The Psychology of

Advertising
Nick Kolenda

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www.nickkolenda.com

COPYRIGHT 2016 KOLENDA ENTERTAINMENT LLC

Intro ............................................................................5
The Content ..............................................................6
Images ............................................................................................6
Tactic 1: Position Images and Graphics on the Left ...............................6
Tactic 2: Depict Products to Encourage Mental Interaction ...............8
Tactic 3: Orient Models Gazes Toward Your CTA ...................................11
Tactic 4: Show Attractive Models (When Relevant) .............................. 13

Words .............................................................................................15
Tactic 5: Enlarge Words That Convey an Emotion .................................15
Tactic 6: Mention Multiple Features (But Not Usage) ...........................16
Tactic 7: Use Assertive Language for Hedonic Products ......................17
Tactic 8: Rhyme Your Slogan or Call-to-Action ........................................19

Brand/Logo ..................................................................................20
Tactic 9: Position Your Brand Toward the Right .....................................20
Tactic 10: Increase the Surface Size of Your Brand ................................ 21

The Visuals ...............................................................24

Fonts ...............................................................................................24
Tactic 11: Use Long Thin Lines to Convey Beauty .................................. 24
Tactic 12: Use Obscure Typefaces to Convey Uniqueness ................... 27
Tactic 13: Use Slanted Letters to Convey Speed ...................................... 28

Colors .............................................................................................29
Tactic 14: Use Red for Prevention-Framed Ads .......................................29
Tactic 15: Use Blue for Gain-Framed Ads ................................................... 30
Tactic 16: Reduce Color Levels in Content-Filled Ads ..........................31

The Context ..............................................................33

Framing .........................................................................................33
Tactic 17: Use Rational Appeals for New Markets .................................. 33

Tactic 18: Use Emotional Appeals for Old Markets ................................ 34

Tactic 19: Use Negative Framing to Spark Action ...................................35
Tactic 20: Use Positive Framing to Be Memorable .................................36

Variations ......................................................................................38
Tactic 21: Move the Position of Your Brand/Logo .................................. 38
Tactic 22: Replace Models to Resemble Each Segment ........................39
Tactic 23: Disperse Your Ad Exposures Over Time ................................ 41

Medium ..........................................................................................42
Tactic 24: Place Print Ads on Left Pages .....................................................42
Tactic 25: Choose Mediums With Semantic Congruence ....................44
Tactic 26: Avoid Mediums That Depict a Paid Placement ...............45
Tactic 27: Place Ads Toward the Ends of Mediums ................................ 46

Conclusion ................................................................48

INTRO
Welcome to a comprehensive resource for advertisers.
Whether youre creating
A print ad for a magazine
A banner ad on Facebook
Some other promotional piece (e.g., postcard, brochure)

youll learn 27 psychological tactics to make it more effective.

All of these techniques are based on academic research in consumer
behavior. For each tactic, youll learn (a) why its effective, and (b) how
you can incorporate that principle into your ad.

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THE CONTENT
An advertisement usually contains three elements: images, words, and
a brand/logo.

IMAGES
What types of images should you use? The ideal characteristics will
usually vary, depending on your product. But this section will describe
tactics that should work for any advertisement, regardless of your
product.

TACTIC 1: POSITION IMAGES AND GRAPHICS ON THE LEFT

When creating your ad, you need to consider the spatial positioning of
images and text. Why? Because the elements of your ad should coincide
with the anatomy of your visual pathway:

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When you perceive stimuli toward one side of your field of vision
either the left or the right your opposing hemisphere processes that
information:
a stimulus presented in the left visual field (LVF) is
initially received and processed by the right
hemisphere (RH), and a stimulus presented in the
right visual field (RVF) is initially projected to and
processed by the left hemisphere (LH) (Bourne,
2006, pp. 374)

Due to that neuroanatomical structure, your right hemisphere

processes information presented toward the left of an advertisement:

And those opposing hemispheres are the key

Because the right hemisphere is better suited to
process pictorial information and the left one is more
logical and verbal, placing the image on the left hand
side of the text enhances the processing of the whole
message... (Grobelny & Michalski, 2015, pp. 87)

When you place images and graphics toward the left side of your ad,
you increase processing -luency. People will digest your ad more
quickly, generating a more favorable evaluation (Alter & Oppenheimer,
2009).
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TACTIC 2: DEPICT PRODUCTS TO ENCOURAGE MENTAL

INTERACTION
If you only read one tactic in this articleread this one. This tactic is (a)
very powerful (b) easy-to-implement, and (c) virtually unused by most
businesses.
When businesses create product images, they often depict the product
without much thought. Starting now, always depict your product so
that you achieve an underlying goal: to encourage mental interaction.
Heres an example. Elder and Krishna (2012) showed participants an
ad for a coffee mug. Turns out, participants were more likely to
purchase the mug when the handle was facing the right (toward the
dominant hand of most people).

