or

No contest, right?

The first profile is boooooring. The second profile has basically the same information but succeeds in painting an appealing emotional picture. If we were John’s dating coach, we’d tell him to go with the second profile, hands down. 

Every advertisement is effectively a dating profile: out there to engage your target audience and convince them to enter a relationship with your brand.  How can you create ads that draw your intended consumers towards commitment? Using emotional appeal advertising is the ticket.‌

Examples of emotional appeal advertisements (positive and negative)

Here are two notable examples of successful advertisements that leveraged emotion to connect with their audiences and inspire action:

Parisian Love (Google)

This ad promoting Google Search aired during the 2009 Super Bowl. An ad for a search engine – can anything be more practical and boring than that? But the “Parisian Love” ad told a story – entirely through screencasts of search results and a bit of background music and sound effects – that cleverly and sensitively evoked the emotional appeal of love. 

A sampling of comments on the YouTube video of the ad says it all:

• “I remember everyone in the room just stopped what they were doing and watched this commercial during the Superbowl. it was absolutely perfect and still is. this commercial connects to you more than any other commercial I’ve ever seen.”
• “I almost shed a tear. I had the most wonderful relationship in my short life with a girl I met abroad… and some of the searches were quite similar to the one I searched…”
• “Years later, this commercial still has a deep effect on me. Words cannot describe the joy I feel every time I see that last search.”

Most shocking second a day (Save the Children)

Let’s get practical: how to create emotionally appealing ads

In order to create emotional appeal ads that will achieve your goals, you should:

Think deeply about your audience

How does your audience feel about the area touched by your offering? How do they want to feel? If you don’t have a very clear picture, spend time talking with members of your target audience so that you can experience their needs and desires firsthand.

Tell a story

Stories are a powerful tool, so invest in creating a narrative that your audience can relate to emotionally.

Use visuals

Choose images and videos that clearly support your story and are powerful enough to stick with the viewer long after they have seen your ad.

Integrate music and sound

Use music and sound effects that set a supporting mood and tone without overpowering the rest of the messaging. 

Implement these tips to craft commercials that use emotional appeal which stand out from the competition and resonate with your target audience. 

Use emotional appeal advertising in Email signatures

Your Signature says a lot about you, your business, and your cause. By including emotional triggers in the email signature, marketers hope to influence the reader’s behavior or attitude towards a brand, product, or service. Emotional appeals can take many forms, such as humor, fear, compassion, or excitement.

For example, an email signature might use a humorous tagline to create a positive association with a brand or product, or it might use a touching message to evoke empathy and encourage donations to a charity. The effectiveness of emotional appeals in email signatures depends on many factors, such as the target audience, the nature of the product or service being advertised, and the tone and language used in the email.

Create an Email Signature with WiseStamp

Your call now

Put your new advertising acumen to the test! What kind of appeal is being used in each of the following calls to read this very article?

“Boost your marketing power! Discover how to leverage emotional appeal in advertising to make your brand unforgettable.” 

“Don’t let your brand get lost in a crowded market! Learn how to leverage emotional appeal in advertising and avoid being ignored by your audience.”

Let the emotions flow!

The post Emotional appeal advertising: Understanding and using It appeared first on WiseStamp.

The main goal here with BJ Fogg’s behavior model, which we’ll start looking at closely in a moment, is to get people to act or behave in a certain way. Ideally, you want to inspire behavior that translates into higher conversion rates. 

You might think that there are tons of different ways to reach this goal, and you’re right, in a way. However, Fogg’s behavior model shows that there are fundamental ways in which humans behave that don’t really change that much.

Fogg’s behavior model demonstrates that there are very specific elements, three actually, of human behavior that need to be present in order for a decision to be made. So, exactly what are the three elements of BJ Fogg’s behavior model? Let’s take a closer look at each one.

The 3 Elements of B.J. Fogg’s Behavior Model?

Fogg’s behavior model is made up of three elements that predict behavior: motivation, ability, and triggers (also called prompts). We’ll get into each one of these in a lot more detail soon. However, it’s important to understand that, according to Fogg, all these 3 elements need to align in the right way in order to influence someone’s behavior. 

Fogg breaks his behavior chart into a simple formula:

Behavior = motivation x ability x prompts

To simplify this formula and the whole concept, if there is enough motivation for behavior and there is an equal ability to perform it, then the only thing left to trigger the behavior is prompt. 

