As a psychiatrist, I am fascinated by the subtle manipulation marketers use in commercials to get their target clients to buy their products.
TV commercials are the most effective mass-market advertising tool, mirrored by the high charges for commercials during major TV events. For instance, the average cost of a single 30-second spot during a Super Bowl football game, which has a very large audience of almost one hundred million viewers, has reached $2.7 million.
No successful marketer will bluntly tell you in a commercial: “Buy my item, which costs so much…”. If he did that you would never buy his products. Instead he will try to use mind games to convince you that the item he sells is designed to make you happy by fulfilling your deepest desires.
In this article I would like to explain what makes 11 of the best commercials I have ever seen so catchy.
When watching the following commercials I reflected on myself and my reactions, analysing as objectively as possible, to find out what the subconscious mechanisms were that made me like them so much.
Humour is one of the most successful marketing tools, having a great persuasive power. The truth is that customers like to be entertained. Customers are more attracted to funny commercials than sober ones; thus, being more receptive to buying the product that is advertised. Once people see a funny commercial they will tell about it to other people, enforcing its effect. In the following commercial it is comical and ingenious the way the remote control is used:
The secret of funny advertising is to ensure that the message of the commercial is connected to the climax of the hilarious situation - this will make the customers have a great feeling about the product, driving them to buy it when they see it a store. Unquestionably at the end of the following commercial it is a very good advice.
In all advertisements there must be a balance between the funny and the obnoxious - a marketer has to make sure that the positive aspects outweigh the negative ones. I feel that the following commercial is a little bit malicious towards blondes, but I really liked the way high class and style was emphasised. Indeed, How beauty is nothing without brain:
As we all are attracted to sexy people many marketing campaigns use attractive and posh women to make products more effective. The funny and also persuasive message of the following advertise is that even an attractive woman ends up focusing on something that is even more stylish than she is.
Usually humour is related to something unexpected: the more surprising the idea is, the funnier a situation is. In the next ad you will find out that appearances are quite deceiving. The success of the commercial is also enhanced by the participation of a really sexy woman.
The next commercial also relies on a very sexy woman who unexpectedly finds herself in a very embarrassing - but funny situation.
The above commercials and many others make me draw the conclusion that probably the funniest commercials (and jokes) are related to human sexuality. In order to enforce this idea I will use another example:
The presence of famous people in commercials it is supposed to emphasise the high quality of the products. Also, it will subtly make a mental connection between the product and a higher lifestyle, so that customers purchase the item in order to identify with their role model. In the next commercial Ronaldo demonstrates his football skills versus a bull suggesting that when watching a good football game or even a corida it is good to drink a certain brand of bear.
Some advertisements use both actors and computer animation in order to promote a certain marketing message. The intelligent use of imagination makes the commercial funnier and more appealing, making people more open to buying the product. I consider that creativity is the best trait of a personality and obviously the author of the next commercial has loads of it.
Martial arts are also used in funny commercials. Men especially like to watch movies and commercials with martial art, as it makes them feel more powerful by identifying themselves with a certain hero.
And last, but not least, this is my favourite commercial. I laugh to the point of tears whenever I see it and I never tire of it. Please check it out and let me know if it really is one of the funniest commercials you have ever seen.
To be continued with “10 tips on how to become more resistant to commercials”