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The researchers attributed that finding to heightened simulation. When

the handles were facing the right, participants mentally interacted with
the product to a greater degree. In other experiments, that effect
disappeared when participants were holding something:
when participants have their dominant hand
available, the corresponding visual product depiction
leads to higher purchase intentions; however, when
the dominant hand is occupied, the effects are
reversed. (Elder & Krishna, 2012, pg. 9)

Thats great, Nick. But my product doesnt have a handle.

Dont have a handle? No worries. The researchers conducted other
experiments and found support for other types of simulations. Here are
some ideas:

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Place an instrument or utensil on the right:

Position the opening of your product toward the viewer:

Remove products from the packaging:

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You could use those images anywhere (e.g., advertisements, eBay,

eCommerce sites). In most cases, those images will make your product
more appealing because theyll increase the amount of mental
interaction.

TACTIC 3: ORIENT MODELS GAZES TOWARD YOUR CTA

As humans, we experience an inborn tendency to follow peoples gazes.
That trait helped our ancestors discover threats more easily. And,
thanks to evolution, that trait is still ingrained in our amygdala (Emery,
2000).
You can apply that tendency in your ads. If your ad contains pictures of
people, orient them toward your CTA. Youll attract more attention
toward that area:

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You should usually avoid orienting models toward the viewer. Those
front-facing images will attract attention toward the model, instead of
the important parts of your ad:

Some nonprofits or charities might benefit from those front-facing

images (I explain why in my article on stock photos). However, you
should usually orient models gazes toward your CTA.

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TACTIC 4: SHOW ATTRACTIVE MODELS (WHEN RELEVANT)

Do attractive people really enhance the persuasiveness of an ad?
Unfortunately, yes. Youll usually trigger a more favorable evaluation of
your product when you show attractive people (Trampe, Stapel, Siero &
Mulder, 2010).
However, thats not always the case. You might want to avoid this tactic
if your product is irrelevant to attractiveness:
when examining the results for the attractive model
condition, there appears to be one condition in which
an attractive model is not the best choice: when
elaboration likelihood (or involvement) is high, and the
target product is not very relevant for
attractiveness. (Trampe et al., 2010, pp. 1117)

Which products are relevant to attractiveness? Here are some

examples.
Relevant
Luxury (e.g., sports car)
Appearance (e.g., lotion)

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Art & Beauty (e.g., make-up)

Health (e.g., fitness product)

Not Relevant
Technology (e.g., software)
Food (e.g., restaurant)
Office Supplies (e.g., printer)
Home Dcor (e.g., furniture)

It also depends on your positioning. For example, some brands might

use an artistic positioning for their home dcor products. In that case,
an attractive model might fit naturally within their ad. For most brands,
however, an attractive model would seem irrelevant.
Trampe et al. (2010) didnt explain why you need relevance. But heres
my take: irrelevant products reveal your underlying motive.
If you use an attractive model to sell a toaster, people will know that
youre trying to persuade them. So theyll experience psychological
reactance and fight your persuasion attempt (Brehm, 1966).
The main takeaway? Attractive models usually enhance persuasion, but
you need a relevant product to disguise your persuasive motive.

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WORDS
Wording is also crucial. In my copywriting article, I explain a list of
tactics to make your writing more persuasive. In this current article,
youll learn some new tactics that are specifically geared toward
advertising.

TACTIC 5: ENLARGE WORDS THAT CONVEY AN EMOTION

Images trigger emotion in accordance with their size. The larger the
image, the stronger the emotion (De Cesarei & Codispoti, 2006).
And that finding makes sense. In terms of evolution, our ancestors
judged a potential threat based on its perceived size:
in real life, the distance from an object influences
its biological relevance for the organismAggressors,
for example, appear to be more dangerous the closer
they get to the individual. (Bayer, Sommer, & Shacht,
2012, pp. 5)

Words are different. Theyre symbolic in nature. People need to

decipher the meaning of a word in order to experience an emotional
reaction to it.
Given that symbolic nature, can wording size play a role in emotional
impact? Turns out, it can. By increasing the surface size of your text
especially emotional words youll enhance the emotional impact of
those words (Bayer, Sommer, & Shacht, 2012).
Youll also gain another benefit. Pieters & Wedel (2004) analyzed 1,363
advertisements and found that words capture attention in direct
accordance with their surface size:
an increase in text surface size raises attention to
this element much more than it simultaneously
reduces attention to the brand and pictorial
elements[so] advertisers aiming to maximize
attention to the entire advertisement should seriously

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consider devoting more space to text. (Pieters &

Wedel, 2004, pp. 48)

Thus, not only will your enlarged words produce a stronger impact, but
theyll also capture attention more easily.

