Internet Ads Influence You More Than You Think – Here’s How to Fight Back

The internet is a mall. Except the mall is filled with hundreds of salespeople stalking you and trying to get your attention. Many people have tuned it out so well that they don't view the internet as a mall at all, but even though we don't actively consider ads, they still influence us with their presence. This is because, rather than taking the central route to persuasion (trying to convince us logically through arguments), advertisers focus on the peripheral route to persuasion (trying to trigger automatic responses that cause people to be attracted to a product without conscious thought). Even though you may have skipped that YouTube ad and skimmed through those marketing blogs that litter the results of most Google searches without even realizing they were trying to sell a product, the media we consume has an effect on us and we may end up buying things that we don’t actually want!

There are ways to combat this by developing counterarguments to every ad’s proposal to “buy me!”, consciously identifying the techniques an ad is using to influence you, and dismissing them in favor of considering your own needs. Here are 5 tactics ads use to influence you and how to not fall for them.

Issue: Repetition

Ads stalk us from website to website and weave their way into your desires through repetition. Advertisers are aware that repetition is usually necessary to convince someone to buy something.  

Solution: Be wary–did you want that the first time you saw it? Or are you buying it because it has become familiar to you?

Issue: Foot-in-the-Door Phenomenon

Ever taken a quiz where you have to plug in your email to get the results? Or get offered a “FREE e-book!” that also costs you lending your email address? This is one of internet businesses’ favorite ways of using the foot-in-the-door phenomenon- the phenomenon where people agreeing to a small thing makes them more likely to commit to a larger thing. If you trade your email for a 2-page PDF file, you are more likely to trade your money for a book because you made a previous commitment. Much more significantly, the repetition of receiving emails from the brand increases feelings of familiarity and commitment to buying a product. The foot-in-the-foor phenomenon is also exploited through offering free trials of apps or other products. If the customer agrees to use the product for a week, they are more likely to commit to buying the product.

Solution: If you simply must know “Which chocolate am I?” (as I often ponder myself) use a junk email or unsubscribe from the list when you get it instead of reluctantly letting a brand into your life. Also, be aware of any feelings that you owe the business something since you committed to one thing—you do not!

Issue: Attractiveness

“Attractiveness" comes in many forms, including appealing to your sense of group identity. Simply the use of trendy colors in an ad can make certain groups of people feel identified with the ad and want to buy a product more, even if the product does not match up with the ad’s aura. 

Solution: Be aware of your desire to fit in with a particular subculture/age-group/etc and ask yourself if you want to buy the product shown or the lifestyle the ad depicted.

Issue: Arousing Fear

Advertisers arouse fear through tactics such as countdown timers on shopping sites, limited-time offers, and “sales” that never end. The sense of scarcity these tactics create causes anxiety and a propensity to act on the fear (buy the product).

Solution: Distance yourself from the urgency you feel in the moment and access your decision-making mind. Ask, “Would I buy this if I did not feel anxious?”

Issue: Arousing Positive Feelings

Using humor or positive imagery/sounds in ads makes people more likely to be interested in a product because the product is associated with feeling good. Humor can even cause people to trust a brand they would have been skeptical of otherwise. In addition, people in a good mood make faster and more impulsive decisions which can cause them to buy products they would not have otherwise.

Solution: Ask, “Am I attracted to the product or to the positive feelings the marketing of that product gave me?”

The next time you see an ad, look for these techniques marketers use and combat their effect on you. Buy good products; not good marketing.