How Desires Are Generated, Shaped, and Directed
Influence Techniques of Advertising Psychology

Psychology shows us how desires can be awakened. Humans are "social animals" and tend to align themselves with their peers. We automatically absorb and internalize what is currently considered desirable and valuable, unconsciously. We primarily align ourselves with people we admire, respect, or who are similar to us. In this process, we are exposed to numerous influences such as advertising, the entertainment industry, traditional media, and social media.

The absorption of what we consider valuable is a slow, continuous, and largely unconscious process that culminates in us holding these adopted values and desires as our own. Through social comparisons, we determine our own position in society. When we see others better realizing these societal values and desires than we do, it makes us dissatisfied with ourselves and our lives. This is where advertising comes in to compensate for this perceived deficit. Because, in reality, we don't buy products and services but emotions. The advertised products and services are merely instruments for our emotional regulation. So you have to make people unhappy by showing them what they don't have but others do in order to be able to sell them something. 

Purchasing decisions are therefore only superficially rational. In reality, emotions are the driving force behind it. We want to be happy and feel good in our lives. This is pure emotion. Our reason is simply a tool that shows us the ways to get our wishes fulfilled. Because our brain primarily serves to increase the well-being of our body.

As soon as the outside world, such as media and advertising, presents us with how happy and successful other people's lives are, we automatically develop a desire to emulate them. So when we are shown how desirable, respected, and esteemed people are when they drive a certain car brand or wear a certain fashion brand, we automatically learn the connection between these brands and the social status of these people. Consequently, we think that we can also achieve this social status by using these brands ourselves, which actually works because then everyone else considers us successful and respected as well. Being looked at generates prestige here.

Interestingly, we share this with animals living in groups. The individual who receives the most attention from others automatically gains respect from everyone else because they believe that this individual is important and they emulate their behavior.

Our judgments and decisions are based on our value profile and attitudes. A value profile means that each person has an individual set of values, with each value having a different degree of influence on attitudes and decisions. This results in a profile. For example, values like health, attractiveness, success, youthfulness, and sustainability can be part of this profile.

The value of sustainability, for example, determines our attitudes in various areas of life. And it is not just advertising that shapes the values ​​in a society. It's the school, the media, the entertainment industry and celebrity role models. We are exposed to a constant bombardment of information, in the course of which the values ​​conveyed in this way can establish themselves in us continuously and, to a large extent, unconsciously. In the field of mobility, a person with a high importance of sustainability in their value profile will tend to choose public transportation, bicycles, electric cars, and avoid domestic flights. In the realm of clothing, a person with a strong sustainability value will lean toward second-hand fashion and avoid fast fashion. In terms of nutrition, organic and local products are preferred. Thus, a value governs the underlying attitudes, which in turn determine consumption behavior.

With precise profiling of the value profile and the attitudes of a target group towards a specific product or service category, advertising can use the existing values ​​and attitudes to its advantage. Purchasing decisions are then made within this category based on the criterion of the best price-performance ratio. What is crucial here is how credible and authentic the quality and value for money of the respective product or service is presented communicatively.

If a product is presented in a way that appeals to us - i.e. attractive - we automatically consider this product to be of high quality. Of course, part of this production also includes celebrities or influencers who we value and on whom we orientate ourselves as part of “model learning or social learning”. The more familiar a product is, according to the "availability heuristic" (which connects ease of memory with the assessment of relevance and quality), the more relevant and higher-quality we perceive it to be. The more we see a particular brand, the more familiar and likable it becomes to us, following the "mere-exposure effect." These simple mechanisms in our brains transform familiarity into sympathy, credibility, and quality attribution.

In addition to profiling values and attitudes, profiling the personality of customers is crucial today. When advertising aligns its presentation to the personality profile of target groups, the so-called "Similar-to-me effect" occurs: everything similar to me is good. I trust it, and I appreciate it.

For example, if I know that a specific target group tends to be extroverted, seeks new exciting experiences, and feels very self-determined, then in advertising, I will portray my product in that exact way. This allows the customer to identify with the advertisement and consider the product as ideal for themselves.

Most decisions we make originate from our emotions, either strong desires or fears that motivate our consumption behavior. We now live in an information and offer-saturated world. Our brains, which have not changed since the time of Cro-Magnon man 30,000 years ago in terms of hardware, are overwhelmed by this world.

Purely through reason and objective assessment, clean judgments and decisions cannot be made in many areas of life today. There is simply too much information and too many offers that we would need to compare in detail. For this reason, our minds delegate to emotions - our gut feeling. Thus, we make a large part of our decisions intuitively. Decision research, as shown by experiments by Gerhard Gigerenzer, often finds that these gut decisions are superior to rational decisions in many cases when dealing with a so-called "unclean information situation." Unclean information situations involve either too much information that we can no longer process, missing information, or contradictory information that confuses us.