TACTIC 6: MENTION MULTIPLE FEATURES (BUT NOT USAGE)

People generally prefer products with many features:
As long as the features of a many-feature product
add value to the product, consumers will be more
likely to favor a many-featured product over a fewfeatured product. (Goodman & Irmak, 2013, pp. 45)

Generally, people perceive long lists of features to be more persuasive

than short lists (Petty & Cacioppo, 1984).
Theres a caveat, however. People often overestimate their usage of
features. Most people prefer paying flat fees (versus paying per use)
because they overestimate the amount that theyll use a product
(Nunes, 2000).
In fact, a long list of features can backfire if consumers consider their
usage. When consumers think about their usage, they shift their
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preference toward products with fewer features (Goodman & Irmak,

2013).
In your ad, you could highlight multiple features about your product.
But you need to avoid framing those features in terms of usage:
the results suggest that marketers avoid any focus
or priming of feature usage frequency, which can
decrease preference for multifunctional products;
instead, focusing the consumer on having a feature
will be more likely to drive purchases (Goodman &
Irmak, 2013, pp. 52)

Avoid describing the usefulness or practicality of features. Instead,

mention that your product has the capability.

TACTIC 7: USE ASSERTIVE LANGUAGE FOR HEDONIC PRODUCTS

In this copywriting article, I describe the danger of assertive language.
If readers feel like youre trying to persuade them, they might
experience psychological reactance (and theyll fight your persuasion
attempt).

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But theres an exception. Assertive language can improve

advertisements for hedonic products (Kronrod, Grinstein, & Wathieu,
2012).
The reason involves a connection between positive moods and
assertiveness:
hedonic consumption contexts are more likely to
generate a positive mood, which in turn prompts
consumers to expect assertive language and then to
comply with requests using such language. (Kronrod
et al., 2012, pg. 8)

When people feel happy, they talk more assertively (and expect people
to speak more assertively). And those expectations are the key.
Because consumers will expect assertiveness, your assertive language
will increase processing fluency. Theyll be able to process your ad
more easily which will produce a pleasant sensation. That pleasant
sensation will then be misattributed to your product (Alter &
Oppenheimer, 2009).

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TACTIC 8: RHYME YOUR SLOGAN OR CALL-TO-ACTION

The previous tactic showed that assertive language can increase
processing fluency for hedonic products. The same effect also occurs
with rhyming. But that effect occurs for any product.
In fact, a simple rhyme may have dictated the outcome of the O.J.
Simpson trial: If the glove doesnt -it, you must acquit.
In one study, McGlone and Tofighbakhsh (2000) presented students
with two alcohol-related frames:
Rhyme: What sobriety conceals, alcohol reveals.
No Rhyme: What sobriety conceals, alcohol unmasks.

Both statements are essentially the same. But students found the
rhyming statement to be more accurate and truthful. Why? Because it
increased fluency. When evaluating that statement, students
experienced a pleasant sensation, which they misattributed to the
underlying information.
Given the power of rhyming, consider adjusting your call-to-action:
Be a dove, show some love.
Whaddya say, donate today.
Want a tour? Drop by our store.

Those rhymes will subtly create a pleasant sensation. People will then
misattribute that pleasantness to your call-to-action, and theyll
experience a stronger desire to complete it.

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BRAND/LOGO
Your logo or brand is another integral part of your ad. In this section,
youll learn how to enhance the perception of it.

TACTIC 9: POSITION YOUR BRAND TOWARD THE RIGHT

In the first tactic of this article, you learned why you should position
images toward the left of your ad. With that position, your brains right
hemisphere can process the image more easily.
Heres a related tactic. If your imagery consumes a large portion of your
ad, then you should position your brand to the right.
That suggestion is due to the matching activation hypothesis
(Janiszewski, 1990). If your image is large, then people will be
processing the ad primarily with their right hemisphere. Their left
hemisphere will be less activated.
According to the matching activation hypothesis, less activated
hemispheres are still active. They subconsciously elaborate on the
information at hand. And that nonconscious elaboration produces a
favorable response toward the information.

