What adverts¹ do to persuade us 广告中说服消费者购物的策略

广告的目的是说服人们购买产品。营销者使用一系列的技巧来影响消费者对商品的认知，以促成其购买意愿。本期节目分析常见的营销策略并讨论其有效的原因。

词汇：persuasion² 说服

Adverts are designed to persuade us, but which techniques have been shown to be effective in enticing us to buy things?

One way is simply to portray something as normal. Former advertising³ professional Dan Parker explains that 'normalisation', showing people happily eating unhealthily, can lead to higher sales of junk food as people start to see these habits as normal. This is like product placement, where products are shown or mentioned in TV shows and films. Beth Fossen, an assistant professor of marketing⁴, tells us that product placement is most effective when it is not too obvious. We become defensive⁵ if we know that someone is trying to sell us something. It seems that a subtle approach can be more convincing.

Appealingto our emotions is another strategy that advertisers use. Some of them use fear to persuade us. Jannet Pendleton, a senior lecturer in communication studies, explains that for fear to be an effective tool, we need to believe that both the fears raised, and the possibility that our actions can make a difference are credible. Where fears are exaggerated or we feel helpless, we are likely to switch off.

Adverts often show perfect-looking people because marketers believe that we will aspire to be like them and buy the products they endorse. However, as Karen Middleton, a senior lecturer in marketing and advertising, points out, this may not be the best strategy. The research that she mentions shows these adverts can make people feel bad and put them off products. These studies say that seeing a more human and relatable side of people can sway us into believing them. David Robson, writing for BBC Worklife, explains that endorsements from characters who admit their mistakes can often be more believable.  

So, it seems that the secret to these persuasion techniques is that, to be most effective, they need to be used carefully. Perhaps the best technique advertisers can use to persuade people is to fully⁶ understand the people they are selling to.

词汇表

persuade 说服，使相信
entice 诱使，引诱
portray 描绘
advertising 广告业
normalisation 正常化，常态化
product placement 植入式广告
convincing 有说服力的
appeal to emotions 迎合（某人的）情感，投合（某人的）喜好
credible 可信的，令人信服的
exaggerate 夸张，夸大
switch off 失去兴趣，不再理睬
marketer 营销商
aspire 渴望
endorse 宣传，代言
put off 让（人）打消念头，望而却步
sway 说服
endorsement （产品）宣传，名人代言
believable 可信的