An unclean information situation gives us the feeling of losing control, and we hesitate to make decisions because we perceive the risk as too great. Effective advertising attempts to present customers with a "clean information situation" in a simple and convenient way. In this clean information situation, there is neither too much nor too little information, and there are no contradictions.

Advertising aims to address emotions directly through aesthetic images, attractive models, and humor. These methods have one thing in common: they create a good mood. A good mood signals to our brain that everything is fine, and we don't need to worry. In this case, the fear and risk module, which scans first in any new situation before potential opportunities are perceived, is deactivated.

As a result, when we are in a good mood, we become less critical, less skeptical, and more easily influenced. At the same time, the advertised products become associated with the positive emotions generated, and this positive emotional charge guides our gut feeling in making decisions.

There are many psychological tricks in advertising and communication, all based on the core principles of our brain functions. These core principles are our basic survival tools for the survival and continuity of our species. Most of them are unconscious and closely linked to our emotions.

One example of a core principle in our brain is to make things as simple as possible to save energy. Our brain is the organ in our body that consumes the most energy - 20 times as much as an equally sized muscle. Since it was not always guaranteed in human history that there would be enough to eat next week, a mechanism has developed that motivates us not to exert ourselves too much. Anything that is made easy and convenient for us automatically activates the reward center. So, humans unconsciously and automatically seek the shortest and easiest path. Successful advertising utilizes this principle and presents its products and services as a very simple and convenient way to fulfill desires.

Many influence methods in advertising psychology can lead to a reduction in people's autonomy in judgment and decision-making. A first step for each of us to avoid this is to become aware of these influence methods.

Techniques like social proof (people tend to conform to the behaviors of others), authority (people tend to trust experts), and scarcity (things that are scarce are often perceived as more valuable) are massively used in advertising - more or less subtly.

The advertising shows success stories on social media from customers and influencers who have used a product or service. Or uses customer reviews and recommendations as social proof of the effectiveness of their offer. A product that is perceived as high quality or innovative may justify a higher price.

The convenience of the buying process and the availability of a product can be crucial in the decision-making process and lower the threshold for making a decision. Online shopping, fast delivery, easy return options, and the proximity of a physical store can significantly influence the purchase decision.

People also tend to choose products or brands out of habit. Familiar products create a sense of security because customers already know what to expect.

People try to minimize risks by choosing products or brands they perceive as trustworthy, safe, and reliable. Customer reviews and expert opinions can play a role in risk assessment and increase trust.

When appealing to gut feeling, advertising uses both subtle and transparent, authentic methods.

The "anchoring" trick as a subtle method in advertising communication involves presenting a high price or expensive option first to increase the perceived value of a cheaper product or offer. For example, restaurants often feature expensive dishes on their menus to make other, more affordable dishes seem affordable and attractive to customers.

Music, sounds, and color psychology are also often used subtly. Colors can evoke specific emotions. For example, red can evoke excitement and passion, while blue symbolizes calm and trust.

A specific choice of words can also be used to influence judgment and decision-making: advertising often uses emotional words and phrases like "happy," "charming," "exciting," or "unforgettable" to automatically evoke positive emotions.

Humor is a very effective way to appeal to gut feeling in advertising. Well-placed humorous elements can create a positive feeling and increase attention.

Deliberate credibility is achieved in advertising communication, for example, by selecting credible sources or portraying them as such. Testimonials, customer reviews, or expert opinions are sources used to gain customer trust.

To protect oneself from the influence methods of advertising communication, it is important not only to be aware of the psychological tricks and techniques described here but also to consider that these methods are becoming increasingly sophisticated.

The better advertisers understand their target groups through the latest profiling techniques using artificial intelligence, the more precisely they can address their emotional needs. Research and data analysis can help understand the needs and preferences of customers almost better than they do themselves.

Since honesty and transparency are important for customers to build trust, honesty and transparency are increasingly being staged tailored to the target group.

Today, it is more important than ever to be critical of advertising. Ask yourself why a company is using a particular message or tactic. Consider whether the advertised product or service really meets your needs.

Pay attention to the details and nuances of offers, especially regarding prices, contract terms and return policies. Sometimes certain fees or conditions are hidden in small print. Compare prices and conditions from different providers before making a purchase decision. This can help you find the best deals and avoid overpriced products. Read customer reviews and the experiences of other customers to gain a better understanding of a product or service. This can help you assess quality and reliability.

Take your time before making a purchase decision, especially for impulse purchases. Consider whether you really need the product and whether it fits your budget. Always stay vigilant, and most importantly, take your time because a stressed customer is an easy target.

Univ.-Lecturer Mag. Dr. Josef Sawetz, 2023
University of Vienna, Communication and Marketing Psychology, Cognitive Neuroscience