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When people view your image-filled ad, their left hemisphere will be
subconsciously processing the content toward the right (and they will
develop a favorable response toward that information). Thats why you
should place your brand in that spot:
placing a brand name to the right of attended
pictorial information should send it to the less
activated left hemisphere, where it will receive a
greater degree of subconscious processing than if
sent to the right hemisphereincreasing the amount
of subconscious processing should increase affect
toward the brand name.. (Janiszewski, 1990, pp. 54
55)

I realize that explanation might sound complex. So heres a separate

yet simpler reason to put your brand on the right. Other research
has found that information on the right generates higher aesthetic
scores (Grobelny & Michalski, 2005). So people should perceive your
brand to be more aesthetically pleasing.

TACTIC 10: INCREASE THE SURFACE SIZE OF YOUR BRAND

Some advertisers recommend decreasing the size of your brand. The
visual appearance of a brand can make your content look promotional,
reducing the persuasiveness of your ad.
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And it makes sense. Before doing this research, I probably would have
agreed with that claim. However, I finished scouring the research. And
that claim is inaccurate.
Pieters and Wedel (2004) measured the surface size of brands in 1,363
advertisements. They found that the surface size didnt reduce the
amount of attention:
increases in the surface size of the brand element
do not have a net negative effect on attention to the
entire advertisement. This finding should relieve
advertisers and agencies that fear that a prominent
brand would trigger consumers to turn the page
faster. (Pieters & Wedel, 2004, pp. 48)

And the effect isnt just neutral. Other research has found a positive
effect from increasing the surface size of a brand.
Wedel and Pieters (2000) showed participants various advertisements
while analyzing their eye fixations. What did they find? The brand
attracted the most amount of attention:
the brand element receives by far the most eye
fixations per unit of its surface, followed by the text
element and the pictorial [even when] consumers
freely page through magazines, and in which they
dwell only for a short moment on each ad (less than 3
seconds), the brand element draws a
disproportionately large amount of attention. (Wedel
& Pieters, 2000, pp. 308 309)

Bottom line: dont be afraid to increase the size of your brand or logo.

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THE VISUALS
The previous section explained the best content to use in your ad. But
how should that content appear? Which fonts and colors should you
use? This section will tackle that question.

FONTS
Never overlook your fonts. Visual characteristics in fonts can trigger
certain emotions in viewers (Henderson, Giese, & Cote, 2004). So fonts
play a powerful role.
How can you determine the best font to use? Youll need to consider
three main characteristics:
Line Structural component of a letter
Weight Width of an individual letter
Orientation Spatial positioning of a letter

There are other factors too. But those are the big three.
Ideally, those visual characteristics should match the conceptual
characteristics that you want to convey in your product. In other words,
the optimal font will be semantically congruent with the product that
youre advertising (Childers & Jass, 2002).
Sound like mumbo jumbo? Dont worry. By the end of this section,
youll know how to choose the optimal characteristics (i.e., line, weight,
and orientation) for your font. Once you understand the examples,
youll be able to apply the same principles to any product that youre
advertising.

TACTIC 11: USE LONG THIN LINES TO CONVEY BEAUTY

Researchers have confirmed that long thin fonts appear more beautiful:
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Typefaces that are lighter in weight (in width and

stroke thickness) are seen as delicate, gentle, and
feminine, while heavier typefaces are strong,
aggressive, and masculine (Brumberger, 2003, pp.
208)

But why is that? And how could any font possess personality? Well, the
answer can be found in your brains associative network (Anderson,
1983).
Everyone has a preconceived notion of beauty what it is and what it
looks like. In most countries (especially the US), beautiful people are
tall and slender. Thats the standard for beauty. Even if you dont
believe in that standard, you still associate those qualities because of
the cultural stigma.
And those associations are key. Due to your associative network, your
node for beauty is connected to those characteristics (among many
others):

More importantly, when you encounter stimuli that possess the

characteristics of beauty (e.g., tall, thin), it triggers spreading activation
(Collins & Loftus, 1975). Activation spreads from those characteristics
toward your node for beauty.

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That activation gives you a new temporary lens. With your concept of
beauty more prevalent, you perceive stimuli in the immediate
environment to be more beautiful. And thats the answer.
If you want to choose a beautiful font, then incorporate visual
characteristics that are associated with the concept of beauty. In other
words, choose fonts that appear tall and thin.
Those perceptual characteristics will trigger spreading activation
toward the recipients node for beauty. That heightened activation, in
turn, will make your font (and surrounding stimuli) seem more
beautiful.
In addition, that semantic congruence will increase fluency for your
font (Doyle & Bottomley, 2004). People will be able to process your font
more easily, thus generating a more favorable evaluation of it.
Suppose that youre advertising a diet plan. If you want to convey that
your solution will make people feel beautiful, then use long thin fonts.