To illustrate this model, have a look at the following video that uses the example of answering a ringing phone and puts motivation, ability, and prompts in context.

Seems simple enough, but it becomes a little more involved when you break down each element and all its factors. 

Fogg behavior model in 2 minutes and 30 seconds

Motivation

When he talks about motivation, Fogg is referring to the underlying drives that motivate you. He divides motivation into three separate drives: sensation, anticipation, and belonging. These drives can also be described as physical, emotional, and social.

1. Sensation

Sensation represents the physical level of motivation. It’s normal for people to want to participate in things that bring them pleasure and stay away from things that don’t. Games work really effectively here since there are usually built-in risk and reward systems. From a marketing perspective, if you offer consumers incentives to complete their desired behavior, then this increases their motivation.

2. Anticipation

This is the more emotional element of motivation and relies on feelings such as fear and hope. Hope is one of the strongest motivators since it helps provide a person with a sense of meaning.

If we think of this in an actionable way, then it would look something like a company offering a product or service that makes consumers feel hopeful that they can achieve their desire or goal by using what you’re offering. Take a 30-day fitness course, for example. By showing your audience they can hope to achieve their goal, suddenly their motivation to sign up increases.

3. Belonging

Belonging represents the social factor in motivation. People naturally want to feel like they belong. By having a community where no one is rejected, they’re more likely to feel motivated to continue engaging with your content. This is why social media marketing works so well.

Consumers find groups of like-minded individuals on social platforms and regularly engage with their content. So, if companies are in the same space, it works to motivate an audience to interact with that company since they both belong to a specific group of people.

Ability

If a person is unable to perform the desired behavior because of a lack of ability, then all other elements don’t matter. That’s why it’s important to understand the factors that stand in the way of a person’s ability.

When it comes to creating a website, campaign, or any sort of marketing content, you want to keep these ability blockers in mind so that you can avoid them. Not addressing these ability blockers can lead to lower conversion rates, so it’s important to ensure that users can still have the ability to perform the desired behavior. 

1. Time

These days, no one wants to spend a lot of time sifting through a website to find the information they’re looking for. Therefore, it’s so important to make sure that a task can be completed in a short amount of time. This might look like short lead capture forms, so instead of asking for all kinds of information like an address, phone number, or date of birth, simply ask for a name and email.

2. Money

If people aren’t willing to spend a lot of time, then they’re definitely not likely to spend a lot of money at the beginning of a process. Something that costs nothing is more likely to lead to the desired behavior than if the cost is prohibitive.

For example, you’re likely to get more users to sign up to a loyalty or rewards program if there are no initial start up costs rather than making someone pay upfront to join.

3. Physical Effort

When we talk about the physical effort in the realm of digital marketing, it refers mostly to the number of clicks a person has to make before getting to the desired location. Of course, the fewer clicks, the higher the chance the consumer will perform the goal behavior.

If your website has one-click checkout, as Amazon does, then you’re eliminating the effort needed to achieve the desired behavior, which for the consumer is completing a purchase and for you is increasing your conversion rate.

4. Mental Cycles

Though clicks aren’t quite physically exerting, what’s more, likely to lose motivated users is if you’re exhausting them. That’s why you should always write out directions succinctly and be clear about what people can expect from the outcome. There should be no guesswork involved

For example, if your goal is to have clients open an account, guide them through a brief step-by-step sign-up process and then provide them with a quick account tour once they’re signed up.

5. Social Deviance

This one is very simple. Don’t ask your audience to go against the norm or perform actions that are not socially acceptable. Sure, some people like it when brands play into individual differences or are unique, but you shouldn’t go too far in that you’re promoting actions that alienate or offend people.

6. Non-routine

People are comfortable with actions they’re already familiar with, so in order to get users to complete your intended behavior, there’s no need to reinvent the wheel. Look at what competitors are doing in terms of web design, campaigns, or products they offer, and ask yourself if your products are in-line with theirs. This doesn’t mean they should be the same, but there should be a basic degree of familiarity and routine.

For example, if you’re designing a website for your company, don’t design the menu and search bar in places where users wouldn’t expect them to be. This will make them frustrated and confused and might motivate them to give up.

Triggers

Fogg’s behavior model triggers can be compared to a call to action. Once users pass the motivation and ability stages, the final behavior needs to be triggered by an enticing prompt. The following three types of triggers, or calls to action, use a combination of both motivation and ability to result in a prompt that works best with each user.

