Attitudes, myths and stereotypes in advertising practice. Stereotypes and attitudes in advertising practice

Introduction………………………………………………………………………………….…2

Chapter 1. Attitudes and stereotypes of consumer behavior………….....3

1.1.General information about social stereotypes and attitudes…….……3

1.3.Gender stereotypes………………………………….………….....10

1.4.Features of consumer behavior in Russia……..………...…...13

Conclusions on Chapter 1………………………………………………………...16

Conclusion……………...………………………………………………………………...17

Applications…………..………………….…………………………………......18

References…………………………………………………….…23

Introduction.

The importance of research on consumer motivation and behavior is known throughout the world. In recent years, a large and rapidly developing interdisciplinary area of research has emerged: consumer behavior. Consumer behavior is the activities directly aimed at obtaining, consuming and disposing of products and services, including the decision-making processes that precede and follow these actions.

The main concern of both entrepreneurs and marketers is to influence this very behavior. As a result, consumer science is of paramount importance.

This work is devoted to attitudes and stereotypes that have a significant impact on consumer behavior.

Man is a social being. This statement is especially true when it comes to consumer behavior. Our behavior is dictated by various factors: genetic predisposition, environment, culture. An important place in this list is occupied by stereotypes, which often have a strong influence on consumer behavior and become a decisive argument when deciding to purchase a product or choose a service.

Therefore, one of the main tasks in studying consumer behavior and influencing it is to take into account those attitudes, those stereotypes that have a strong influence on the purchase decision-making process and the choice of product.

In preparing this work, I used various sources of literature: books by famous authors, articles from scientific journals, information from Internet sites.

Chapter 1. Attitudes and stereotypes of consumer behavior.

1.1.General information about social stereotypes and attitudes.

Social attitude 1 is one of the central concepts of social psychology, which is designed to explain various aspects of human social behavior:
- how he perceives the reality around him;
- why he acts this way and not differently in specific situations;
- what motive guides his behavior.
In English, the concept of social attitude corresponds to the concept of attitude, which was introduced by W. Thomas and F. Znanecki (1920).

Social stereotype 2 expresses a person’s habitual attitude towards any phenomenon, formed under the influence of social conditions and previous experience; it is an integral part of the installation. The concept of “stereotype” is often used as a synonym for outdated and preconceived ideas associated with prejudice.

A system of stereotypes constitutes a worldview 3 .

Saves effort.

The area of stereotyping extends from delusional fantasies to the conscious use by scientists of rounded calculation results.

Forming stereotypes means saving your own efforts, because the attempt to see all things anew and in detail, and not as types and generalizations, is tedious, and for a busy person is practically doomed to failure. Additionally, it should be noted cases of refusal of typification: in a close circle there is no way to replace individualized understanding with anything or somehow save on it. Those we love and admire, mostly men and women, know us rather than the classification into which we can be placed.

Marking the world.

In addition to saving effort, stereotypes seem to serve another function: systems of stereotypes can serve as the core of our personal tradition, a way of protecting our position in society. They present an orderly, more or less consistent picture of the world. It comfortably houses our habits, tastes, abilities, pleasures and hopes. The stereotypical picture of the world may not be complete, but it is a picture of the possible world to which we have adapted. In this world, people and objects occupy their assigned places and act in expected ways. We feel at home in this world, we are an integral part of it. Therefore, it is not surprising that any change in stereotypes is perceived as an attack on the foundations of the universe. This is an attack on the foundations of our world, and when it comes to serious things, it is actually not so easy for us to admit that there is any difference between our personal world and the world in general. The system of stereotypes is not just a way of replacing lush diversity and disordered reality with an orderly idea of it, but only a shortened and simplified way of perception. Stereotypes serve as a guarantee of our self-esteem; project awareness of our values into the outside world; protect our position in society and our rights, and therefore, stereotypes are filled with feelings, preferences, likes or dislikes, and are associated with fears, desires, drives, pride, and hope. The object that activates the stereotype is evaluated in connection with the corresponding emotions.

Dynamics of stereotypes.

The stereotype begins to operate even before the mind turns on. This leaves a specific imprint on the data that is perceived by our senses even before this data reaches the mind. Nothing resists education or criticism more than a stereotype, since it leaves its mark on the facts the moment they are perceived.

To a certain extent, external stimuli, especially spoken or printed ones, activate some part of the stereotype system, so that the immediate impression and the previously formed opinion appear in the mind simultaneously.

In cases where experience comes into conflict with a stereotype, a twofold outcome is possible: if the individual has already lost a certain flexibility or, due to some significant interest, it is extremely inconvenient for him to change his stereotypes, he can ignore this contradiction and consider it an exception that confirms the rule, or find some error, and then forget about this event. But if he has not lost curiosity or the ability to think, then the innovation is included in the already existing picture of the world and changes it.

1.2. Attitudes and stereotypes in advertising practice.

Any information, influencing a person, can create a socio-psychological attitude in him (from the French attitude - posture, position). By attitude it is customary to understand a person’s internal psychological readiness for any action. However, the formation of a socio-psychological attitude, including a purchasing one, can occur under external influence. In this case, the attitude itself turns out to be equivalent to a need.

Indeed, psychologists believe that any impact on a person can be viewed from the point of view of attitude theory. When it is of a social nature, then they speak of the socio-psychological nature of the attitude. Understanding the mechanism of action of attitudes is facilitated by understanding the operation of the principle of the so-called dominant 4.

The principle of dominance.

Psychophysiologists are well aware that human activity is largely determined by the dominant - a stable focus of increased excitability in the cortex and subcortex of the brain. This is that same mysterious “something” that prevents or, on the contrary, forces a person to take any actions in certain situations.

It is believed that the dominant goes through three stages in its development:

At the first stage, the dominant arises under the influence of internal chemical and biological processes, on the one hand, and external stimuli, on the other hand. The dominant attracts a variety of stimuli as reasons for feeding;

At the second stage, from the previous set of active excitations, the dominant selects a group that is especially “interesting” for it, as a result of which a conditioned reflex is formed;

At the third stage, a strong connection is established between the dominant and the external stimulus, so that the stimulus will evoke and reinforce it. The external environment contains certain signals to which the corresponding dominant necessarily reacts.

The dominant focus has a number of specific properties, some of which are used in advertising activities. These properties are the following:

Stability over time;

The ability, on the one hand, to attract various external stimuli to oneself, and on the other, to be fueled by them;

In a specific time interval (minutes, hours, and in some special cases, months and years), one dominant dominates;

The dominant is sharply weakened due to its natural resolution.

A dominant is an objectively existing mechanism of human thinking and behavior; nevertheless, a person is capable of realizing, correcting previous ones and creating new dominants.

The influence of the dominant on consumer behavior.

Researchers have found that in the flow of various and often contradictory information, the buyer does not choose exactly the information that could lead him to a rational, if not optimal, choice. On the contrary, in this situation he tries to grab onto the information that confirms his usual ideas and initial attitudes and which does not contradict the choice he made before.

We can talk about an internal conflict, the emergence of cognitive dissonance 5 in the mind of a potential buyer, when his previous attitudes and habitual buying stereotypes come into conflict with the information falling upon him.