This tactic used beauty as an example. But you could use the underlying
principle to choose any font. Here are a few more tactics to help you
apply that principle.

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TACTIC 12: USE OBSCURE TYPEFACES TO CONVEY UNIQUENESS

Suppose that your product is unique, distinguished, or luxurious. Or
perhaps the marketplace is crowded. And you want to stand out from
competitors. Your font should match the perceptual characteristics of
being unique.
For example, Pocheptsova, Labroo and Dhar (2010) showed
participants an ad for gourmet cheese. Those participants were more
likely to buy the cheese when the font was difficult to read:
In the context of everyday products, increased
fluency is a positive cue that the product is familiar
and safe which leads to higher evaluation of
productsHowever, in the context of special occasion
high-end products, higher fluency serves as a negative
cue that indicates abundance and familiarity of
products that translates into lower value Thus,
difficulty (and not ease) of processing of such
products will make them feel more
special (Pocheptsova, Labroo, & Dhar, 2010, pg. 9)

Because participants had trouble processing the font, they attributed

that difficulty to the uniqueness of the product (thus enhancing the
perceived value of the gourmet cheese).
If you want to position your product as unique or high-end, then
decrease the fluency of your advertisements. Use an obscure yet still
legible font so that people experience some difficulty processing the
ad.
In addition, when people exert greater effort to process your ad, theyll
encode the memory in greater detail (Alter et al., 2007). So not only will
obscure fonts enhance the perceived uniqueness of your product, but
theyll also create a stronger memory for your brand.

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TACTIC 13: USE SLANTED LETTERS TO CONVEY SPEED

Suppose that you want to convey the speed of your support team. Well,
how do things appear when theyre fast and quick? Oftentimes, they
seem slanted and blurry:

So choose a font with a slanted orientation. Although you could choose

a font with a tilted design, its not necessary. Italicizing your font should
do the trick.

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COLORS
Color is a touchy subject. Even though researchers have found some
interesting (and practical) insights, most people are only familiar with
the pseudoscientific claims not the accurate science.
Unfortunately, though, color is a huge topic (too big for this article). Ill
explain a full list of applications in a future article. This section will
simply focus on a few key tactics.

TACTIC 14: USE RED FOR PREVENTION-FRAMED ADS

Similar to fonts, colors also contain semantic qualities. Over time, we
begin to attribute certain qualities to certain colors:
Color theorists believe that color influences cognition
and behavior through learned associationsWhen
people repeatedly encounter situations where
different colors are accompanied by particular
experiences and/or concepts, they form specific
associations to colors. (Mehta & Zhu, 2010, pp. 1)

For example, we usually associate red with danger, threats, and

mistakes:

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Because of those associations, red activates an avoidance mindset. With

that mindset activated, people identify problems more quickly and
easily.
So if your ad is negatively framed (i.e., you describe a problem that your
product resolves), a red color scheme will trigger a stronger desire for
your product (Mehta & Zhu, 2010).

TACTIC 15: USE BLUE FOR GAIN-FRAMED ADS

What if your ad describes tangible benefits of your product? In that
case, use a blue color scheme.

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Compared to red, blue is associated with an approach mindset:

because blue is usually associated with openness,
peace, and tranquility, it is likely to activate an
approach motivation, because these associations
signal a benign environment (Mehta & Zhu, 2010,
pp. 1)

Mehta and Zhu (2010) examined red and blue color schemes. They
showed participants two different frames for a toothpaste
advertisement:
Prevention Frame: Its good for cavity prevention.
Gain Frame: Its good for teeth whitening.

The results were consistent with the learned associations. Red colors
performed better with the prevention frame, whereas blue colors
performed better with the gain frame.

TACTIC 16: REDUCE COLOR LEVELS IN CONTENT-FILLED ADS

Some advertisers argue that color ads always outperforms black-andwhite ads. But thats not the case.

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When your ad contains substantial text content and vivid colors,

viewers feel overwhelmed with stimuli. As a result, they feel less
motivated to process the contents of your ad:
If your ad requires a lot of mental processing, then black-and-white ads
perform better.
When the substantial resources devoted to ad
processing are inadequate for thorough ad scrutiny,
black-and-white ads or those that color highlight
aspects highly relevant to ad claims are more
persuasive. (Meyers-Levy & Peracchio, 1995, pp.
121)

If your ad contains a lot of text, lower the brightness or saturation of

your colors. By reducing the color levels, youll motivate more people to
evaluate your ad.
And the text will usually be easier to read as well.

