Advertising Design:

Theoretical Frameworks
and Types of Appeals

Chapter 6

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 Chapter Objectives
1. How do advertising theories help the creative
move a consumer from awareness of a
product to the eventual purchase decision?
2. What roles do attitudes and values play in
developing advertising messages?
3. When should visual and verbal elements be
integrated into advertisements?
4. What factors might influence the
effectiveness of an advertising appeal?
5. Are there differences in creating
advertisements for business-to-business and
in international markets?

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 Ecko Enterprises

• Urban Apparel
• Ecko Enterprises – 1993
• G-Unit Clothing Company
• Zoo York label
• Complex Magazine
• Advertising in hip hop magazines

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 Chapter Overview

• Advertising design
 Hierarchy of effects model
 Means-end theory
 Visual and verbal imaging

• Advertising appeals

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Creative Brief
• The objective
• The target audience
• The message theme
• The support
• The constraints

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Advertising Theory

• Hierarchy of effects model

• Means-end chain

• Visual and verbal imaging

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 Hierarchy of Effects
Model Attitude
• Awareness • Cognitive
• Knowledge
• Liking • Affective
• Preference
• Conviction • Conative
• Purchase

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 Means-End Chain
• Product attributes
• Consumer benefits
• Leverage points
• Personal values
• Executional framework

MECCAS
Means-End Conceptualization of Components of Advertising

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 Personal Values
• Comfortable life • Pleasure
• Equality • Salvation
• Excitement • Security
• Freedom • Self-fulfillment
• Fun, exciting life • Self-respect
• Happiness • Sense of belonging
• Inner peace • Social acceptance
• Mature love • Wisdom

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Verbal and Visual Elements

• Balance
• Visual processing
 Easier to recall
 Stored as pictures and words
 Concrete vs. abstract
• Radio visual imagery
• Visual esperanto
• B-to-B advertisements

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Advertising Appeals
• Fear
• Humor
• Sex
• Music
• Rationality
• Emotions
• Scarcity
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Behavioral Response Model
• Severity
• Vulnerability
• Negative behavior
 Intrinsic reward
 Extrinsic reward
• Change behaviors
 Response costs
 Self-efficacy
 Response efficacy
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 Humor Appeal

• Used in 30% of ads.

• Excellent in capturing attention.
• Score high in recall tests.
• Should be related directly to
customer benefit.

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 Sex Appeal

• Subliminal techniques
• Nudity or partial nudity
• Sexual suggestiveness
• Overt sexuality
• Sensuality

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 Sex Appeal
• Breaks through clutter
• Use has increased
• Not as effective as in the past
• Advertisers shifting to more
subtle sexual cues.

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 Sex Appeal
Subliminal Approach

• Sex cues or icons placed in ads

• Goal is to affect subconscious
• Not effective
• Ad clutter requires stronger
ads to get attention

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 Sex Appeal
Sensuality Approach
• Women respond to sensuality approach
• Viewed as more sophisticated
• Relies on imagination
 Requires greater mental processing
• Can be more enticing than raw sexuality

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 Sex Appeal
Sexual Suggestiveness
• Suggests sexual themes or nudity
• Clairol “Yes, yes, yes” campaign
• Gay and lesbian themes
• Encourages use of imagination
 Requires greater mental processing

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 Sex Appeal
Nudity or Partial Nudity
• Used for wide variety of products
• Attracts attention
• Not always designed to solicit sexual response
 Underwear commercials
• Decorative models

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 Sex Appeal
Overt Sexual Approach
• Acceptable for sexually-oriented products
• Used to break through ad clutter
• Often used for a shock effect
• Danger of being offensive

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Are Sex Appeals Effective?
Research Results:
 Sex and nudity do increase attention.
 Rated as being more interesting.
 Often leads to strong feelings about the ad.
 Brand recall is lower.
 Often interferes with message comprehension.
 May impact feelings toward the brand

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Disadvantages of Sex Appeals
• Less influence today
• Reduces brand recall
• Affects comprehension
• Creates dissatisfaction with one’s body
 Females
 Males
• Stereotyping of females

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 Music Appeal

• Has intrusive value

• Gains attention
• Increases retention of visual information
• Can increase persuasiveness

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 Rational Appeal

• Based on hierarchy of effects model.

• Used by business-to-business
advertisers.
• Well-suited for
 Print media
 Complex products
 High involvement products

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 Emotional Appeal
• Based on three ideas:
 Consumers ignore most ads
 Rational ads go unnoticed
 Emotional ads can capture attention
• Key to developing brand loyalty.
• Effie Awards – humor and emotions.
• Use more in b-to-b advertising.
• Works well when tied to other appeals.

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 Scarcity Appeal
• Based on
 Limited supply
 Limited time to purchase
• Tied with promotional tools such as
contests, sweepstakes, and coupons.
• Encourage customers to take action.

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Structure of an Advertisement

• Headline
• Sub-headline
• Promise of a benefit
• Amplification
• Proof of claim
• Action to take

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