The potential buyer’s attachment to the product, as well as his anticipation of risk, was quite strong;

The source of information that caused dissonance in the buyer’s mind inspired him with confidence;

The dissonance arose at a favorable time, that is, shortly before and a little after the moment of important choice.

In such a situation of psychological discomfort, everyone tries to reduce such a violation of harmony in order to get rid of the state of tension associated with it. To this end, they either avoid information that sows doubts, or refuse to trust the source of such information, or cut off access to it, giving preference to information of the opposite kind, which does not run counter to the consumer’s own wishes.

The advertiser should act unobtrusively, trying to instill deep trust in the buyer, make every effort to prevent dissonance or reduce it not only before, but especially after the purchase, when the consumer is most sensitive to anything that may question his choice. It is at this moment, when he wants to be supported in his choice, to approve it, that the consumer is especially receptive to any information - direct or indirect. He wants to be convinced; moreover, now he himself is ready to convince potential buyers.

Since there are desirable and undesirable dominants, it is useful to become familiar with the psychophysiological methods of correcting undesirable dominants. Here are some of them:

The influence of the dominant is significantly weakened by activities that reflect the essence of the source of excitation;

Prohibition, inhibition “head-on”, usually expressed by self-orders such as “you can’t”, “don’t do it!”. True, their effectiveness is considered relatively low;

Transferring necessary actions to automatic mode;

Inhibition of the former dominant by the new one is the most effective technique.

New dominants can be developed through informational, emotional, physiological influence. It is believed that the information impact is, as a rule, the weakest. It is no coincidence that the Ministry of Health’s warning “Smoking is dangerous to your health” does not work even among medical workers - the people most informed about the consequences of smoking.

In some cases, it is convenient to introduce the formation of a new dominant through a physiological mechanism, in particular through muscle actions (the advice of physiologist I.P. Pavlov is “to drive passion into the muscles”).

The formation of a new dominant through an emotiogenic mechanism is often effective. Thus, American car dealers put a potential buyer behind the wheel and let him feel the comfort of the seat, the smell of the upholstery, and the obedience of the control systems. Practice shows that the likelihood of buying a car after this, as a rule, increases.

After some time, the dominant decreases, leaving behind stereotypes of perception, thinking and, consequently, behavior.

Basic properties of stereotypes:

The ability to influence the buyer’s decision-making, often contrary to logic. Thus, according to American researchers, up to 40% of people who rejected smoked fish had never tried it;

Depending on the nature of the attitude (positive or negative), stereotypes almost automatically “suggest” certain arguments regarding the advertised product and crowd out others that are opposite to the first;

A stereotype, in contrast to a “need in general,” has pronounced specificity.

There are stereotypes:

Positive;

Negative;

Neutral. They are also called “famous but indifferent” stereotypes.

The advertiser’s task is to identify possible stereotypes of potential buyers and, with the help of advertising influence, correct them: to strengthen a positive stereotype, to neutralize or weaken a negative one, to make a neutral one positive.

Basic techniques for identifying stereotypes:

Detection of persistent topics of conversation regarding products among friends and buyers;

Conducting surveys, interviews, questionnaires in small focus groups;

Acceptance of an unfinished sentence, when the buyer continues the phrase begun by the advertiser in relation to a particular product;

Using the method of identifying associations, when a small group of respondents is asked to write for 30 seconds what they associate with this or that product, this or that company. Typical questions that customers are asked are: “What do these products remind you of?”, “What objects are they similar to?”, “Whose actions are they similar to?”, “Are these objects (actions) pleasant or unpleasant to you?” and etc.;

Building a chain of buyer actions: a chain of buyer actions is built, starting from the stage “Learned about the product” and ending with the action “Told friends about this product.” For each action, positive and negative stereotypes characteristic of a given buyer are indicated. Of all the stereotypes, the most significant ones for buyers are selected and advertising is made taking them into account;

The technique is called “What do you remember...?”, “What surprised you...?”. These questions are asked suddenly, in an outwardly detached voice, about introducing buyers to a particular product or advertisement.

1.3.Gender stereotypes 6.

Consumer behavior is determined by many factors, including gender (or sex) differences. These differences have a biological basis, and they have acquired certain forms in the course of the historical and cultural development of mankind. Thus, people learn existing gender stereotypes and roles in the process of socialization 7 and throughout their lives they build relationships with each other based on gender patterns of behavior. Gender characteristics of consumer behavior must be taken into account when developing a marketing strategy for positioning a product 8 , service or brand.

First of all, gender characteristics of consumer behavior determine differences in the creation of advertising images and communication messages. Thus, products that were initially positioned on the market for use by separate male and female audiences are repelled when positioned for both groups. For example, a unisex perfume is less popular because it is perceived by male audiences as too feminine a scent, and by female audiences as too masculine.

Gender differences.

Although men and women belong to the same biological species and have much in common, they still differ from each other in a number of important physiological, psychological and social characteristics that should be taken into account in the process of creating the concept of advertising communication (Appendix 2).

Historical background for the formation of stereotypical gender images.

The gender division of roles is determined by the biological functions of men and women. Thus, a woman has the ability to bear, give birth and feed children, which guaranteed continuation of the family, while a man’s participation in the process of reproduction is reduced to a short-term act. But the man, while the woman raised the children, protected the family and obtained various resources to provide for it. Accordingly, certain roles have historically been formed, where a man is a breadwinner and protector, and a woman is a mother and homemaker. Thus, the division of responsibilities laid the foundation for gender stereotypes.

In the course of evolution, men and women have developed peculiarities of perception that must be taken into account in everyday life, including when creating advertising. Thus, gender stereotypes have developed in people’s minds as a social factor, and the characteristics of the sensory perception of men and women influence the attitude and understanding of advertising, that is, in general, the management of consumer behavior depends, among other things, on taking into account the influence of gender factors.

For men, advertising may be less saturated in color, since the essence of the advertising message is more important to him, but for women, on the contrary, it should be full-color, because for women the shades, saturation, variety and brightness of colors are of great importance. It is also easier for a woman to perceive a large number of characters and objects in advertising, since she can keep several objects in her attention zone at the same time, while a man may simply not notice the advertised object. As for sound effects in advertising, a woman is able to perceive a wider range of frequencies and non-verbal signals (gestures, facial expressions, intonation). Men perceive information worse by ear, so it is better to duplicate the main advertising message with inscriptions. At the same time, the advertising message itself for a female audience can be given in a multi-valued way, with hints and emotionally charged, while for a male audience the message should be like a guide to action, clear and logical facts.

Problems solved by marketing research to identify gender stereotypes to create effective advertising communications.

To create effective advertising communication, it is necessary to understand the range of values that are significant to consumers and which will need to be embodied in the images created. At the same time, the image of the advertising hero itself must correspond as closely as possible to the ideas of the target audience, therefore it is necessary to identify all the characteristics of the target audience so that the consumer can easily identify himself with this hero. Thus, within the framework of marketing research the following tasks are solved:

1) determination of the socio-demographic characteristics of the target audience;

2) identification of dominant values, attitudes, stereotypes;

3) determination of motivation 9 and consumer preferences;

4) determining the lifestyle of consumers;

5) division of consumers according to various parameters;

6) determining the behavior of consumers of a particular category.