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THE CONTEXT
So far, weve examined the content and visuals of your advertisement.
Now lets look at the context and environment. Specifically, youll learn
the ideal framing, variations, and medium.

FRAMING
Framing always sparks a heated debate. Should you use a rational
argument or an emotional appeal? Should you use negative or positive
framing? Those questions haunt advertisers.
Unfortunately, a clear answer doesnt exist. The best solution will
always depend on various factors. But this section will shed some light
on those factors (and when particular frames are more effective).

TACTIC 17: USE RATIONAL APPEALS FOR NEW MARKETS

If your product is new or innovative, consider using a rational appeal in
your advertisement.
when consumers have little information about a
product, they are more motivated to attend to and
process arguments in the ads. Then, if ads are to be
persuasive, they need to provide compelling
arguments that reduce purchase risks and
differentiate the product from competitors. (Chandy,
Tellis, MacInnis, & Thaivanich, 2001, pp. 401)

If consumers arent familiar with your product, theyll process your ad

in greater detail. Because theyll be devoting more attention and
cognitive resources to your ad, emotional appeals are less effective.
They need a rational reason to consider your product.

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TACTIC 18: USE EMOTIONAL APPEALS FOR OLD MARKETS

The opposite effect occurs in old markets. When consumers are
familiar with your product or brand, they devote less attention to the
ad. Thats why emotional appeals can be more effective:
In older markets, consumers may have gained
knowledge, reducing their motivation to engage in
extensive ad processing. As such, factors that
increase their personal involvement in the adlike the
use of emotion-focused appeals and positively framed
messagesmay be particularly likely to create a
behavioral response. (Chandy, Tellis, MacInnis, &
Thaivanich, 2001, pp. 411)

With familiar products, an emotional appeal will create a fresh

perspective. That new outlook, in turn, will be more likely to trigger a
behavioral response.

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TACTIC 19: USE NEGATIVE FRAMING TO SPARK ACTION

Negative frames describe a problem. What issue does your product
resolve? How will your product relieve the customers pain?
Biologically, humans are built to avoid pain. Because of that tendency,
were more apt to notice negative stimuli (Zajonc, 1984).
And that insight holds true in advertising. In advertisements, words
with negative valences attract a higher number of eye fixations
(Ferreira et al., 2011).
In addition, Bolls, Lang, and Potter (2001) used EMG to analyze
physiological responses to radio ads. They found that participants
devoted more attention to negative ads:
As predicted, heart rate was slower during exposure
to negative messages compared with positive
messages. Because past research shows that
decelerations in heart rate indicate an increase in
allocation of cognitive resources to message
processing, we suggest that the current results
indicate that participants allocated more attention to
the negative advertisements (pp. 646 647)

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Because people devote more processing resources to negatively framed

ads, those ads can also spark behavior, such as impulse purchases (Shiv,
Edell, & Payne, 1997).
If your main advertising goal is some type of immediate action (e.g.,
clicking on your banner ad), then consider using a negative frame.
Youll attract more attention, and youll be more likely to trigger an
immediate behavior.

TACTIC 20: USE POSITIVE FRAMING TO BE MEMORABLE

Positive frames describe the benefits that your product provides. What
will customers gain from buying your product?
In the previous EMG study, negatively framed ads grabbed attention.
However, positively framed ads generated a stronger impact on longterm memory:
Even though the negative advertisements received
more resource allocation, data show that the positive
advertisements were more memorable. We suggest
that this seeming contradiction can be explained not
by the amount of attention allocated to the
advertisements but rather by the levels of arousal

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experienced by participants during exposure. (Bolls,

Lang, & Potter, 2001, pp. 647)

When participants were exposed to the positively framed ads, they

experienced a higher level of arousal, which strengthened the encoding
of the memory.
Thus, if you want people to remember your brand (e.g., next time
theyre choosing a product at the store), then use positively framed ads.
Your ads will generate a stronger impact on long-term memory, and
people will be more likely to remember your brand.

But what about rational vs. emotional appeals? Where do they fit in?
Seems like a lot to remember, right?
To help you pinpoint the best framing for your ad, I organized the
previous tactics into the chart below. Whenever youre creating an ad,
you can reference this chart to know which frame you should use
(based on your market and advertising goal).

