Summary Hidden Persuasion – 33 Psychological Influence Techniques in
Advertising (Andrews, Van Leeuwen & Van Baaren)
Three needs
Techniques are based on three classes of our most basic needs. When advertisers use imagery
and language that taps into these needs, the audience is unable to fully resist the persuasive
power of the message.
1. System needs (brain symbol)
We use our brain for conscious analyses, language and self-reflection, but there are still some
mental shortcuts that trigger behaviours beyond our control (like the fight-or-flight response).
Advertisements that target these automatic processes have their desired effects before the
information becomes available for conscious deliberation. This is the most basic and
uncontrollable of the three needs.
2. Social needs (two persons symbol)
Humans are social animals; we all want to be loved and respected by friends and strangers
alike. Other people and their opinions, behaviours, and appearances continue to be some of the
most important stimuli we process and one of the biggest influences on our own thoughts,
motivations, and behaviours. We look for guidance in this demanding and informationally
overwhelming world. Advertisers have an easy task of tapping into our needs for social inclusion
and conformity.
3. Self needs (one person symbol)
Personal needs; we avoid pain and strive for pleasure. We try to make the ‘best’ decisions so
that our future self will be content and out of (physical and psychological) danger. This need is
catered to by advertisements using techniques that help project an illusion of a safe and sated,
worry-free future.
Chapter 1. Acknowledging resistance
Social needs, self needs.
Acknowledging resistance (AR): necessitates that there be resistance to the upcoming proposal
in advance, as would be expected when raising taxes or fees on a service. It plays into this
existing resistance by simply acknowledging its presence. It not only eliminates the possibility of
the target using the argument, “But I don’t want to,” but also communicates an empathic
understanding of that person’s opinion. Importantly, the acknowledgement must be at the
beginning of the sentence or proposal.
But you are free (BYAF) technique: This review showed that emphasising that people are free to
choose at the end of a proposal doubled the overall compliance with a direct request. While AR
works because the initial answer would be “No,” BYAF makes no assumption about the original
attitude. Instead, it generates and enhances a sense of freedom by allowing a “No” response.
This makes the BYAF technique slightly more versatile and less prone to reactance.
Both work best for face-to-face requests or in situations where the target is not anonymous –
anonymity removes the need for self-presentation (and therefore resistance) because the
request can be dismissed easily. The two main benefits of these techniques are their non-
reliance on the content of the proposal and their ease of use. Especially effective when the
target feels he or she ought to comply with the proposal morally, but does not really want to or is
avoiding it (e.g., campaigns promoting safe sex or donations).
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, Chapter 2. Fluency
System needs
Smooth and automatic processing of information automatically leads to experiencing positive
feelings. This works for visual, textual, and conceptual information alike. The quicker something
is read, the easier an image is on the eye, and/or the faster a concept is understood, the more
we will like it.
- Naming: When naming theme park rides, researchers found that rides with
unpronounceable Indian names (e.g., Tsiischili) were experienced as more exciting and
sickening than ones with pronounceable names (e.g., Chunta). Thus, if you are selling a
product designed to induce feelings of safety and familiarity, go for flow.
- Numbering: The way products are numbered can also increase fluency. research
demonstrated that well-known (and therefore fluently processed) numbers in ads
increased the positive evaluation of the product itself. Additionally, if the mathematical
product of two displayed numbers was included, evaluations were even higher.
o Example: “Get a full day’s supply of 4 essential vitamins and 2 minerals with a
bottle of V8,”. “Get a full day’s supply of essential vitamins and minerals with a
bottle of V8.”. More people chose V8 when the numbers 2 and 4 were included.
The number 8 is not only familiar and easily divisible, but also 2 × 4 = 8 making
for an even more fluent processing of the message.
- Typeface: Fonts influence how easy it is to read a given text. As expected, the less
readable the font, the less we like it. Under certain circumstances, decreasing the
fluency of text can jolt people into a more analytical processing mode. This is useful
when you want people to consider the message carefully, and you are confident that it
will hold up to scrutiny (“How many animals of each kind did Moses take on the ark?”).
When we find an action easy to imagine we like it more and are more likely to perform it
later. If you ask someone to imagine a positive product experience this actually has a
positive impact on their product evaluations later, but only if the product itself was
accompanied by vivid imagery .
Fluent processing is most effective when people process the information quickly and
heuristically. In other words, fluency is good if your visual message relates to something that
people do not need to pay much attention to or if you specifically want your target to remain in a
peripheral processing mode. However, if you want to jolt people into carefully considering your
message, you can do this by including a word that is difficult to pronounce or surprising imagery.
Note that in most cases, however, an audience does not have the conscious capacity or the
time to carefully consider presented messages. Therefore, familiar and fluent messages are an
advertiser’s safest bet.
Chapter 3. Foot in the door
Social needs, self needs
FITD is a multiple-step influence strategy. First you ask people to comply with a seemingly small
request. A short while afterwards, you ask them a bigger request, which is in line with the smaller
one. It turns out that starting with a small request strongly increases the chances of complying
with the big request compared to only asking the big request. (If the “free” claim is a lie,
however, and people are prompted to pay when opening the app, it is a form of the foot-in-the
door technique known as the low-ball technique).
Commitment and/or consistency: the idea is that you made a public commitment to a cause by
agreeing to the first request and you don't want to appear inconsistent and unreliable by not
agreeing to the second request. This effect will be even stronger when the first and second
requests are made by the same person, as they know about your initial agreement.
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