2) assessing the attractiveness of various options for advertising concepts and materials for consumers;

3) assessment of the completeness of understanding of the main ideas of advertising concepts and materials;

6) assessing the degree of identification with the hero of the advertisement;

7) assessing the degree of consumer trust in the tested characters.

In the process of creating a creative solution for advertising, communication 10 is often forgotten, the understanding of which is influenced by gender factors. Thus, advertising for male and female audiences should be different for the most effective impact on potential consumers. Knowing how gender characteristics influence the perception of advertising, it is possible to predict consumer behavior and minimize the risks associated with the understanding of the advertising message by the target audience. It must be remembered that the more the advertised image coincides with the expectations of the target audience, the greater the likelihood that the advertisement will arouse the consumer’s desire to buy a product or service.

The only unresolved problem of gender stereotypes in advertising is that all created images reflect patriarchal ideas about female and male roles, although in the modern world there is a tendency to equalize female and male behavior patterns.

1 .4.Features of consumer behavior in Russia.

The changes in the culture of our country have been dramatic. It is enough to remember the shelves of bookstores in the 1970s to understand how far we have come from the culture of the Soviet period.

Today, the shelves are filled with brightly illustrated magazines and pocket books of detective stories and novels.

All these changes reflect changes in consumer tastes and preferences: after all, if we people did not want to buy detective or sentimental novels, it is unlikely that publishers would begin to publish them in huge editions and endless series.

These changes have shown that patterns and stereotypes of consumer behavior are unstable, they are linked to the general socio-economic situation in our country, and the transformations that have occurred in the socio-economic sphere have most clearly affected our consumption.

An analysis of the features of the modern Russian consumer market allows us to draw a conclusion about the need to develop the concept of marketing research of consumer behavior, considering it as a process of studying a complex self-organizing system. This finding is entirely consistent with the cognitive 11 approach to understanding consumer behavior, summarized as follows:

In most cases, the consumer makes a purchase decision in a state of uncertainty;

Very often (perhaps even almost always) he does not have all the necessary information to analyze costs, benefits, and evaluate constraints;

When making a decision under conditions of uncertainty, he uses a set of heuristics 12 that do not require as much information as a completely rational analysis;

Buyers use various specific forms of reasoning and strive for validity rather than optimality in the decision they make;

If some method has proven effective in the past in a similar situation, then people are satisfied with repeating their solution and do not look for a more optimal one;

Buyers are characterized by a limited amount of perceived information and a subconscious desire to minimize efforts to search for information.

Stereotypes, according to many marketing studies, play a critical role in consumer decision making. A stereotype of consumer behavior is a set of attitudes (patterns) of consumer perception and assessment of the conditions for making a purchase decision, taking into account the norms and rules of consumer behavior that have developed in the market at a specific stage of the state of demand.

One of the tasks of marketing research of consumer behavior both in Russia and throughout the world is to focus on identifying behavioral stereotypes of various types of consumers when making decisions in the process of receiving, consuming and disposing of a product or service. And the main goal of researching consumer behavior is to determine methods for studying stereotypes and develop mechanisms for changing stereotypes with a focus on increasing the controllability of consumer behavior. In this context, the concept of marketing research of consumer behavior is a system of basic ideas, provisions and tools of marketing activities aimed at identifying stereotypes of consumer behavior and developing information regulation mechanisms that make it possible to increase the controllability (predictability) of consumer behavior.

Marketing studies of the behavior of Russian consumers were conducted for the markets of household chemicals and cellular communication services.

In the process of studying the system of attitudes of Russian consumers towards the price of a product/service, it was revealed that:

1) there is a discrepancy in views on the cost of goods on the part of the consumer and the manufacturer. This contradiction can be eliminated by finding additional consumer properties of the product;

2) in the process of making a consumer decision, the financial aspect occupies a dominant place in the formation of the installation system only as long as the cost of the product constitutes a significant part of the consumer’s budget;

3) the more difficult it is for a consumer to determine the real level of costs for a product/service, the more often he bases his assessments on his own financial capabilities.

In the process of studying the system of consumer attitudes in Russia on the functional characteristics of a product/service, it was found that:

1) when forming his own attitudes about what quality of goods and at what price the consumer is ready to purchase, he proceeds not so much from his own financial capabilities, but from an assessment of the benefits that the purchase of this thing can bring;

2) the lower the importance of the financial aspect, the lower the importance of functional characteristics and the higher the importance of the consumer’s personal preferences.

In the process of studying the system of attitudes of Russian consumers towards the emotional characteristics of a product/service, it was found that:

1) in the buyer’s mind, the image of the product consists of value judgments of the reference group 13 and advertising in the media;

2) there is a stable connection between the company’s image and the assessment of the cost of the services provided/price of the product;

3) there are relationships: “company image” – “idea of quality” – “financial capabilities” – “expected cost of services” and “manufacturer’s image” – “idea of quality” – “expected price”.

In the process of studying the features of information impact on the regulatory mechanism, it was confirmed that:

Firstly, changes in the level of awareness and the set of sources for obtaining information affect the consumer’s attitudinal system. This allowed us to conclude that there are the following levers of influence leading to a change in connections in the consumer installation system:

a) increasing the level of awareness through sources of information already used by the consumer;

b) expanding the range of information sources used by the consumer.

Secondly, experience and level of awareness determines which source will be perceived by a person for perception:

a) the less experience a person has, the more often he uses other people’s behavior patterns and resorts to the opinion of experts, whose roles can be both members of the reference group and sellers;

b) the more complete information the consumer has, the more objective the regulatory guidelines for the product.

Thirdly, the more significant for an individual the fact of making a consumer decision, the stronger and more complex his attitudes. The simpler the decision-making, the easier it is to change the attitude and the more general the attitudes are used by the individual when making a consumer decision.

Conclusions for Chapter 1.

Having considered the issues covered in Chapter 1, the following conclusions can be drawn:

1) Stereotypes and attitudes are phenomena that help a person form his opinion about the surrounding reality, form a worldview. It is easier for a person to use already established views and opinions than to look at things in a new way every time. The system of stereotypes that have taken root in a particular society serves as the basis of its culture, it forms the basis of people’s picture of the world;

2) The dominant has a great influence on consumer behavior. If new information received by the buyer conflicts with his stereotypes, then dissonance arises, that is, a contradiction. Savvy advertisers can use this phenomenon to exert greater influence on consumers;

3) Identifying stereotypes is one of the important tasks of an advertiser. It is necessary to ensure that the client’s attitudes and stereotypes regarding the product change in a positive direction;

4) One of the factors shaping purchasing behavior is gender stereotypes, so they must be taken into account when selling a product or service. When creating advertising, certain attributes and images are used for men, and others for women;

5) In Russia, consumer behavior was influenced by changes in the economic and political life of the country that have occurred over the past decades. That is why it is necessary to conduct various marketing studies on the Russian market, special attention should be paid to stereotypes and attitudes, which often play a leading role in making a purchase decision.

Conclusion.

Nowadays, more and more attention is paid not only to the price and quality of services and goods, but also to service, maintenance, and how this product (service) will be presented to the buyer. That is why more and more importance is being attached to the study of consumer behavior and the factors that influence it.