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VARIATIONS
Ideally, you should expose people to slight variations of your ad. With
repeated exposures, people begin to process your ads more easily,
generating a stronger affinity toward your brand (Zajonc, 1968).
In addition, subsequent exposures prime people to retrieve the original
ad from memory. And that mere act of retrieval solidifies their memory:
the act of retrieval is itself a learning event in the
sense that the retrieved information becomes more
recallable in the future than it would have been
without having been retrievedif P2 encourages
retrieval of P1, recall for P1 should be
enhanced. (Appleton-Knapp, Bjork, & Wickens,
2005, pp. 267)

But why create slight variations? Why not repeat the same ad? If you
repeat the same ad, youll often trigger annoyance especially for
unfamiliar brands (Campbell & Keller, 2003).
There are other reasons too. This section will explain a few tactics
applying those reasons (and how you can create ad variations that will
be effective).

TACTIC 21: MOVE THE POSITION OF YOUR BRAND/LOGO

When creating a new variation of your ad, try moving your brand or
logo to a different spot.

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Can such a small change make a difference? Researchers think so.

Shapiro and Nielson (2013) exposed participants to multiple versions
of an ad (in which the logo changed location). Even though participants
failed to recognize the change, they evaluated the logo more favorably
when it moved locations.
The researchers attributed that effect to higher processing fluency:
we demonstrate that a relatively small visual
change from one ad exposure to the next can be
detected incidentallydetection of the change likely
caused participants to deploy more processing
resources to the logos/products, in turn increasing
fluency. (Shapiro & Nielson, 2013, pp. 1211 1212)

When you add a slight visual change, people will subconsciously notice
the change. And theyll develop a stronger preference toward that
content because of higher fluency.

TACTIC 22: REPLACE MODELS TO RESEMBLE EACH SEGMENT

When choosing a model for your ad, you should choose a model that
resembles the market that youre targeting. That heightened similarity
will create a stronger appeal:
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when consumers are exposed to advertising that is

consistent with a salient dimension of their self, they
spontaneously self-reference the ad. This leads to
more favourable thoughts, attitudes and purchase
intentions. (Lee, Fernandez, & Martin, 2002, pp.
374)

But why am I including this tactic within the variations section?

Because this tactic can also help with segmentation.
Suppose that youre using Facebook ads. You might have wondered
how to use the overwhelming targeting criteria:

Well, this tactic can help you tailor your ad campaign. Instead of
displaying the same ad to everyone, replace the model with someone
who resembles a particular segment.
You could keep it broad by segmenting on gender. Show female models
for female segments. Show male models for male segments. Or you
could create narrower segments by showing models that match specific
ethnicities.
Either way, research shows that your ad will perform better when the
model resembles the segment (Forehead & Deshpande, 2001).

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TACTIC 23: DISPERSE YOUR AD EXPOSURES OVER TIME

For over a century, psychologists have appreciated the benefits of
distributed practice or spacing effects on learning. If youre
studying for an exam, you should study in increments, rather than cram
the night before. Youll encode and retrieve the information more
effectively (Anderson, 2000).
The same effect occurs in advertisements. Sahni (2011) found that
people were more likely to purchase a product if the ads were spread
apart, rather than bunched together:
The data show that at a purchase occasion, the
likelihood of a product's purchase increases if its past
ads are spread apart rather than bunched together,
even if spreading apart of ads involves shifting some
ads away from the purchase occasion. (pg. 1)

With dispersed exposures, viewers can encode and recall your ad more
effectively. Plus, highly concentrated ad schedules can often annoy
customers:
Marketers of unfamiliar brands need to build
familiarity to compete better with more familiar
brands, but they must be careful in how they use
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concentrated, high-repetition ad schedules in order to

avoid alienating consumers. (Campbell & Keller,
2003, pp. 301 302)

To avoid annoying your customers (and to gain the benefits of spacing

effects), you should spread out your ad exposures over time.

MEDIUM
Where should you advertise your product? Like the other suggestions
in the article, the best answer will always depend on various factors.
This section will explain those factors so that you can choose ad
mediums that will be favorable for your product.

TACTIC 24: PLACE PRINT ADS ON LEFT PAGES

In this pricing tactic, I explain why you should position prices toward
the bottom left. That suggestion involves our conceptualization of
number spectrums:
We associate small numbers belonging on the left and bottom.
We associate large numbers belonging on the right and top.

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If you position a price on the bottom left, youll trigger peoples

association with a small magnitude. The price will actually seem lower.
Cai, Shen, Hui (2012) examined that effect with product images. In their
study, they showed participants two lamps on a screen. The result?
Participants estimated a higher price for lamps that were presented on
the right.
So how does that finding relate to ad mediums? Well, if youre placing
your ad in a physical medium, you should place it toward the left. That
placement will lower the perceived price of your product:
Suppose consumers are trying to estimate the price
of a product they see in a newspaper. Will they
estimate a higher price for the product if the ad is on
the right-hand side of the page? Our research
indicates that this is often the case. (Cai, Shen, Hui,
2012, pp. 718)

The same effect would occur in magazines, flyers, and other physical
mediums.

