5 Ways Advertisers Mess With Our Minds

Back in the 1950s, companies experimented with subliminal advertising. This involved flashing brief, imperceptible-to-the-conscious-mind messages during films and TV shows to induce viewers to buy products — such as soda and popcorn at the movies. Although it was never definitively proved to actually work, when the public became aware of the practice, legislators around the world quickly moved to ban it, because it smacked of attempted mind control and creeped people out.

But advertisers have many more tricks up their sleeves to influence our buying behavior. For my book “Buyology,” I scientifically researched many of the under-the-radar ways in which companies attempt to manipulate the minds of potential customers, and some of them are quite effective. Walk into a casino, for example, and you won’t see any clocks or windows — it’s easy to lose track of time. Free drinks are on offer, because alcohol loosens inhibitions and makes people freer with their money. And the ever-present jingle of coins bouncing into slot machine trays beckons you to take a chance.

Here are five more techniques advertisers use to subtly persuade us to spend our money on their wares.

Comforting rituals

When we’re feeling stressed, rituals are comforting and help us relax — like having a glass of wine with dinner or pulling on comfy sweatpants. Advertisers know this, and they exploit it by manufacturing rituals to go with their products. Take the tradition of putting a lime wedge into the top of a Corona bottle. You might think it’s an age-old Mexican tradition that enhances the beer’s flavor, but it probably only dates back to 1981. That’s when a bartender reportedly served the beer this way in a bet with a friend about whether he could start a new trend. He did indeed, and it wasn’t long before Corona swept past Heineken to become the top-selling imported beer in the United States.

Heavy duty

As technology progresses, our computers, cameras and phones keep getting smaller and lighter. That’s a good thing, right? Yet despite our affinity for compact, sleek electronic gadgets, we seem to be biased toward believing that heavy things are more valuable. We like the feel of solid, weighty objects in our hands, whether they’re forks and knives or MP3 players. I tested this theory once by asking consumers for their opinions on two remote controls — one heavier and one lighter. Without fail, people thought the lighter one must be broken. Companies know this, and that’s why many modern-day remote controls and music players are actually weighted down with useless metal inside — to give them more heft and make people feel that they’re worth the price.

Music to shop by

It’s well known that music plays to our emotions and can influence us in a variety of ways, but you might be surprised at how much thought goes into the selection of the music that plays in your favorite stores. Tempos faster than the human heartbeat encourage quick shopping but also result in fewer purchases. When the background music has a slower tempo, customers tend to take more time to look around and are more likely to buy. Some stores have taken it a step further by playing music with embedded messages, such as “Imagine owning it” and “Don’t worry about the money” to encourage purchases and “Don’t take it; you’ll get caught” to discourage shoplifting. One vendor that broadcasts this music says it has seen thefts fall by 58 percent and sales increase by 15 percent.

Location, location, location

Knowing where a product comes from often affects our decision about whether to buy it. What if I offered you the choice of two identical cars — one manufactured in Turkey and one built in Switzerland? Most people would choose the Swiss car, because they associate it with high standards and excellent craftsmanship. I came across a similar dilemma when I was working with a perfume company that was struggling to regain market share. Unlike many of its competitors, which touted Rome or Paris on their bottles, this company’s containers listed some smaller cities, including Dallas and Milwaukee. While these are fine cities, they don’t exactly evoke romance or sophistication. Because this company actually did have offices in New York, London, Paris and Rome, I suggested adding those city names to the bottles in a prominent place. Amazingly, this one change led to an almost instantaneous increase in sales. Location matters.

Getting in shape

They say you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover, but the truth is that we judge products by their packaging all the time. But it’s not just what’s printed on the packaging that matters. The actual shape of the packaging can also influence our purchasing decisions. One food manufacturer demonstrated this quite convincingly by testing two differently shaped containers for a low-calorie mayonnaise targeted to women. Both containers had the same label on the outside and the same mayonnaise on the inside. One container was slender near the top and widened out toward the bottom. The other container was narrower in the center and wider at the top and bottom. The subjects, who were all women concerned about calorie consumption, unanimously chose the hourglass-shaped container without even tasting the product. The researchers surmised that the shoppers were unconsciously associating the bottle shape with body shape, and so of course they did not want the one with the big bottom.

About the author:

Martin Lindstrom, a global expert and pioneer in the fields of consumer psychology, marketing, and neuroscientific research, has worked with such brands as McDonald’s, PepsiCo, Nestlé, American Express, Microsoft Corporation, The Walt Disney Company, and GlaxoSmithKline.

Named one of TIME Magazine’s “World's 100 Most Influential People”, he authored the NY Times and international bestseller "Buyology—Truth and Lies About Why We Buy” and "Brandwashed: Tricks Companies Use to Manipulate Our Minds and Persuade Us to Buy".

Get to know Martin better on Twitter, Facebook or at MartinLindstrom.com