But mastering the ability to understand and manage consumer behavior and “get to know the buyer” is not so easy. The consumer often says one thing about his desires and needs, but once in the store, he buys something completely different. The buyer simply does not understand the motives for such a purchase and may change his mind at the last minute.

The study of consumer behavior is a complex science. Buyer choice depends on many factors, and all of them need to be taken into account. In my opinion, much attention should be paid to attitudes and stereotypes that have a huge impact on consumer behavior. Most often, it is very difficult to rid a person of stereotypes (which are not always correct and correctly reflect the surrounding reality), you have to make a lot of effort to do this. The formation of consumer stereotypes and attitudes is influenced by various factors, such as a person’s gender, the culture in which he was raised, and others.

Applications.

Appendix 1. Terminological dictionary.

1 Social installation- the state of a subject’s predisposition to a certain activity in a certain situation.

2 Social stereotype- a schematic, standardized image or idea of a social phenomenon or object, usually emotionally charged and highly stable.

3 Worldview- a system of views on the objective world and man’s place in it, on man’s attitude to the reality around him and to himself, as well as the basic life positions of people, their beliefs, ideals, principles of knowledge and activity, and value orientations determined by these views.

4 Dominant(from lat. dominants- dominant) - a temporarily dominant focus of excitation in the central nervous system, which is characterized by the ability to accumulate excitations and inhibit the work of other nerve centers.

5 The cognitive dissonance(English) cognitive dissonance) - the experience of discomfort arising from actions that go against one’s own beliefs(attitudes). An internal problem, an intrapersonal conflict, can be resolved if you change your beliefs or interpretation of the situation.

6 Gender stereotypes- generalized ideas (beliefs) formed in culture about how men and women actually behave or should behave.

7 Socialization– this (from the Latin socialis - social), the process of assimilation by a human individual of a certain system of knowledge, norms and values, allowing him to function as a full member of society. S. includes both socially controlled processes of targeted influence on the individual ( upbringing), as well as elemental, spontaneous processes influencing its formation.

8 Product positioning on the market- actions to ensure a product’s competitive position in the market and the development of an appropriate marketing mix.

9 Motivation– 1) motivation to action; 2) a dynamic process of physiological and psychological nature; 3) a person’s ability to satisfy his material needs through work.

10 Communication(from Lat. Communico - I make it common, I connect, I communicate) - the semantic aspect of social interaction. Since every individual action is carried out in conditions of direct or indirect relationships with other people, it includes (along with the physical) a communicative aspect.

11 Cognitive approach[English] cognitive - cognitive, lat. cognitio - knowledge, cognition] is a modern approach in psychological research, which assumes that the main role in human behavior is played by knowledge, or representations of objects in the external world.

12 Heuristic(from the Greek heuristiko - looking for, opening) - a method of analyzing economic phenomena and processes, making decisions, based on intuition, resourcefulness, analogies, experience, ingenuity, relying on the special properties of the human brain and human ability to solve problems for which a formal mathematical algorithm , the exact solution is not known.

13 Reference group- a group that has a direct or indirect influence on a person’s attitude or behavior.

Gender characteristics	Typical for men	Typical for women
1. Historically established stereotypical image.	Protector, provider, hero, competitive, aggressive.	Defenseless, economical, romantic, peaceful, gentle.
2. Type of thinking.	Rational, critical.	Emotional, sensual.
3. Problem solving.	Logically, using force.	Intuitively, through discussions.
4. Attitude to the outside world.	Realistic.	Idealized.
5. Modality of perception.	Verbal-logical.	Visually effective.
6.Features of image perception.	Detailed, content-oriented.	General, focus on form.
7. Communication.	Concretely active, categorical.	Subject-evaluative.
8.Orientation of activities.	Promising.
	Work, sports, women, war, hunting, weapons, tobacco, alcohol, technology.	Family, children, home, cooking, fashion, health, appearance.

Appendix 2. Differences between men and women in a number of important physiological, psychological and social characteristics.


1. The image of a mother and wife (the keeper of the hearth).	A housewife (a good mother and wife) who constantly takes care of the health and well-being of all family members. She knows how to do everything: cook, wash, clean, and heal - that’s why there is complete harmony and order in her house. At the same time, she always smiles - she rejoices at the washed stains, clean dishes, the smell of the dish, screaming children and a tired husband, as well as her mother-in-law and neighbors.	Food products (Gourmania, Sam Samych) Household appliances (Moulinex food processors, Tefal irons) Children's products (Pampers, Johnson Baby) Household chemicals (Komet, Tide, Myth) Medicines (Doctor Mom, Coldrex), etc.
2. The image of a carefree beauty.	A cheerful, young girl with an active lifestyle, without a family or job, constantly takes care of her appearance, seduces men, relaxes at resorts and parties, and goes shopping with her friends. She is subject to sudden outbursts of emotions and momentary desires.	Perfumery (Lacoste Touch of pink) Cosmetics (Maybelline) Clothes (Motivi) Accessories (Omega) Shoes (Salvatore Ferragamo) Drinks (Red's, Coca-Cola) Sports (World Class), etc.
3. Image of a business woman.	A confident, independent, purposeful, strong-willed woman with a strong gaze. She runs a business, manages a team, negotiates.	Equipment (Samsung X480, Samsung D500, LG G7030) Cars (Citroen C-Airplay, Daewoo Matiz) Food (Activia) Cosmetics (Dior) Perfumes (Chanel) Clothing (Prada)


1. The image of a sexy woman.	A woman with an ideal figure, often almost naked with a mysterious expression on her face.		Used to promote any product or service.
2. The image of a frivolous woman.	A charming blonde with a blank look who is looking for a man’s support and help.	Dominance of a man over a woman.	Cars (Mercedes-Benz) Phones (Motorola SLVR L7) Magazines (Playboy)
3. The image of a beloved woman.	A devoted woman paired with a man.		Phones (Nokia) Perfume (Solliden Him Oriflame) Cigarettes (L&M)
4. The image of a businessman.	The man has a high social status and a good career in a large company. He is stern and purposeful.	The product satisfies needs associated with achievement, power, prestige.
5. The image of a strong hero, a winner.	The man is half naked, he runs, swims - he wins. Sometimes he hugs a woman.	The product actualizes the need to be first and strong.

Bibliography.

1. Lukashova E.V. Study of the main stereotypes of the consumer behavior system in the household chemicals market // Practical Marketing. – 2006.

3. Sudakov K.V. Dynamic stereotypes, or Information imprints of reality / K.V. Sudakov. - M.: PER SE, 2002.

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behavior. It should be especially noted that risk... the ability to influence motivation consumer, his consumer behavior, stimulate not typical for him...

Academician Aleksey Alekseevich Ukhtomsky (1875-1942) studied the dominant mechanism most fully and consistently. How does a dominant arise? It is believed that the dominant goes through three stages in its development.

First stage. Dominance occurs under the influence of internal secretion (for example, puberty) and external stimuli. The dominant attracts a wide variety of stimuli as reasons for feeding.

Second stage. This is the stage of formation of a conditioned reflex according to I.P. Pavlov, when from the previous set of active excitations the dominant selects a group that is especially “interesting” for it - a selection of a stimulus for this dominant, as a result of which a conditioned reflex is formed.

