The Advertising Effect: How to Change Behaviour

240 Pages·2014·0.39 MB·English

by  Adam Ferrier

DEDICATIONS
Dearest Anna and Asterix. I dedicate this book to the A family—you mean everything
to me.
Although I doubt any of you will read this, this book is also dedicated to all the 14-year-
old boys in the world. Just trust me when I say life has a way of working out. We shun
the different when we are young, but as we get older it’s the different ones who give us
hope.
Finally, this book is dedicated to a series of brilliant bosses and professional partners
I’ve learned from during my career: Catriona McComish and Steve Feelgood from the
Department of Corrective Services; Anita Batho from Added Value; Jim O’Mahony
from Saatchi & Saatchi; Sean Cummins from cummins&partners; and, of course, the
mercurial, beautiful and scatological Jon Wilkins, with Mat Baxter and Mike Wilson
from Naked Communications.

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© Adam Ferrier 2014
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First published 2014
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National Library of Australia Cataloguing-in-Publication entry
Author: Ferrier, Adam, author.
Tittle: The advertising effect : how to change behaviour / Adam
Ferrier ; Jennifer Fleming
(contributor).
ISBN: 9780195593921 (paperback)
Notes: Includes bibliographical references.
Subjects: Advertising—Psychological aspects.
Consumer behavior.
Branding (Marketing)
Influence (Psychology)
Other Authors/Contributors: Fleming, Jennifer.
Dewey Number: 659.1019
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CONTENTS
ABOUT THE AUTHORS
HOW TO USE THIS BOOK
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
INTRODUCTION
PART 1:WHICH BEHAVIOUR TO CHANGE?
Chapter 1: The Dark Arts: An Overview of Advertising
Chapter 2: Definition: Identifying the Behaviour You Want to Change
Chapter 3: Thoughts, Feelings and Actions: Using Action to Change Behaviour
Chapter 4: Action Spurs: Sometimes We Need a Little Kick
PART 2:MOTIVATION ACTION SPURS
Chapter 5: Reframing: It’s Not What You Say—It’s How You Say It
Chapter 6: Evocation: Can You Feel It?
Chapter 7: Collectivism: Everyone Else is Doing It
Chapter 8: Ownership: What Do You Think?
Chapter 9: Play: The World is a Game
Chapter 10: Utility: No More Empty Promises
Chapter 11: Modelling: Monkey See, Monkey Do
PART 3:EASE ACTION SPURS
Chapter 12: Skill Up: Stop the ‘I Don’t Know How’
Chapter 13: Eliminate Complexity: Knock Down the Hurdles
Chapter 14: Commitment: How a Small Request Leads to a Bigger Agreement
PART 4:HOW TO BE GOOD
Chapter 15: Using Your Powers for Good
LIST OF VIDEOS
ABOUT THE AUTHORS
Adam Ferrier is chief strategy officer and co-owner of independent advertising agency
cummins&partners. Prior to this Adam founded (and later sold) Naked
Communications, one of Australia’s most influential agencies. He’s also a registered
psychologist and one of Australia’s most respected and successful advertisers. Adam
has been the driving force behind some of Australia’s most successful advertising
campaigns, and winner of many of the world’s top advertising awards. Adam is married
to Anna, and has an amazing son called Asterix.
Jennifer Fleming is best-selling author of several books including Spotless: Room-by-
room Solutions for Domestic Disasters, Spotless 2, Spotless A–Z, Speedcleaning, How
to be Comfy, Save: Your Money, Your Time, Your Planet (all with Shannon Lush) and
The Feel Good Body (with Anna-Louise Bouvier). She’s also a senior producer and
presenter at ABC Radio.
HOW TO USE THIS BOOK
To my knowledge, this is the first book on influence and behaviour change that draws
so heavily on firsthand experiences of real-world advertising ideas. I am an advertising
practitioner, not a researcher or academic. However, I and my co-author Jen have taken
the approach of talking through how advertisers use advertising to change behaviour,
and then dissecting the psychological principles behind each technique (of which there
are 10).
This book is written on the assumption that all advertising is about changing people’s
behaviour. The more effectively and efficiently brands can change consumer behaviour,
the better the advertising is.
There are two key stages of behaviour change.
1. Define the behaviour to change.
2. Set about changing it.
This book first discusses how to define and then understand the dynamics of
behaviour change, before looking at how to change behaviour using a variety of ‘action
spurs’—‘motivational action spurs’ and ‘ease action spurs’. I don’t believe there is just
one way to change behaviour, and the action spurs act as a toolkit for creating
behaviour change. As I’m assured this is the done thing for books such as this, here is a
chapter-by-chapter overview.
PART 1 WHICH BEHAVIOUR TO CHANGE?
Chapter ‘The Dark Arts’ is an overview of the book.
1
Chapter ‘Definition’ looks at how to define a behaviour you want to change.
2 Changing the behaviours of others is difficult enough (people are generally
happy doing what they are doing, thank you very much), and if you don’t
carefully select the behaviours you want to change then you may not have
much success. If you don’t read this chapter the rest of the book will be less
useful.
Chapter ‘Thoughts, Feelings and Actions’ looks at the overall principles of behaviour
3 change. It examines the interrelationship between thoughts, feelings and
actions and explains how advertising has moved from passive to interactive
mediums and the impact that this has on how to influence and change
consumer behaviour.
Chapter ‘Action Spurs’ introduces these devices. Action spurs can increase
4 motivation to undertake behaviour, or make the behaviour easier. The
chapter explains how to choose a spur and how to put behaviour change into
action.