Large Advertisers Embracing Adcology
Using psychology to sell products is certainly not a new phenomenon and in fact, subtle psychological messages can be traced back to the early 40’s. So, why are some of the largest consumer brands in America turning to a new art form in psychological ad messaging? Because it works. It’s called adcology and it’s the intellectual property of Greg Cynaumon, Ph.D – a doctor of psychology and partner at ROI Media Direct in San Diego, CA.
Cynaumon calls adcology an honest, evolved, and non-manipulative ad form that replaces it’s manipulative cousin – psychology. Cynaumon goes on to define adcology as: consumer activation through the subtle integration of shared experiences. If, like us you just said, ‘huh?’, Cynaumon breaks it down this way.
“Let’s say ‘Company A’ sells identity theft protection. Historically ad copy would seek to raise the consumer’s anxiety by stressing all the horrible things that happen once your identity hacked. Whereas that approach will activate one level of consumers who are susceptible to anxiety-based messaging, it will not resonate with the majority. This is frequently seen when a company enjoys initial success, but then sees sales drop off without explanation.”
Cynaumon likens it to medicine. Just as viruses mutate and become resistant to over-prescribed antibiotics, consumers too build up subconscious tolerances to over-used ad tactics. “New Media has been the game changer. Consumers are so over-exposed to online and offline advertising that they have become desensitized to common uses of psychology in advertising.
To counter this resistance, Dr. Cynaumon’s research tapped his adcology technique as not only the best way to launch a new product or service, but also the best way to resuscitate tired campaigns.
To illuminate the difference, Cynaumon said, “Continuing with the identity theft example, instead of telling consumers what they have to do by bombarding them with fear messages, adcology let’s consumers draw their own conclusions – which is far more motivating. In this example, we would simply draw the consumer’s attention to shared experiences in life that lead to heightened risk of being the victim of identity theft. The message is not to change everything that you are doing or you’re going to be a victim. The message is, enjoy life – don’t change what you’re doing, but take necessary precautions.
Adcology does this by asking the consumer if he or she enjoys social networking (Twitter, Facebook and MySpace) or file sharing of music (Limewire and others) and points out that these practices, while a part of our lives, provide access to everyone into their computer where passwords, personal and financial information is stored”
“We’ll ask if she’s ever left her purse in her ca, or if he’s ever lost his wallet? We’ll ask if they are aware of all the places where their personal and financial information is kept such as their doctor, child’s school, restaurant down the block and alike. Simply put these are shared experiences that are nearly universal to all consumers. And again, adcology doesn’t scare you and tell you to stop living life. It tells you how to be happier, wiser and safer.
For more information, please contact: Megan@RoiMediaDirect.com or visit Cynaumon.com.