Third stage. A strong connection is established between the dominant and the external stimulus so that the stimulus will evoke and reinforce it. The external environment is entirely divided into separate objects, only parts of which correspond to a certain dominant.

The dominant focus has a number of specific properties, some of which are used in advertising. These properties are the following:

Stability over time;

The ability, on the one hand, to attract various external stimuli to oneself, and on the other, to be fueled by them;

In a specific time interval (minutes, hours, and in some special cases - months and years) one dominant dominates,

The dominant is sharply weakened due to its natural resolution.

Dominant is an objectively existing mechanism of human thinking and behavior. But, unlike animals, a person is able to recognize, correct old and create new dominants.

Is it possible to purposefully form new dominants? Modern psychophysiology does not give an exact answer to this question. One thing is certain: the dominant is not fatal and before, for example, carrying out a serious advertising campaign, it is necessary to “clear the place” - at least, try to correct the previous dominants (it is not possible to slow them down completely). There are four main psychophysiological mechanisms for correcting old dominants:

The influence of the dominant was significantly weakened by rationally sublimated activity, reflecting the essence of the focus of excitation (that is, the natural resolution of the dominant);

Prohibition, inhibition “head-on”, usually expressed by self-orders such as “you can’t”, “don’t do it!”. True, their effectiveness is considered relatively low;

Transferring necessary actions to automatic mode (“automation”);

Inhibition of the old dominant by the new one is the most effective technique.

New dominants can be developed through informational, emotional, and physiological influence. It is believed that the information impact is usually the weakest. It is no coincidence that the Ministry of Health’s warning “Smoking is dangerous to your health” does not work even among medical workers - the people most informed about the consequences of smoking. In some cases, it is convenient to introduce the formation of a new dominant through a physiological mechanism, in particular through muscle actions (the advice of physiologist I.P. Pavlov is to “drive passion into the muscles” - douse yourself in cold water, chop wood, go for a run).

Thus, decision-making, intuition, insights, on the one hand, and stereotyped thinking, rejection of the new, on the other, are realized using a single psychophysiological mechanism - the principle of dominance.

In a specific advertising situation, the Client's dominant can either promote or counteract the perception of advertising. An undesirable - from the Advertiser's point of view - dominant can be slowed down by developing a new one in the Client. All other things being equal, for the development of a new dominant, physiological and emotional influences on a person are more effective than the usual verbal informational influences. For example, American car dealers know: if the Client was able to put him behind the wheel, let him feel the comfort of the seat, the smell of the upholstery, and feel the obedience of the controls, the likelihood of him buying a car increases.

At the same time, it is clear that the impact on the Client through emotional and physiological mechanisms, no matter how desirable the Advertiser, is so often unattainable for moral and economic reasons.

After some time, the dominant decreases, leaving behind stereotypes of perception, thinking and, consequently, behavior.

Basic properties of stereotypes:

The ability to influence the buyer’s decision-making, often contrary to logic. Thus, according to American researchers, up to 40% of people who rejected smoked fish had never tried it;

Depending on the nature of the attitude (positive or negative), stereotypes almost automatically “suggest” some arguments in relation to the advertised product and crowd out others that are opposite to the first;

A stereotype, in contrast to a “need in general,” has pronounced specificity. Stereotypes can be: positive, negative, neutral (they are also called “famous but indifferent” stereotypes).

The advertiser’s task is to identify possible stereotypes of potential buyers and, with the help of advertising influence, correct them: a positive stereotype - to strengthen, a negative one - to neutralize or weaken, a neutral one - to make positive.

Basic techniques for identifying stereotypes.

Detection of persistent topics of conversation regarding the product among friends and buyers;

Conducting surveys, interviews, questionnaires in small focus groups;

Acceptance of an unfinished sentence, when the buyer continues the phrase begun by the advertiser in relation to a particular product;

Using the method of identifying associations, when a small group of respondents is asked to write for 30 seconds what they associate with this or that product, this or that company. Typical questions that customers are asked are: “What do these products remind you of?”, “What objects do they resemble?”, “Whose actions does this resemble?”, “Are these objects (actions) pleasant or unpleasant for you?” and etc.;

As you know, any information, influencing a person, can create a socio-psychological attitude in him (attitude, from the French attitude - position). Attitude is usually understood as a person’s internal psychological readiness for any action. However, the formation of a socio-psychological attitude, including a consumer one, can occur under external influence. In this case, the attitude itself turns out to be equivalent to the need.

It is believed that the dominant goes through three stages in its development:

At the second stage, from the previous set of active excitations, the dominant selects a group that is especially “interesting” for it, as a result of which a conditioned reflex is formed;

The dominant focus has a number of specific properties, some of which are used in advertising. These properties are the following:

Stability over time;

The ability, on the one hand, to attract various external stimuli to oneself, and on the other, to be fueled by them;

In a specific interval of time (minutes, hours, and in some special cases - months and years) one dominant dominates;

The dominant is sharply weakened due to its natural resolution.

A dominant is an objectively existing mechanism of human thinking and behavior; however, a person is capable of recognizing, correcting previous ones and creating new dominants.

Researchers have found that in the flow of different and often contradictory information, the buyer does not choose exactly the information that could lead him to a rational, if not optimal, choice. On the contrary, in this situation he tries to grab onto the information that confirms his usual ideas and initial attitudes and which does not contradict the choice he made before.

We can talk about an internal conflict, about the emergence of dissonance in the mind of a potential buyer, when his previous attitudes and habitual purchasing stereotypes conflict with the information falling upon him. It is in the interests of the advertiser that;

The potential buyer’s attachment to the product, as well as his anticipation of risk, was quite strong;

The source of information causing dissonance in the Buyer’s mind inspired him with confidence;

The dissonance arose at a favorable time, that is, shortly before and a little after the moment of important choice.

In such a situation of psychological discomfort, everyone tries to reduce such a violation of harmony in order to get rid of the associated state of tension. To this end, they either avoid information that sows doubts, or refuse to trust the source of such information, or cut off access to it, giving preference to information of the opposite kind, which does not contradict the consumer’s own wishes. The advertiser must act unobtrusively, trying to instill deep trust in the buyer, make every effort to prevent dissonance or reduce it not only before, but especially after the purchase, when the consumer is most sensitive to anything that may question his choice. It is at this moment, when he wants to be supported in his choice, to approve it, that the consumer is especially receptive to any information - direct or indirect. He just wants to be convinced; moreover, now he himself is ready to convince potential buyers.

Since there are desirable and undesirable dominants, it is useful to become familiar with psychophysiological methods for correcting undesirable dominants. Here are some of them:

The influence of the dominant is significantly weakened by rationally sublimated activity, reflecting the essence of the source of excitation;

Prohibition, inhibition “head-on”, usually expressed by self-orders such as “you can’t”, “don’t do it!”. True, their effectiveness is considered relatively low;

Transferring necessary actions to automatic mode;

Inhibition of the former dominant by the new one is the most effective technique.

It is often effective to form a new dominant through an emotional mechanism. Thus, American car dealers put a potential buyer behind the wheel and let him feel the comfort of the seat, the smell of the upholstery, and the obedience of the control systems. Practice shows that the likelihood of buying a car after this, as a rule, increases.

After some time, the dominant decreases, leaving behind stereotypes of perception, thinking and, consequently, behavior.

