“Try This One Thing!”

There’s a lot of assertiveness in marketing. 

From Nike’s ‘Just Do It’ slogan to Sprite’s ‘Obey Your Thirst’, the frequent use of forceful messages can be puzzling at a time when businesses try to promote a friendly brand image towards consumers. Studies even suggest that aggressive assertiveness lowers responsiveness.

However, one study, Enjoy! Hedonic Consumption and Compliance with Assertive Messages, found considerable evidence to suggest this isn’t the case when it comes to marketing certain categories of products.

Researchers discovered that people in a positive mood tend to use more assertive language in their requests, and it was possible that consumers also interpret this form of assertiveness as a link between a brand and the positivity their products are capable of bringing to them.

The hedonistic world filled with high-quality sneakers and sugar-rich drinks has more than a few examples of arguably unnecessary premium products. Consumers are aware that the products are unnecessary, but the persuasive language reminds them of the positivity they’ll likely feel when purchasing them. Not surprisingly, utilitarian products, such as banking services, did not produce the same effect.

But, when product usage is designed to bring swift gratification, assertive messages are more persuasive than non-assertive ones. 

Using this for your own marketing

Try testing different types of assertive, persuasive language when building new marketing campaigns. 

Researchers also noticed that leveraging the credibility of recognized experts can further encourage compliance in addition to the persuasiveness of your underlying message.  

In the end, it’s clear that language can have a great influence on effectively promoting products., and assertive messages can make for a cost-effective approach to further growth. Provided you find the right balance, and work on promoting a good mood among your audience, you could be in line to experience a significant boost to conversions.  

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