"When using reverse psychology, you ask for or do the opposite of what you want and through the magic of human nature, you end up with what you really wanted."
We've all heard of this right? Some of us probably even use it regularly with our kids, I have. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. If I want my child to drop everything to give me a hug I may say, "don't you go givin' me a hug.." Or, if I want something picked up I might try, "whatever you do, don't pick up your clothes and tidy your room..." (that one rarely works).
I have found lately that this reverse psychology can happen in a negative way too. For instance, advertising is supposed to lure you into wanting something bad enough that you dig into your wallet and spend. Advertising is supposed to make a product inviting and attractive so you will consume and the company will profit.
Driving along in my automobile (ha ha), I like to listen to the radio. There is this commercial for Burger King that comes on regularly. I know the advertising company wants me to recognize that hunger pang and give into my cravings and buy their product. However, when I hear these advertisements, the opposite happens. Reverse Psychology.
I don't know if you've heard them but there are at least two and the jist is the person in the ad is holding others up because they are enjoying their beefy burger way too much. Because the radio relys on our sense of hearing to make a profit, they have decided to make us listen to people chew. Smacking their lips and licking their chops as they eat. EWWWWW!! It drives me wacky and completely turns me off of their product!
I'd be interested to know how much $$ they've lost (or gained) using this approach. Ugh! It sounds disgusting!
Thursday, October 27, 2005
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3 comments:
Leslie-
One of the psychological theories in advertising is that any emotional reaction to a product or advertisement is a good one. The theory is that even if you have a negative emotional reaction to a commercial, you still have the pairing of emotion with the product. It's thought that you will forget about that commercial after it's over, but the emotional pairing will remain and in the future, you may be drawn to the product.
Who knows...you may be jonesing for some fast food 6 months down the road and be curiously drawn to Burger King.
Interesting...so I wonder if the movie, "Super-Size Me" has actually done more good than harm? It was meant to wake people up and turn them off which it did, but maybe ultimately the negative emotions will draw people to McD's. Think so??
Although I didn't actually do it, all I wanted by the end of that movie was a large McDonalds fries...
I do plan on doing as Morgan Spurlock suggested and punch my kid in the head anytime we pass a McDonalds ;-)
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