Media Effects Research

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Media effects research

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Product advertising campaign

The product that I have selected is Pampers baby diapers. The reason why I selected this product is that I have seen the advertisement of Pampers of television, radio, magazine, newspaper, Internet, and billboards. Secondly, Pampers baby diapers are used by most of my relatives with kids. My initial reactions to the product advertising campaign are that I was impressed by the strategy used by the company to advertise its products. The product advertising campaign changed my attitude. It made me think of the advantages of using both traditional and social media marketing approaches to advertise a product. It also made me remember how my relatives say about the pros of Pampers diapers over others. The product advertising campaign did not change my behavior.

Sociopsychological approaches of understanding of persuasion and propaganda used in the campaign

According to Cialdini, people tend to follow the lead of knowledgeable and credible experts. For instance, the children physician can persuade mothers to purchase Pampers as the recommended baby diapers. Accessories like job titles can infuse an air of authority into people and make them accept what the person with authority is saying without questioning. The campaign used an authoritative figure to persuade the audience. The company used a popular children physician who recommended Pampers as the best diapers to use for our babies. The children physician stated that Pampers is that only baby diapers in which a baby can sleep all night without getting wet.

Reciprocity involves giving a little something to get a little something in return. According to Cialdini, people are always wired to want to return favors or pay back their debts. This involves treating others as they treated us. By nature, human beings feel obliged to provide concessions or discounts to others if they received favors from them. The campaign offered something in reciprocation (Cialdini, 2001). If you purchase Pampers Jumbo Pack, you will be given two packets of Pampers wet wipes as a discount. This is a good way of motivating parents to buy Pampers baby diapers and get wet wipes for free. The company was giving these offers as a way of saying thank you to their customers for staying with them.

According to Cialdini, people always want their beliefs to be consistent with their values. He goes ahead to state that people have a deep need to remain consistent. When they commit to something, they are most likely to deliver on that commitment (Cialdini, 2001). This is consistency. I feel a sense of commitment. I feel that I should be committed to buying Pampers baby diapers when the time comes. I also feel the need for consistency. The campaign made me feel that I will stick to this brand as long as quality and prices are reasonable.

According to Cialdini, social proof refers to individuals doing what they observe others doing (Cialdini, 2001). I felt a sense of social approval as a result of the Pampers advertising campaign. The campaign stated that a lot of people are using Pampers baby diapers. The campaign had several testimonials who gave positive feedback about the diapers. I feel that when the time comes, I would like to do like them. I would like to use Pampers baby diapers and be a testimonial in future advertising campaigns.

According to Cialdini, the more you like an individual, the more you are likely to be persuaded by him/her. It is meaningful as it affects the chances of being influenced by the person. Likeability is based on sharing something similar with individuals we like (Cialdini, 2001). I liked the people who appeared in the Pampers advertising campaign. The children physician was very educative on how children should be handled especially when on diapers, i.e. how to put diapers on children and when to remove them. The testimonials also seemed honest.

According to Cialdini, when you believe that a product or commodity is in short supply, you tend to want it more. Cialdini defined scarcity as the perception of commodities seeming to be more attractive when their availability is limited (Cialdini, 2001). The advertising did not imply a scarcity of the product. However, it stated that the offer of a discount is limited. They asked those who are willing and able to buy the product to hurry up while current stock last to enjoy the discounts.

Media effects of the campaign

Media effects refer to measurable impacts which result from media influence of a message of an advertisement campaign. Whether a media message of a campaign affects the audience depends on many factors such as psychological characteristics and audience demographics. These media effects of an advertising campaign can be short-term or long-term, positive or negative, abrupt or gradual and micro-level or macro-level. I will discuss micro-level and macro-level effects. Micro-level effects are media effects of an advertising campaign on individuals. Macro-level effects, on the other hand, are media effects of an advertising campaign on groups or communities.

Micro-level effects

The Pampers advertising campaign had various media effects on individuals. The first media effect on individuals is making memories. A person may not pay a lot of attention to adverts until they are in need of something. For instance, if a person is not expecting a baby anytime soon, he/she may not pay attention to advertising campaigns on baby diapers. However, when the need comes, he/she pay attention to advertising campaign on TV, radio or even rush to the Internet to look for the best baby diapers. However, when he/she get to know the best, they won’t forget even if they get several children later.

The second media effect of Pampers advertising campaign is developing recognition. Colors in an advertising campaign affect mood and memories. The colors also establish a sense of association. In this campaign, the company used key colors which developed brand recognition and awareness to individuals. Those who did not know this brand of diapers recognized about it through the campaign.

Another media effect of the campaign is retaining attention. The advertising campaign drew a lot of consumer attention because it was made on television, radio, magazine, newspaper, Internet, and billboards. Most people have access to two or more of these media. For instance, I saw the campaign on the Internet, TV, radio, and billboards. After seeing it severally, my attention was drawn which prompted me to know that advert was about.

The last media effect is an emotional affect. Affective conditioning is simply the effect of advertising on the feelings or emotions of individuals in regard to truth-in-advertising rules. The Pampers advertising campaign created a friendly emotional connection between the audience and the baby diapers. The advert also showed a video recording of how parents should put or remove diapers on the children. This is appealing to newbies who have never used the diapers.

Macro-level effects

Despite having media effects on individuals, the Pampers advertising campaign also had impacts on groups and communities. The first media effect of the campaign on groups or communities is education. The Pampers advertising campaign effectively passed information about their baby diapers brand to a large number of consumers at a go. The information passed to groups or communities educated people on advantages of using this brand of baby diapers, features of this brand, how they work, how to use the diapers, cost of the diapers and where people can purchase them. The information was reliable as it was from the manufacturer.

Another media effect of the campaign to groups or communities is persuasion. The Pampers advertising campaign used creative techniques of advertising their brand. It convinced most people that Pampers brand of baby diapers is better than others in terms of quality, cost, and benefits. This motivated people to take immediate action of trying the Pampers brand. The campaign also encouraged people to purchase in bigger volume and more regularly to enjoy discounts.

Another media effect on groups or communities is reassurance. Before consumers complete their purchase, the campaign would help them to confirm that they are getting what they want. Even if the transaction has been completed, the advertising campaign will remind them why they spent their money and reassured them that they made the right decision. This reassurance media effect of the advertising campaign is essential when the product is expensive, or choice is risky. It removers psychological discomfort referred to as buyer’s remorse.

Articles on related media effects in the past

Article 1: The influence of media on advertising effectiveness

The research articles discuss the media effects of advertising through the Internet, radio, and posters. According to the article, some media may be effective in generating attention towards a particular product and others for persuasion. Therefore, the media effects of an advert vary based on the objective of the campaign. The article highlights the media effects of the campaign on individuals as positive attitudes towards the campaign, positive attitude towards the product and decision support. The media effects on communities as discussed in the article are persuasion, education, and product awareness.

Article 2: The effects of media context experiences on advertising effectiveness

The research article discusses the media effects on the effectiveness of advertising campaigns through magazines. According to this article, most readers of magazines argued that advertising campaigns on the magazine are smart compared to other forms of media. The media effects of advertising campaigns at micro-level include increased attention to the campaign and the product, brand recognition and brand awareness. The media effects of advertising campaigns at macro-level include education on the product, persuasion and brand comparison.

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