Affective ads

Advertising is one of the good ways to make known a business and sell a product. Companies can use it in several ways to influence consumers. Depending on the target group they want to reach, advertising can be orientated according to several objectives: cognitive, conative and affective. The cognitive commercials correspond to anything that has to do with knowledge. The goal of this kind of advertising is that the target group knows something like the product or the company.

The conative advertisements are intended to purchase something. It is full of imperative.

Finally, emotional ads play with emotions and feelings. The goal is that the target group feels something and considers the brand in a certain way.

Cette publicité de Magnum est un bon exemple de publicité affective :

This Magnum ad is a good example of emotional advertising:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZR5m-ItTVyY

 We see a model stops working to join the man she loves in Paris, known as the city of love. He offers her the new Magnum ice cream. With this advertisement, the company obviously wants its target group to perceive Magnum in a certain way. Indeed, it wants to send a message. We can understand several meanings as there are a lot of good reasons to "make time for a kiss" (even an actress takes the time to stop working to eat it, for example). This advertisement creates feelings among consumers. It sells a dream: it does not sell the product; it sells a situation, which suggests to consumers that it can happen to them. It is also a symbolic ad: it creates an atmosphere around the product.

Personally, I do not think there is a type of advertising more effective than another. It really depends on the purpose of advertising and which message the company wants to send to its target group. However, I guess it also depends on the culture of the country in which the advertisement will be exposed. Some cultures would probably be shocked at some emotional commercials that we have. Research is required before entering a new market.

Stéphanie VILLENEUVE