Basic properties of stereotypes:

The ability to influence the buyer’s decision-making, often contrary to logic. Thus, according to American researchers, up to 40% of people who rejected smoked fish never tried it.

tried;

A stereotype, in contrast to a “need in general,” has pronounced specificity.

There are stereotypes:

Positive;

Negative;

Neutral. They are also called stereotypes of "fame,

but indifference."

The advertiser’s task is to identify possible stereotypes of potential buyers and, with the help of advertising influence, correct them: strengthen a positive stereotype, neutralize or weaken a negative one, make a neutral one positive.

Basic techniques for identifying stereotypes:

Detection of persistent topics of conversation regarding the product among friends and buyers;

Conducting surveys, interviews, questionnaires in small focus groups;

Acceptance of an unfinished sentence, when the buyer continues the phrase begun by the advertiser in relation to a particular product;

What do these products remind you of?

what objects do they resemble?

Whose actions does this resemble?

Are these objects (actions) pleasant or unpleasant to you? and etc.;

Building a chain of buyer actions: a chain of buyer actions is built, starting from the stage “Learned about the product” and ending with the action “Told friends about this product”;

for each action, positive and negative stereotypes characteristic of a given buyer are indicated; from all the stereotypes, the most significant ones for beds are selected and advertising is made taking them into account; The technique is called “What do you remember...?”, “What surprised you...?”. These questions are asked suddenly, in an outwardly detached voice, about introducing buyers to a particular product or advertisement.

As an example, let us cite domestic myths and stereotypes associated with the perception of advertising in Russia.

There is a certain universal trick that all clients always like. This is a one-time trick. The key to advertising is to find that killer trick..

The perceptual error here consists of the advertiser overestimating the meaning of the slogan (advertising appeal) or trademark. In reality, any advertising campaign is almost always a system of interconnected strategies and tactics. "Trick advertising", especially if the goods and services are little known to potential customers, can both attract the consumer's attention and scare them away. It is no coincidence that high-level advertising professionals believe that the success of original advertising depends not on extraordinary words and pictures, but on the creation of new relationships from familiar words and pictures, that is, new stereotypes.

Otherwise, this thesis can be formulated as follows: in advertising, everyone is an expert, but the boss is doubly so. It should be noted that the limitations of this approach are already obvious to many advertisers. Life itself shows that advertising should be aimed at attracting consumers, and not at satisfying the vanity of the boss.

In fact, any, even the highest quality, advertising becomes annoyingly unpleasant over time, and then they stop perceiving it.

Most likely this is not the case. Even the publication of a series of advertisements in various publications and the production of an advertising booklet for a company is not yet an advertising campaign. Although there is still no clear boundary between advertising text and advertising campaigns. An advertising campaign is considered to be a system of promotions based on the physiological, emotional and, of course, informational level of the consumer.

You can, of course, but in one place and only once. Advertising stimulates the sale of good goods and services and accelerates the failure of bad ones, especially when the market capacity is small and consumers intensively communicate with each other. It is believed that the higher the cost of a purchase, the lower the likelihood that it will be made under the pressure of direct advertising.

The specifics of Russia are an objective reality. In addition, advertising in the West is a multi-billion dollar investment, and all practitioners carefully guard their “know how”. It is neither possible nor necessary to mechanically transfer Western advertising strategies to Russia; this would be a mistake, since the economy of the transition period of post-Soviet Russia is incomparable with the largely stable economy of the capitalist West.

Related information.

attitudes and stereotypes in advertising practice

Any information, influencing a person, is capable of creating a socio-psychological attitude in him.

Installation- internal readiness for any action.

The formation of an attitude can occur under external influence. In this case, it is equated to a need.

Any impact on a person can be considered from the point of view of attitude theory. The installation principle is based on principle of dominance.

Human activity is determined by a dominant - a stable focus of increased excitability in the cortex and subcortex of the brain. A strong connection is established between the dominant and the external stimulus (using the mechanism of a conditioned reflex), so that the stimulus will evoke and reinforce it. The external environment contains certain signals to which the corresponding dominant necessarily reacts.

The properties of the dominant focus have a number of properties that are taken into account in advertising practice:

Stability over time.
The ability to attract certain stimuli from the external environment and be fueled by them.
In a specific time interval (minutes, hours and even in some cases months and years) one dominant dominates.
The dominant suddenly relaxes due to its natural resolution.

Perceiving heterogeneous and contradictory information coming from the external environment, a person tends to perceive information that confirms his habits, ideas, attitudes, stereotypes and does not contradict the choice made earlier.

A person develops the cognitive dissonance between information coming from outside and habitual attitudes and stereotypes.

When a consumer experiences dissonance between his usual purchasing behavior and new information, he seeks to get rid of the discomfort and takes the following actions:

Avoids dissonant information.
Refuses to trust the source of this information.
Stops access to dissonant information, giving preference to information of the opposite kind, which does not conflict with habitual behavior.

Prohibition, inhibition “head-on”, usually expressed by orders such as “you can’t”, “don’t do it”. Efficiency is low.
Transferring necessary actions to automatic mode.
Inhibition of the former dominant by the new one. The most effective technique.

The development of new dominants is carried out through informational, emotional and physiological influence. Information impact is the least effective.

Etc. “Smoking is harmful to your health” does not work even among medical professionals, where they are most aware of the consequences of smoking.

Emotional impact is more effective.

Etc. when selling cars, the client is seated in the car, they are allowed to feel the ease of entry, the smell of the interior, and the obedience of the control systems.

Basic properties of stereotypes:

The ability to influence consumer decision making, contrary to logic.
Etc. 40% of people who reject smoked fish have never tried it.
Depending on the nature of the attitude (positive or negative), stereotypes automatically suggest certain arguments regarding the advertised product and crowd out others that are opposite to the first.
A stereotype, in contrast to a “need in general,” has pronounced specificity.

There are stereotypes:

positive;
negative;
neutral, the stereotype of “famous but indifferent.”

As an example, let us give domestic myths and stereotypes associated with the perception of advertising in Russia:

There is a certain universal trick that all clients always like. This is a one-time trick. The main thing in advertising is to find that killer trick.
The perception error here is that the advertiser overestimates the meaning of the slogan or trademark. Any advertising campaign is almost always a system of interconnected strategies and tactics. High-level advertising professionals believe that the success of original advertising does not depend on extraordinary words and pictures, but on the creation of new relationships from familiar words and pictures, i.e. new stereotypes.
Advertising should not please the client, but the advertiser, the person who signs the papers to pay for advertising services.
The more advertising, the better. The company's advertising should be unchanged - this makes it easier to identify.
Optimally, advertising should contain constant, clearly identifiable elements, but some of them should be periodically modified. Even the best advertising becomes annoyingly unpleasant over time.
With the help of good advertising, you can consistently sell mediocre quality goods and services.
It is possible, but in one place and once.
The more expenses, the better the advertising.
Advertising effectiveness is the quotient of the result divided by the costs. There are three ways to increase the effectiveness of advertising: increase results, reduce costs, or do both at the same time.
Advertising is omnipotent.
Advertising is an important, but not the only link in the chain: production - marketing - advertising - sales.

structure of needs and motives

Products and services exist to satisfy consumer needs. Needs are closely related to the object that can satisfy them. Moreover, the need is often recognized at the moment when the object of need appears.