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TACTIC 25: CHOOSE MEDIUMS WITH SEMANTIC CONGRUENCE

In one study, Berger and Fitzsimons (2008) asked people to choose
products in a survey. Those people were influenced by the color of the
pen they were given:
Orange pens resulted in more choices of orange products (e.g., Fanta).
Green pens resulted in more choices of green products (e.g., Sprite).

The color of the pen was a priming cue. When people were exposed to
the orange pen, their concept of orange became activated. With greater
activation of that node, their brain could process orange products more
easily. That ease, in turn, enhanced their evaluation (and subsequent
choice) of orange products.
That same effect occurs in advertising. In a separate study, participants
preferred an ad for ketchup when it was preceded by an ad for
mayonnaise (Lee & Labroo, 2004). The mayonnaise ad activated their
node for condiments, so participants could process the subsequent
ketchup ad more easily:
[when a product] is presented in a predictive
context (e.g., a bottle of beer featured in an
advertisement that shows a man entering a bar) or
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when it is primed by a related construct (e.g., an

image of ketchup following an advertisement of
mayonnaise), participants develop more favorable
attitudes... (Lee & Labroo, 2004, pp. 151)

How can you apply that principle? When choosing places to advertise
your product, choose mediums that share semantic qualities with your
product.
Are you advertising a technology product? Then advertise via
technology:
Run Facebook ads
Partner with relevant websites
Enhance your social media presence

Those mediums will prime the context of your product (i.e.,

technology). Because that priming will increase processing fluency,
people should develop a more favorable evaluation of your product.

TACTIC 26: AVOID MEDIUMS THAT DEPICT A PAID PLACEMENT

If viewers notice that you paid for your ad placement, theyll evaluate
your ad less favorably. If youre running digital ads, youll reduce the
click-through rate:
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for a random subset of users, we change

Sponsored links or Ads labels to instead read Paid
Advertisements. Relative to users receiving the
Sponsored link or Ad labels, users receiving the
Paid Advertisement label click 25% and 27% fewer
advertisements, respectively. (Edelman & Gilchrist,
2012, pg. 2)

Boerman, van Reijmersdal, and Neijens (2012) even found that the
duration of disclosure can make a difference. In their study, people
developed more critical attitudes of an advertisement based on a 6second disclosure (compared to a 3-second disclosure).

TACTIC 27: PLACE ADS TOWARD THE ENDS OF MEDIUMS

You could also place your ad toward the beginning or end of a medium,
such as the end of a magazine
Part of that recommendation stems from the serial positioning effect
(Murdock, 1962). In a sequence of information, content will generate a
stronger impact when its positioned toward the beginning (primacy
effect) or the end (recency effect).
Wedel and Pieters (2000) suggest that the end of a magazine might be
the best place. Because magazine readers are exposed to a large
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amount of information, content presented toward the end of a

magazine will be memorable:
Under high information load, earlier stimuli tend to be
displaced from short-term memory by later stimuli in
the sequence, which lowers the likelihood of the
earlier stimuli being stored and subsequently
retrievedadvertisers who seek to maximize brand
memory may want to place their ads towards the end
of magazines. (Wedel & Pieters, 2000, pp. 309)

But Id be cautious with that recommendation. Theoretically, it makes

sense. Realistically, though, some people wont reach the end of a
magazine. So the beginning might be your best bet.
Either way, avoid placing your ad in the center of a medium. That
position will generate the weakest impact on memory.

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CONCLUSION
Take a deep breath.
and let it out. Phew. You made it to the end.
And I knowI threw a lot of info at you. But dont feel overwhelmed.
When creating an ad, you dont need to incorporate all of the tactics. In
fact, you shouldnt incorporate all of the tactics.
These tactics are merely ideas. Use this guide as a starting point for
your ad. After you create it, then use this guide as a checklist to see if
you can enhance your ad. If you cant think of a way to improve it, then
move on. Dont force any of the tactics.
Academic research is great. And it can be very insightful. But at the end
of the day, common sense reigns supreme. If a tactic reduces the visual
appeal of your ad, then dont follow it. Go with your gut.
Lastly, advertising is a huge topic much too big for a single article. If
you enjoyed the article, then you can subscribe to my blog to stay
updated when I post new content.
And feel free to send me an email if you have any comments or
questions.

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