Just listen to what our friend George Carlin has to say about advertising!
Companies implement advertising strategies to brainwash you nearly every second of every day! On the TV, on the Radio, on billboards, in magazines or newspapers you read, junkmail in your mailbox, spam in your inbox, on the Internet; it’s everywhere!
Advertising is necessary, right? How else are we going to find out about those new products and services that are going to make our lives better and happier?
The truth is, that 99% of the stuff you hear or see advertised you really don’t need. Or if you do need it, you probably already know what it is, where to get it, and why you already like it.
My Dad has always maintained that the amount of advertising for a product or service is indirectly related to its amount of necessity. That is to say, the products or services you really don’t need are advertised way more that products your really do need!
Think about it for a minute… When is the last time you saw a commercial for a plain old bag of rice, or a simple item like an umbrella? Now count of one hand, if you can, how many new car commercials you run across in an hour of watching TV. I bet you’d need three hands if your watching prime time TV!!
What happens when our brains get saturated with advertising? We end up convincing ourselves to waste money purchasing things we don’t need! We may not even really want it, but we feel the need to consume.
That’s all well and good you say. Those typical advertising strategies don’t work on me; I can tune it out. WRONG!!! Each year companies spend BILLIONS of dollars trying to outdo each other to brainwash you into buying their products or services with your hard earned money. There are hundreds of thousands of people who go to college for years to learn how to win at advertising. They put this training to work daily with the sole intent to penetrate your brain and influence your actions!
The first step to protect yourself, and your loved ones, from influence is to recognize this issue and be aware of the warning signs that you’re being manipulated.
In researching this topic, I came across the book Influence by Robert Cialdini. In it, he outlines the six key principles of influence. When you learn to recognize these easily, you will be amazed at how cunningly companies use these advertising strategies against you. Here is a high cut from the wikipedia article:
- Reciprocity – People feel obligated to return a favor. This is why free samples can be a trap. Let’s admit it, we probably all feel a little akward when taking a free sample with no intent to purchase when the free sample person goes into detail about the product.
- Commitment and Consistency – If someone can get you to commit verbally or in writing to an idea or goal, then you will be more likely to honor it. This is because you feel the urge to preserve your self image of being honest. This is the idea of the 30-day money back guarantee. If you’ve already agreed to try something, hardly anyone will go back on their word and return it.
- Social Proof – Most people are like sheep and will follow what others are doing. An example of this common to TV commercials is: “discover what the millions of our customers have already found out…”
- Authority – People will tend to follow or obey people in authority. Four out of five doctors recommend blah, blah, blah…
- Liking – People are easily convinced by persons that they like. Examples of this include celebrities or spokespersons for random products. If you see a a celeb/spokesperson pushing a product, then run for the exit!
- Scarcity – If people believe there is a scarcity of something, this can generate demand. Examples include: for a limited time only, while supplies last, hurry before this offer expires, etc.
These advertising tricks and more are all summed up by one of my favorite comedians, George Carlin (warning: offensive language):
In future posts, we’ll discuss ideas on how you can save money by shielding yourself from as much advertising as possible. This will enable you to spend money on needs, and steer money away from “wants” to saving or investing. And yes, I do recognize the irony that directly below this post and to the right you see ads. As George Carlin said in the video, “you’re just gonna have to figure that shit out on your own!”
Similar to what your Dad says: In the book, “In Defense of Food”, the author argues that a food item that must advertise some health benefit (low sugar, low fat, high protein) are bad choices due to fact they must be processed to meet a nutrition goal.
David,
I never really thought about it like that. Those “reduced fat” titles on foods usually draw a lot of people to purchase even though they can be really high in saturated fat still. Good point!