Car Ads Get All Touchy Feely
Remember the Ford commercial showing an F-150 being crushed between two bulldozers? Advertising Age [sub] gives us the rest of the story: Ford pulled the ad because it "generated anxiety" in viewers. Psychologist-turned-ad-exec Michael Bently works for JWT, the agency who developed the ad. He wondered if changing the music in the ad would change the way people reacted to it. Nope. No matter which music he tried, Emotional Brand Connection (EBC) and MRI testing showed subjects "reacted with fear and anxiety" to the spot instead of focusing on the point they were trying to make about safety. Ad agencies are expected to use EBC more in developing ads for all products, so expect to be inundated with ads for all products trying to tug at your heartstrings. Incidentally, in the Ford ad, test subjects' anxiety peaked when the commercial showed a "beauty shot" of an uncrushed truck. Whew!
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"Incidentally, in the Ford ad, test subjects' anxiety peaked when the commercial showed a "beauty shot" of an uncrushed truck." Mission Accomplished... Trucks these days are designed to look menacing, especially in the rear-view mirror.