1. Facilitator

You’ll need a facilitating prompt when there is a lot of motivation, but a lack of ability. You’ll need to sort of take the user by the hand and guide them through a process very carefully by using very clear prompts. These prompts can be clear instructions, flashing arrows, or pop-ups with vital information. 

2. Spark

On the flip side, some users lack a decent amount of motivation but they have the complete ability. In this case, a spark is meant to increase the motivation, often by playing into a person’s emotion by making them care. In this step, you’ll need to be able to show your value and then continue with clear and functional next steps.

Basically, it should focus on playing up the value and accessibility of a first step, and then later steps can help further a user’s motivation.

For example, getting a user to sign up for your newsletter by offering an incentive like a discount code will make them more motivated to give you their email address.

3. Signal

Some people have both the right amount of motivation and the right amount of ability, and this makes it easier for you. The only thing that they’re missing is a clear CTA, so make sure you’re providing a noticeable and effective CTA that aligns with their motivation and abilities.

How to Use Fogg’s Behavior Model in Practice

Now that you have a better understanding of Fogg’s behavior model and each element that it’s made up of, you’re probably already thinking of ways you can put this knowledge into practice. 

Once you’ve implemented Fogg’s behavior model in your next campaign or advertisement, you may think that your work is done. However, in order to ensure that your campaign runs smoothly and that you’ll achieve your desired behavior, such as a higher conversion rate, take some time to analyze your processes and think like a user. Ask yourself the following questions:

• Motivation: Have we done enough to motivate users to perform our desired behavior?
  
• Ability: Have we analyzed and eliminated any ability-blockers that would stop our users from achieving the desired behavior?
  
• Triggers: Are we using our prompts and CTAs effectively in a way that promotes users completing the final desired behavior?

If your answer is yes to all of these questions, then you’re ready to take the next step and put your plan into action. So, how can you use this behavior model to increase conversion? Let’s look at BJ Fogg’s behavior model example in the real world. 

Let’s say you’re running a Facebook ad for the purpose of increasing conversions for your website where you sell sneakers. Your ad was well-designed by your graphics and content teams, but it just doesn’t seem to be affecting the conversions in the way you hoped. Here are some steps you’d take according to the behavior model.

1. Using Fogg’s behavior model, you would first figure out what a user’s motivation would be to click on your ad while scrolling through their feed. One way to do this would be to instill a sense of community by displaying the ad to the “sneakerhead” community and tailoring your ad to their preferences. 
   
2. Once the motivation is clearer and users are more interested to click on your ad, make sure that your website doesn’t present any impediments to a user’s ability. Decrease the number of clicks someone would need to find the right pair of sneakers they’re looking for by adding product filters to your catalogue. 
   
3. Finally, when a user gets to the product page they want, add a motivating prompt, like an “add to cart” CTA, or even incentivize them with a discount on this purchase if they check out within the next X amount of time. 

This is just one example of how to implement Fogg’s behavior model, but there are many factors that can affect how you use it. Such as your audience, your goal, or even your products. Play around with different elements of Fogg’s behavior model until you find a formula that brings you success. 

Bottom Line

Behavior is a chain of events, and if at any point the chain is weaker due to a lack of motivation, a lack of ability, or ineffective triggers, then the chain will break. Each element of Fogg’s behavior model works together and depends on each other in order to reach the desired behavior. 

So, if you have a specific goal in mind, like increasing conversions, start by thinking of what a user’s behavior would need to look like in order to achieve this goal.

Once you start using this behavior model for one task, it’ll become more intuitive to implement it across your business in more ways than only your marketing strategy or in campaigns, but also in other ways, like business operations or even employee satisfaction. 

The post How to use Fogg’s behavior model to increase conversion appeared first on WiseStamp.

There are a few different marketing strategies laid out by advertising experts. In this article, we’ll take a look at a few of the most popular ones, including Dr. BJ Fogg’s persuasive technology tools, and the concept of Aristotle’s Rhetorical Triangle. How it applies to advertising, as well as other common persuasive advertising techniques.

Keep reading to learn more about how you can make your campaigns more effective and convert more clients into sales using the right advertising methods.

Fogg’s Persuasive Technology Tools

Dr. BJ Fogg is the founder of the Behavior Design Lab at Stanford University. He conducts research and provides industry leaders. With ways in which his models and methods can be used to understand consumer behavior.