Etc. Housewives had no need for vacuum cleaners until they appeared.

a person knows what is happening to him and can explain it;
a person is aware of his feelings, but cannot explain the reason for their occurrence;
a person knows nothing about his condition or the reasons that caused it.

The second and third states are the area of motive analysis.

The motivation of a person’s behavior is determined by his value concepts.

Hierarchy of human needs:

Objective need— the consumer does not yet realize his need for a product or service.
Perceived need- the consumer is aware of his need for something, but the object of need has not yet been found.
Search for options for satisfaction- very often the choice is determined by random facts, and not rationally.
Trial consumption.
Evaluation of results- if the assessment is positive, the person becomes a supporter of this product or service.

Each stage has its own strategy and tactics of the advertising campaign. At the first stage, when a conscious need has not yet formed, long-term, powerful, well-thought-out and usually expensive advertising is needed, including a wide range of channels and methods of psychological influence.

At the stage of searching for options, it is used image advertising.

Classification of motives

Emotional motives, pursuit:
- Gain attractiveness.
- Keep the attention of loved ones.
- Stand out from the crowd of your own kind.
- Arouse admiration.
- To be accepted in a certain environment.
- Overcome fear.
- To satisfy curiosity.
- Feel comfortable.
Rational motives:
- Low prices.
- Durability.
- Practicality.
- Economical.
Utilitarian motives— first of all, the operational characteristics of the product are taken into account: warranty period, ability to send for repairs, etc. Advertising must indicate such characteristics as reliability, durability, ease of use, etc.
Aesthetic motives- are among the strongest and most durable. First of all, the appearance, packaging, attractiveness of the form, and the ability to harmonize with other items are assessed. In advertising: “modern design solutions”, “harmony of color and shape”, “nobility of lines”, etc.
Motives of prestige— goods as an indicator of social status, position in society or in a certain social group.
Etc. O. Feofanov (master of domestic advertising) asked one English millionaire what kind of car he drives. He replied that he was on a Jaguar. “Can’t you really afford to buy a Rolls Royce?” I'll buy it when I'm made sir, but now I'll be considered an upstart. After some time, he was made a sir and he bought himself this car.
Motives of assimilation and motives of fashion- use of celebrities in advertising. The consumer, when buying a product, identifies himself with the celebrity and feels included in the lifestyle, in the circle to which the celebrity belongs. The motive of assimilation is considered a very strong motive.
Self-affirmation motive- at the end of the 20th century, the consumption of goods turns into a form of self-realization. In modern society, individuals no longer compete with each other for the possession of goods; they realize themselves in their consumption, each for himself. There is a game of increasing social status.
The motives of assimilation and self-affirmation are two opposites. The advertisement subtly plays on a psychological paradox. Advertising, presenting a certain product to the consumer, appeals to the instinct of solidarity. However, the consumer buys this thing primarily in order to be different from others. People still want what others don’t have, and at the same time, the vast majority of them want only one thing - to own what others have. This explains the duality of advertising. Advertising actively uses two formulas at the same time: “Buy this because it’s like nothing else” and “Buy this because everyone uses it.” Everyone feels original, although everyone is similar to each other.
The same purpose is served by the use of the address “You” in advertising messages. On the one hand, this is a polite address in a single person, i.e. personalization; on the other hand, it is an appeal to the collective in the plural. Therefore, the advertising appeal “You” is more appropriate than the appeal “You”.
Motives of tradition— are determined by the national and cultural specifics of different regions.

Other underlying motives often used in advertising campaigns:

Feeling confident.
Reliability.
Self-satisfaction.
Creative inclinations (repair, preparation of various dishes from advertised goods).
Objects of love.
Family traditions (“The good old days—the native sweet homemade wine that grandma made”).
Immortality (in insurance - you will take care of your family even after death).
Envy.
Incredulity (“Don’t believe me? Call and see!”).
Flattery (“Serious dogs for very serious people”).
Just acquisition - psychologists believe that the passion for acquisition is a natural property for 90% of people.

attitude theory in advertising

Classic installation example - "Charpentier illusions": the subject was asked to determine which of two balls of different size but equal in mass was heavier. The vast majority of respondents were wrong. Installation: when objects have different sizes, the one whose size is larger should be heavier.

T.ob. the installation can have a fairly strong impact on the perception of reality.

The emergence of attitudes occurs unconsciously, even if the information on the basis of which it appeared was conscious. Fixation of the installation occurs mainly as a result repeated exposure installation incentives. An attitude may arise from a single contact with an object, but repetition provides a stronger and longer-lasting effect.

Attitude plays a significant role in the decision-making process. According to experts, due to the effect of the installation:

Perception becomes selective; those objects that correspond to the setting are selected and perceived from the environment.
The same environment causes different reactions due to the fact that the attitude makes a person more sensitive to objects associated with it.
The installation leads to a distortion of perception.

Peculiarities of perception and processing of information from the point of view of attitude theory.

Selectivity of perception performs an important function - it sorts all impulses from the external environment and sends into consciousness only those that correspond to various attitudes towards the perception of information. The advertiser can control selectivity. Interest in information may depend not only on its value for the consumer - content and form, but also on the number of repetitions (with repetition, the degree of influence of external factors (the appeal itself) on the selection of information in many cases may become predominant). Research has shown that as the number of repetitions increases, the degree of attention to repetition changes. The accumulated information influences the perception of new information, and all information from advertising messages is taken into account when perceiving the product.

The influence of the attitude extends to the sphere of behavior and the development of a positive attitude towards the transaction. If a buyer sees a familiar product that has been advertised for a long time (a strong attitude has been formed), then he will unconsciously reproduce the accumulated information about this object and will be able to use it when choosing behavior in making a purchase decision.

Etc. Housewives were offered the same washing powder, but in packages of different colors. The powder in the yellow package was considered too strong; those who used the powder in the blue package were considered too soft. The powder in yellow boxes with blue stripes was considered optimal. Similar results were obtained in experiments with coffee and cigarettes.

As an installation you can use argumentation in favor of using the product.

Etc. consumers were offered as if 4 types of beer "Anheuser-Busch", which were actually exactly the same. Each variety was accompanied by different advertising information. Consumers stated that they had tried various beers and could tell the difference between them.

In addition to objective arguments in favor of purchasing a product, phrases such as “new perfect taste”, “excellent chocolate”, etc., which are aimed at creating a positive attitude, are all effective in advertising. After the consumer tries the product and again encounters information about it, he can unconsciously remember the elements of the appeal, including the given phrases. This slight difference can provide a tangible advantage to the product and benefit to the consumer. T.ob. You can awaken interest first in the perception of information, then in the product itself.

The attitude acts as a link between logical arguments about the product and human needs. Therefore, to ensure sales, it is impossible to just form a strong attitude towards the perception of the product. In addition, the product must have an attractive appearance and meet the needs of people.

advertising hypnosis (l.p. grimak)

Among the many behavioral stereotypes of a person, repressed into the sphere of the unconscious mind, there are two cardinal formations that determine the vital stability of an individual.

The first includes the constantly active desire to live, recognized as the original will to be. It is clear that in a world where the superiority of good over evil is far from obvious, this attitude must be super-strong, and therefore it has the character of an amnesic hypnotic suggestion, immersed in the subconscious.

