| Background |
| Paradigms |
| Connections to Advertising |
| Festinger Biography |
| Conclusions |
| References |
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Connections
to Advertising
Although Brehm and Wicklund state in their book Perspectives on Cognitive Dissonance that “the most thoroughgoing applied extensions of the theory [of cognitive dissonance] have been in the area of marketing research (288)," I believe that the theory has a solid and direct application to the field of advertising. Consumers receive more information about products than anything else in their daily lives, and generally these pieces of information are not consistent with one another. Because of this, dissonance exists in people's everyday lives and individuals are consistently trying to reduce these inconsistencies, especially after a purchase has been made (Holloway 1967, 39). By these terms, the basis for advertising is cognitive dissonance, i.e. making people question their original thoughts by using a bombardment of messages to create dissonance, ultimately ending in the consumption of products to curb such dissonance.
While there are two main instances wherein advertisers use cognitive dissonance, pre-purchase and post-purchase, I have chosen to examine four recognized applications of cognitive dissonance in advertising. The first three of these applications are used prior to a purchase, while the last is actually used to combat cognitive dissonance after a purchase has been made.
1. Producing Cognitive Dissonance in Pre-Purchase Advertising:
a. Paradox: Advertising can employ the use of seemingly different messages or images within one advertisement in order to produce dissonance and thus curiosity, prompting product/idea acceptance.
i. Example: The Altoids print campaign uses this type of advertising quite ingeniously, making potential customers look twice at their ads. In one ad, the copy, “Share them with a Fiend” is used. This play on words causes relatively harmless cognitive dissonance, but just enough to make the ad memorable so that the next time the individual is in line at the grocery store, perhaps they will pick up a tin of altoids due to the dissonance they remember from the campaign.
www.altoids.com
b. Guilt: Advertisements in general are based on the assumption that individuals will feel incomplete because they do not have the certain product that is being advertised.
i. Example: This type of advertising is portrayed in the Apple “Think Different” campaign. In both the print and television ads, images of famous individuals who have ignited change in the world are used with the tag line, “think different.” The target for this ad is predominately non-apple users, thus making these individuals feel that without a Macintosh computer they will be just like everyone else in the world, incapable of creating change and thinking differently.
www.macsecrets.com
c. Recognition: Cognitive dissonance can also be created in the field of cause-related advertising. Here, unvoiced opinions on certain issues are used to prompt individuals to confront ideas that they generally do not outwardly express as being accepted. The main motivation by creating dissonance through these types of campaigns is to get individuals to think about things that they otherwise feel neutral towards.i. Example: Recognition dissonance can be clearly seen in the most recent anti-drug campaigns through the use of compelling and distressing storylines; people are prompted to realize that marijuana is more dangerous than we all thought.
archives.theconnection.org/archive/2002/02/0213b.shtml
It reads: "On Saturday I watched my little brother, rehearsed with the band,
and helped bribe a judge to release a man nicknamed 'The Butcher.'"
2. Curbing Cognitive Dissonance in Post-Purchase Advertising
a. Reinforcement: "Decision making almost always provokes dissonance because, after a decision is made to choose one alternative, a person has to cope with the cognitive elements concerning the attractive attributes of the rejected alternatives" (Oshikawa 1969, 45). The way in which advertisers combat this cognitive dissonance is through the use of post-purchase reinforcement. These types of "advertisements" are used to reassure individuals that the purchase or choice that they have made is the correct one. These messages usually consist of personal mailings or phone calls to individuals who have made the purchase, not necessarily to the general public (Brehm & Wicklund 1976, 290). Because advertisements will be seen that contradict the purchase that has been made, companies know that they have to combat these counter-advertisements through their own product support.
i. Example: Reinforcement is usually used with high-end purchases, such as automobiles. A perfect example of this is the Saturn corporation. The day customers buy a Saturn automoblie, a thank-you note is automatically sent to the purchaser. Sales-consultants call to follow-up ever couple of months to get buyer feedback and to address any concrens or questions. Cars are hand-washed free of charge during service to ensure that customers feel comfortable driving their vehicles, and events are held throughout the year to allow Saturn customers to get together and socialize (Marketing Magic).
www.users.voicenet.com/ ~maggie/mslsaturn.html