In Fogg’s book, Persuasive Technology: Using Computers to Change What We Think and Do, he outlines seven persuasive technology tools. He argues that people respond to computers as if they are people. Therefore, he claims that interactions with computers and media can have an effect on someone’s behavior and attitude. 

His seven persuasive technologies outline ways in which computers can be used to create more persuasive advertising. Here are the seven steps as well as examples of how each can be used in traditional marketing.

1. Reduction

Description: Simplifying a procedure by reducing the number of steps to finish a task. This encourages users to actually complete the desired task.

Example: Reducing the number of steps and clicks a client goes through on your website from seeing an item to completing payment and placing an order.

2. Tunneling

Description: Leading users through a sequence of activities with step-by-step instructions.

Example: A walk-through on your website with on-page or pop-up instructions on how to complete basic tasks when a client logs in to their account or uses a new feature for the first time. 

3. Tailoring

Description: Using computers to analyze and segment messages to different people, leading to users receiving messaging that is more personally relevant.

Example: Segmenting your mailing list based on age, sex, location, or previous purchases to create emails that are more individually relevant.

4. Suggestion

Description: Making suggestions based on individual behavior that is presented at the right time and in the most opportune context.

Example: Sending an email of an item your client looked at on your website but didn’t buy, with a suggestion to purchase the item before it sells out. 

5. Self-Monitoring

Description: Allowing users to receive feedback on their behavior in order to make changes that will affect the ultimate goal.

Example: Sending a follow-up email to see if a client was happy with their purchase and asking for feedback so that you can suggest more relevant items in the future.

6. Surveillance

Description: Openly observing a user with the intention of learning more about their behavior.

Example: Letting shoppers on your website know that you use cookies and then using this tracking data to analyze your shoppers’ individual behaviors.

7. Conditioning

Description: Providing reinforcement to a user in order to achieve the desired behavior.

Example: Offering a discount code in order to convince a shopper to complete a purchase.

When looked at individually, each step can seem obvious to experienced marketers, but as a whole, they work as effective persuasive advertising techniques. When using the seven tools together, you can create a lot more successful campaigns that result in increased sales and conversions.

The Rhetorical Triangle: Ethos, Pathos, and Logos

Aristotle famously broke down how rhetoric is used in arguments into three categories: ethos, pathos, and logos. 

Each category appeals to different behavior in both a speaker and the audience. Ethos appeals to ethics, pathos to emotions, and logos to logic. Combined, this rhetorical triangle is often used in modern advertising to create compelling and persuasive campaigns that hook an audience.

Let’s take a closer look at each branch of the rhetorical triangle so we can gain a better understanding of how they’re used.

Ethos

In order to evoke ethos in advertising, you need to establish a baseline of trust and credibility. Since ethos refers to ethics and credibility, when it comes to advertising, look at it as the way in which you present your brand to the world. What makes your brand more trustworthy than your competitor?

You need to come across as an ethical company but also a reliable company. That way, consumers get the feeling that your brand can be trusted.

Oftentimes, advertisers achieve this by using a recognizable spokesperson, like a celebrity. For example, SodaStream used Scarlett Johansen in one of their ads. If someone watching this ad hasn’t heard of SodaStream before, now they’ve learned about a new brand and respect its credibility since a recognizable celebrity is working with them.

Not only does SodaStream establish credibility by featuring Scarlett Johansen, but they also talk about personal health and the environment by talking about how their product uses “less sugar [and] fewer bottles.” This works to create a sense of brand ethics that will resonate with an audience.

Pathos

Pathos is another persuasive technique that plays on the audience’s emotions. By playing up emotional elements in ads, such as nostalgic moments, connections, or personal experiences, advertisers aim to tap into people’s emotions in order to attract them to a brand.

The goal of playing into emotion is to elicit a response in the consumer, and when it comes to advertising, that desired response is often a conversion or a purchase. Companies achieve this by choosing their words wisely and using highly emotive language. They also do this by telling relatable stories in ads. 

Joy, humor, tragedy, family, outrage, fear, and love are just some of the emotional topics advertisers use to convey pathos. 

A great example of pathos can be found in many anti-smoking ads and campaigns. Advertisers for this cause tend to highlight emotions like fear and tragedy by playing up the negative effects of smoking, making the ads highly impactful.

Logos

When using logos in an advertisement, brands aim to promote logic and reasoning in order to get their message across. To accomplish this, advertisers will often use facts, statistics, or data to prove their case.

