Marketing Monday: Advertising's 15 Basic Appeals

by Skip Cohen

In this Marketing Monday post, Scott Bourne shares fifteen basic advertising appeals, but there's a secondary message I want to add. 

So often in talking to photographers I've heard the comment, "We tried advertising once and it really didn't do much for us!" First, advertising one time anywhere is a complete waste of money. You need to have your ad out there at least three times and in the same basic position of the magazine, newspaper, website - wherever you're placing your material.

Second, ads don't work for a wide variety of reasons. It could be your ad was confusing or lacked enough information. Maybe the vehicle you chose to advertise in didn't really hit your target. Timing is critical along with building a sense of urgency for consumers to act on your ad. Maybe your competitors did a better job of reaching the target audience.

Third, just advertising isn't enough. You have to weave a web around your target audience using print advertising, an Internet presence, a good website, direct mail, publicity, a great blog, community involvement - everything that helps build a stronger brand.

by Scott Bourne

Hat tip to "Mass Advertising As  Social Forecast”

Marketing is a great big bag of tricks and one of them is advertising. Most of you don't do much advertising. That should and will change for those of you who want to thrive rather than survive. When crafting your advertising message remember there are just 15 basic advertising appeals. 99.99% of all advertising ever created works off of this set of 15 appeals. So study them. Remember they can be used as either positive or negative reinforcement to make a point. Think about how you could use these appeals to reach your photography clients.

1. Need for sex- surprisingly, Fowles found that only 2 percent of the television ads, he surveyed used this appeal. It may be too blatant, he concluded, and often detracts from the product.
2. Need for affiliation- the largest number of ads use this approach: you are looking for friendship? Advertisers can also use this negatively, to make you worry that you’ll lose friends if you don’t use a certain product.
3. Need to nurture- every time you see a puppy or a kitten or a child, the appeal is to your paternal or maternal instincts.
4. Need for guidance- a father or mother figure can appeal to your desire for someone to care for you, s you won’t have to worry. Betty Crocker is a good example.
5. Need to aggress- we all have had a desire to get even, and some ads give you this satisfaction.
6. Need to achieve- the ability to accomplish something difficult and succeed identifies the product with winning. Sports figures as spokespersons project this image.
7. Need to dominate- the power we lack is what we can look for in a commercial “master the possibilities.”
8. Need for prominence- we want to be admired and respected; to have high social status. Tasteful china and classic diamonds offer this potential.
9. Need for attention- we want people to notice us; we want to be looked at. Cosmetics are a natural for this approach.
10. Need for autonomy- within a crowded environment, we want to be singled out, to be a “breed apart.” This can also be used negatively: you may be left out if you don’t use a particular product
11. Need to escape- flight is very appealing; you can imagine adventures you cannot have; the idea of escape is pleasurable
12. Need to feel safe- to be free from threats, to be secure is the appeal of many insurance and bank ads
13. Need for aesthetic sensations-beauty attracts us, and classic art or dance makes us feel creative, enhanced
14. Need to satisfy curiosity-facts support our belief that information is quantifiable and numbers and diagrams make our choices seem scientific
15.  Psychological needs- Fowles defines sex (item no.1) as a biological need, and so he classifies our need to sleep, eat, and drink in this category. Advertisers for juicy pizza are especially appealing late at night.