The second behavioral stereotype is manifested by the desire to have something necessary for existence and represents a strong urge to possess. Advertising has become a necessary pre-ownership accessory.

It is very important that the process of possession, whatever its nature, is accompanied by positive reinforcement, i.e. pleasure. The latter was fixed in phylogeny as a reward for achievement. Therefore, anticipated pleasure serves as a powerful engine on the path to any kind of possession and achievement.

Depending on the content of actualized needs, it is necessary to distinguish the following types of possessions, which are differently reflected in modern advertising.

Possession of being(experience of health, vitality).
Etc. travel, sports, sex, tourism; medications.
Possession of food- the most important need of a person, like any other living being. This type of possession - the most ancient - manifests itself in the form of incorporation - absorption of an edible product. E. Fromm believes that there are many other forms of incorporation that are not directly related to physiological needs.
“The essence of the attitude inherent in consumerism,” says the author, “is the desire to absorb the whole world. Need is an eternal baby demanding a pacifier.” This confirms such widespread phenomena as alcoholism, drug addiction, and smoking.
Possession of an object of sexual gratification or a symbolic substitute, including images of the female (less often male) body - the most common type of satisfaction of desires.
Possession of a certain material condition(property, money, real estate). It is this group that makes up the overwhelming number of consumers of advertising services, for whom possession is the meaning of life, and advertising itself is the main driver of their consumption.
Possession of skill.
Possession of spiritual achievements.
Advertising today does not care at all about the spiritual achievements of its clients, since spirituality is the main opponent of materialism, which provides super-income to advertisers.
Possession of information.

As you know, any information, influencing a person, can create a socio-psychological attitude (attitude, from the French attitude - position). Attitude is usually understood as a person’s internal psychological readiness for any action. However, the formation of a socio-psychological attitude, including a consumer one, can occur under external influence. In this case, the attitude itself turns out to be equivalent to the need.

Psychophysiologists are well aware that human activity is largely determined by the dominant - a stable focus of increased excitability in the cortex and subcortex of the brain. This is that mysterious “something” that prevents or, on the contrary, forces a person to take any actions in certain situations.

It is believed that the dominant goes through three stages in its development:

– at the first stage, the dominant arises under the influence of internal chemical and biological processes, on the one hand, and external stimuli, on the other hand. The dominant attracts a variety of stimuli as reasons for feeding;

– at the second stage, from the previous set of active excitations, the dominant selects a group that is especially “interesting” for it, as a result of which a conditioned reflex is formed;

– at the third stage, a strong connection is established between the dominant and the external stimulus, so that the stimulus will evoke and reinforce it. The external environment contains certain signals to which the corresponding dominant necessarily reacts.

The dominant focus has a number of specific properties, some of which are used in advertising. These properties are the following:

– stability over time;

– the ability, on the one hand, to attract various external stimuli to oneself, and on the other hand, to be fueled by them;

– in a specific time interval (minutes, hours, and in some special cases – months and years) one dominant dominates;

– the dominant is sharply weakened due to its natural resolution.

A dominant is an objectively existing mechanism of human thinking and behavior; nevertheless, a person is capable of recognizing, correcting previous ones and creating new dominants.

Researchers have found that in the flow of various and often contradictory information, the buyer does not choose exactly the information that could lead him to a rational, if not optimal, choice. On the contrary, in this situation he tries to grab onto information that confirms his usual ideas and initial attitudes and which does not contradict the choice he made before.

– the potential buyer’s attachment to the product, as well as his anticipation of risk, was quite strong;

– the source of information causing dissonance in the buyer’s mind inspired him with confidence;

– dissonance arose at a favorable time, that is, shortly before and a little after the moment of an important choice.

The advertiser must act unobtrusively, trying to instill deep trust in the buyer, make every effort to prevent dissonance or reduce it not only before, but especially after the purchase, when the consumer is most sensitive to anything that may question his choice. It is at this moment, when he wants to be supported in his choice, to approve it, that the consumer is especially receptive to any information - direct or indirect. He just wants to be convinced; moreover, now he himself is ready to convince potential buyers.

Since there are desirable and undesirable dominants, it is useful to become familiar with psychophysiological methods for correcting undesirable dominants. Here are some of them:

– the influence of the dominant is significantly weakened by rationally sublimated activity, reflecting the essence of the source of excitation;

– prohibition, inhibition “head-on”, usually expressed by self-orders such as “you can’t”, “don’t do it!”. True, their effectiveness is considered relatively low;

– transferring necessary actions to automatic mode;

– inhibition of the previous dominant by the new one is the most effective technique.

After some time, the dominant decreases, leaving behind stereotypes of perception, thinking and, consequently, behavior.

Basic properties of stereotypes:

– the ability to influence the buyer’s decision-making, often contrary to logic. Thus, according to American researchers, up to 40% of people who rejected smoked fish had never tried it;

– depending on the nature of the attitude (positive or negative), stereotypes almost automatically “suggest” some arguments regarding the advertised product and crowd out others that are opposite to the first;

– a stereotype, in contrast to “need in general,” has pronounced specificity.

There are stereotypes:

– positive;

– negative;

– neutral. They are also called “famous but indifferent” stereotypes. -»

Basic techniques for identifying stereotypes:

– detection of stable topics of conversation regarding the product among friends and buyers;

– conducting surveys, interviews, questionnaires in small focus groups;

– acceptance of an unfinished sentence, when the buyer continues the phrase begun by the advertiser in relation to a particular product;

– using the method of identifying associations, when a small group of respondents is asked to write for 30 seconds what they associate with this or that product, this or that company. Typical questions that customers are asked:

What do these products remind you of?

what objects do they resemble?

Whose actions does this resemble?

Are these objects (actions) pleasant or unpleasant to you? and etc.;

– building a chain of buyer actions: a chain of buyer actions is built, starting from the stage

“Learned about the product” and ending with the action “Told friends about this product”;

for each action, positive and negative stereotypes characteristic of a given buyer are indicated;

from all the stereotypes, the most significant ones for buyers are selected and advertising is made taking them into account;

As an example, let us cite domestic myths and stereotypes associated with the perception of advertising in Russia.

There is a certain universal trick that all clients always like. This is a one-time trick. The main thing in advertising is to find that stunning trick. "

The perceptual error here consists of the advertiser overestimating the meaning of the slogan (advertising appeal) or trademark. In reality, any advertising campaign is almost always a system of interconnected strategies and tactics. “Trick advertising,” especially if the products and services are little known to potential customers, can both attract the attention of the consumer and scare him away. It is no coincidence that high-level advertising professionals believe that the success of original advertising depends not on extraordinary words and pictures, but on the creation of new relationships from familiar words and pictures, that is, new stereotypes.

In fact, any, even the highest quality, advertising becomes annoyingly unpleasant over time, and then they stop perceiving it.

The specificity of Russia is an objective reality. In addition, advertising in the West is a multi-billion dollar investment, and all practitioners carefully guard their “know how”. It is neither possible nor necessary to mechanically transfer Western advertising strategies to Russia; this would be a mistake, since the economy of the transition period of post-Soviet Russia is incomparable with the largely stable economy of the capitalist West.