Advertising Language: The Psychology behind the Advertising Messages

Abstract

Advertising helps in selling. It helps in selling through the art and business of persuasive communication. With emphatic use of language, the copywriter draws catchy and memorable lines and makes his selling ideas clear before the buyers. Advertising makes a psychological impact on the consumers and so invites them to buy a product. Being loaded with psychological overtone, the language of advertising messages is subtle and mesmerising. A dusky woman will buy a tube of imported fairness cream at high price because the advertisement assures her great career and perfect marriage with instant loveliness. So, it is the psychological make up of the advertisement that makes us think that when we buy Maruti, we buy prestige; when we buy Chawanprash, we buy health and longevity.

In this paper, an attempt has been made to understand the psychological implications that govern the consumer’s behaviour to buy a product. The psychological variables play an important part in planning advertising strategies and consequently advertising message to sell a product. Companies that want to understand how consumers think and make decisions about products conduct sophisticated consumer’s behaviour research, to identify their consumers, why they buy, what they buy and how they buy. This information greatly benefits the advertising agencies in selecting media as well as writing copy that would appeal to the particular segment. So advertising is a skillful art of convincing the buyers that the use of a particular cream, soap, oil and shampoo can change their way of life. With Zandu Chawanprash, an old man of 60 years can be rejuvenated as a young man bursting with energy and confidence. A dusky girl vying for air hostess job, a sensuous young model flaunting mobile phone around her neck, a handsome executive desirous of having new luxury car are all the different facets of advertising. They all want to communicate, to persuade, to influence, to lead to some action. That’s why, sometimes, the message is so strong that we buy a product which is not of immediate use to us.