Logos are often used in ads for technology products or companies when they need to promote a new launch or a new feature. In this case, using logos aims to answer the “why” an audience might ask when faced with a product, such as “why do I need this?” By framing the answer in logic and facts, you provide consumers with a compelling reason as to why they should purchase your product.

Let’s take a look at a Verizon ad. Here, Verizon uses rankings and data to show why their network is better than their competitors. 

This advertisement puts the “why” front and center by opening the commercial with the statement: “why more people choose Verizon.” Throughout the rest of the ad, they answer their original statement by providing facts and stats, making them seem like the logical choice for mobile service providers.

Using Ethos, Pathos, and Logos Together

While it may be difficult to be credible, emotive, and logical all at once, you can use more than one of these strategies together in a single advertisement.

The examples above really focused on one element of Aristotle’s rhetorical triangle, but you’ll notice the following popular Nike ad that was recently released uses more than just one element.

This ad clearly uses ethos by using footage of recognizable athletes like Serena Williams, Lebron James, and Cristiano Ronaldo to cement its credibility and reliability. It also uses highly emotive language and imagery that play into our collective experience and evoke an emotional response.

When it comes to your brand’s advertising, try and use as many elements as you can to make your campaign as effective as possible. 

More Persuasive Advertising Techniques

Aside from Fogg’s and Aristotle’s techniques, there are more commonly used advertising methods that have proven to be a good way to increase sales. 

Here are a few persuasive advertising techniques you should consider using for your next campaign. Some of them can also be tied into methods from Fogg or the rhetorical triangle, but again, you can use more than one method in any advertisement.

Plain Folks

Showing ordinary people using your products in order to convey a message that your brand is friendly to everyone and isn’t “above” the average consumer. It’s common to use this type of messaging in political ads.

Bandwagon

This method relies heavily on people’s innate desire for belonging and feeling a part of something. Bandwagon ads encourage consumers to follow a trend so as not to miss out. It’s often used by brands. To convince people not to miss out on a product by purchasing it in order to belong to a community. 

Anti-bandwagon

While it seems a little counterintuitive. Anti-bandwagon ads do exactly the opposite of what bandwagon ads do in order to achieve the same goal. These ads will play up individuality and differences. In order to sell a unique product that may not yet be widely discovered.

Bribery

The common marketing technique of using “bribes” to get people to buy something is an old tried-and-true method. For example, if you have a “buy one get one” sale. An ad for this promo would fall under this category. Since you’re enticing a consumer to buy something by offering them something else as well.

Logos and Slogans

Using logos and slogans regularly in ads helps define both your product and your brand and make both more recognizable. This is a key way to build up brand awareness throughout all your campaigns. Helps consumers form a personal connection with your company.

Repetition

It’s no surprise that the more people see your ads, the more likely they are to interact with your company. Therefore, repeating your ad on multiple platforms or distributing multiple similar versions of an ad. In order to increase reach is a good way to place yourself. In front of your target audience as frequently as possible.

Avante Garde

This persuasive advertising technique makes consumers feel like they will be “ahead of their time”. If they purchase something from your company. By suggesting that your users are on the cutting edge. You create a sense of urgency and a desire in consumers to stay ahead of the crowd.

Testimonials

Use testimonials from both real customers and recognizable figures. Such as celebrities in order to help create trustworthiness in your brand. Use customer reviews to your advantage by promoting them. Use them in your ads so your audience can see both your value and your credibility.

Patriotism

People love to support their own country by shopping locally. Play this up by demonstrating how your company is also patriotic. By demonstrating things like how your products or services help local communities or how they’re sourced or made locally.

Conclusion

There are plenty of different persuasive advertising techniques you can use to take your campaigns to the next level. Our suggestion is to try out as many as possible to see what your consumers resonate with.

It’s possible that every audience won’t resonate the same with each strategy. So, by testing multiple methods you’ll be able to find the best one that appeals to your consumers. And helps amplify your brand. 

You should also make sure that the different persuasive advertising techniques your use are aligned with your brand’s identity. Ask questions. About your brand to see the method you’d like to use. See if it aligns with your brand’s current image, values, messaging, and overall goals

Resources:

• Dr. BJ Fogg’s persuasive technology tools
• Aristotle’s Rhetorical Triangle
• Persuasive technology and digital design for behavior change
• Ethos, Pathos & Logos: Definition and Examples of Persuasive Advertising Techniques

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