attention to the way customers think and behave. They have to carefully study the impacts their advertising can have on customer`s minds. Their main focus is on the design of their advertising as that is the component affecting the decision making behavior of the customers. The main goal of advertising should be to attract as many customers as possible and also to analyze the affects that advertising can have on the minds of the customers (The positive effects of advertising, Web). The psychological effects of advertising are such that it arouses the customer`s wish to purchase the products. In the process of advertising, firstly, the customer`s attention is focused on the design of the advertising and the information being told through it. After that, the process of reasoning takes place during which the customer`s emotions are transferred into desires of actually acquiring the product. This desire of customers is then turned into an action when they actually purchase the product. An example of this psychological impact on customers is when a particular customer watches an advertisement of a product like a burger on television. This is the first stage during which the customer`s attention is focused on this burger and the different features or ingredients of this particular burger. In the second stage, the customer starts desiring the burger and wants to actually go out and buy this burger. During the last stage, the customer will go out and purchase this burger in order to fulfill his desire and wish. After consuming it, if it satisfies the customer then he will become a regular buyer and will keep buying it and if not then he will regret his decision, will not buy it again and will even tell others not to buy this burger in the future. Therefore, a company should make sure that its advertising successfully promotes the true features of its products and should not misguide the customers (The psychological impact of advertising, Web). Apart from the psychological impacts of advertising, there are a number of emotional impacts of advertising as well. Advertising can emotionally affect the attitudes and purchase decisions of customers. Researchers have proved that the emotional impacts of advertising can indirectly affect the memory of customers. Many advertisers today are trying to create emotional impacts on customers through their advertising strategies and lure them into buying the products in order to increase their sales. According to a theory, advertising can have three kinds of impacts on customers. Out of these three impacts, two are positive while one relates to a negative emotion. One of these emotional responses relates to the arousal stage of the psychological impact process and involves emotions such as joy, surprise, excitement etc. the other set of positive emotions include feelings of warmth, hope as well as care and gentleness. These emotions can together have an impact on the customer attitudes and intentions of purchase of all the customers. The impact that advertisers plan to have on customers is actually different from what customers feel and this is portrayed in their attitudes. Researchers have continuously argued that advertising affects the memory of consumers which in turn affects the decision making process in a consumer`s mind. An example of the emotional impacts that advertising can have on consumer`s minds is when advertisers try to show different moments spent together by families during lunch or dinner time. The international brand of Cadbury has tried this strategy and in most of their advertisements, they try to depict scenes of happiness in which they share their feelings of joy by distributing sweet things like Cadbury chocolates. They try to portray this message that happiness increases if shared with others and increase two fold if eating Cadbury chocolates with their family members. Through these kinds of advertisements, the advertisers try to connect emotionally with their customers (The impact of emotional advertising, Web). Along with psychological and emotional effects, advertising can have a rational impact on customers as well. A rational customer is one who uses reason while making a purchase decision and who uses cognitive rather than an emotional response. Some advertisers try to increase their sales by manipulating the thinking of customers through careful planning related to the advertising of their product. They try to alter the behavior of customers by changing their thinking and attitude in relation to a particular product. Advertisers can rationally affect the customers through the source of advertising, the context of communication, the type of consumers as well as the message being portrayed itself. Through these techniques, advertisers can manipulate the thinking of customers and the customers are then left with no choice at all. This process results in an automatic response on behalf of the customers as the customers are affected strongly by the stimulus. This also depends on the type of customers as some customers can easily be controlled and manipulated while some respond in a different way. An example of the rational effects of advertising is when an advertisement simply shows why a customer should buy their product and not the competitors for example due to lower price; more quality etc (Is it possible to be a 'rational' consumer, Web). The concept of advertising has changed along with the strategies chosen by advertisers to attract customers. Advertising can have a number of effects on customers and therefore, advertisers should carefully plan the strategies in order to be more competitive and profitable. An efficient marketer would critically analyze the type of advertising to be used as well as the effects it would have on the minds of consumers. Advertising can impact customer attitudes and behavior as well as the intentions of purchase. Even if the product or service being offered is unique and fulfill the needs of customers, if customers are not aware of it, then they would not buy the product. Using the advertising tool, marketers can inform the customers about the product specifications, its differentiation position as well as the benefits customers would get from it. Through it, marketers can attract the customers and convince them to buy the market offering to enjoy the benefits. Therefore, advertising is a strong tool which a company should in the best possible way. Works Cited: Kotler, P., & Armstrong, G. (1991). Advertising and public relations. Principles of marketing (5th ed., pp. 362-385). Englewood Cliffs, N.J.: Prentice Hall. Media, D. (n.d.). The Positive Effects of Advertising | Chron.com. Small Business - Chron.com. Retrieved December 8, 2012, from http://smallbusiness.chron.com/positive-effects-advertising-24688.html The Psychological Impact of Advertising on the Customer Behavior. (n.d.). Advertising. Retrieved November 23, 2012, from http://www.ibimapublishing.com/journals/CIBIMA/volume3/v3n7.pdf The Impact of Emotional Advertising Appeals On Consumer Implicit And Explicit Memory: An Accessibility/Diagnosticity Perspective. (n.d.). Advertising. Retrieved November 23, 2012. Is it possible to be a 'rational' consumer? Psychology at AhISee - the site for Insight. (n.d.). AhISee.com Homepage. Retrieved November 23, 2012, from http://www.ahisee.com/content/rationaladessay.html Read More