The Psychology of Advertising

Book excerpt: Advertising is a ubiquitous and powerful force, seducing us into buying wanted and sometimes unwanted products and services, donating to charitable causes, voting for political candidates, and changing our health-related lifestyles for better or worse. The impact of advertising is often subtle and implicit, but sometimes blatant and impossible to overlook. This revised and fully updated new edition of The Psychology of Advertising offers a comprehensive and state-of-the-art overview of the psychological findings on the impact of advertising, and discusses the research in the context of recent developments in the fields of social and consumer psychology. Key questions covered in the volume include: What impact does advertising have on consumer behavior? What causes this impact? What are the psychological processes responsible for the effectiveness of advertising? How do consumers make sense of advertising messages? Which messages "get across" successfully and when, and why? How do new online and digital technologies affect consumer judgement and choice? Engagingly written, and including a comprehensive glossary of frequently used concepts, The Psychology of Advertising is a unique and invaluable resource for advanced undergraduate and graduate students, and for researchers and lecturers in social psychology, marketing, and communications. It is also a valuable guide for professionals working in advertising, public health, public services and political communication.