Methods of psychological influence on people in social advertising: examples
Commercial advertising differs from social advertising; its main goal is the slogan “Buy!” Social advertising has other goals:
- Awareness;
- Achieving target behavior;
- Formation of approved submissions;
- Assimilation of information;
- Recommendation of behavior models.
To have a psychological impact on people, social advertising must have such a concept as emotionality . That is, advertising should evoke emotions. These emotions can be both negative and positive. Positive emotions, for example, encourage a person to follow an example, to act one way and not another. Negative ones, on the contrary, lead a person to the realization that there is no need to do this.
Important: A person’s emotional memory is the strongest. Even if a person is not affected by advertising settings, he will still remember it if it is emotional. However, if the advertisement does not contain strong emotions, it will not attract the viewer's attention.
Social videos where the main characters are children, people with disabilities, and the elderly have a special emotional effect.
We offer an example of social advertising with a strong psychological impact in the video at the end of the article.
Now you know what techniques and methods of psychological influence on people are available. You can try to apply them in practice, it is much more interesting than reading theory.
Methods of psychological influence and their differences
Methods of psychological influence on a person’s personality in psychology are:
- infection;
- suggestion;
- belief;
- imitation.
Some of these methods you have already used unconsciously, and some of these methods have been tested on you. Infection, suggestion, persuasion and imitation are ways of influencing the psychological state of people. Let's look at them in detail so as not to fall into the scammers' trap.
Infection
This psychological impact on human consciousness is the oldest and most studied method. It is based on the transfer of emotional states from person to person. Agree that this has happened to everyone when you are in a great mood, and suddenly a person appears with tears in his eyes and all the signs of hysteria.
As you listen to his heartbreaking story, your mood deteriorates, and your state of mind begins to resemble the experiences of your interlocutor. Particularly impressionable people don’t even need to be told anything; on an emotional level, they are able to perceive signals coming from people around them.
Another example that characterizes the method of infection and which is used by the psychology of influencing people is panic. He usually acts in a crowd. If many people are in the same critical conditions, and one of them begins to panic, this feeling is transmitted to most of those present.
Have you heard about panic on board planes or in a broken elevator? These are those cases where one person panicked, and this feeling spread to many
But you can become “infected” not only with negative emotions. Laughter, fun, and a positive attitude in life are contagious.
Suggestion
The second class of psychological influence on a person is suggestion. In this case, the psychology of influence on a person appears on an emotional background, forcing him to act as the opponent forces him. But if infection is the transmission of a psychological state as a result of which a person acts in one way or another, then suggestion is the persuasion of a person to do as he is told using verbal tools (words, visual contact, and others).
In order for suggestion to become an effective tool, you must live up to your words. If a person is trying to “teach you to live” and dictates the rules of behavior in society or the laws of achieving success, then his reputation, appearance and manner of speaking should evoke respect and a desire to imitate.
But when in front of you is an exhausted individual in dirty clothes and with traces of alcohol intoxication, his calls for a new life look pitiful and ridiculous. Therefore, if you want to help a person with advice, try to understand the situation in which the unfortunate person finds himself. Get into the problem and put yourself in his place. Only after this can you suggest something to someone who is looking for support from you.
You can only instill your thoughts in people with a confident voice.
Another important nuance - the psychology of influencing a person says that you can only inspire your thoughts in people with a confident voice, in which there is not even a shadow of doubt . Sometimes the success or failure of an idea depends on the tone in which a phrase is spoken.
There is another factor that determines the result of the impact on a person - suggestibility. The power of suggestion depends on how suggestible a person is, and this is an individual indicator. Children under the age of 13 and insecure and indecisive people are characterized by a high level of this indicator.
Suggestion works especially well if you combine the meaning of the words with the help of which the suggestion occurs with external information that is familiar and understandable to the person being suggested. If you try to direct a person to the “true path” and at the same time draw a parallel with those facts that are close to him, this will have a strong psychological impact on him. If you want to prove to a person that as a result of the actions suggested to him, he will be satisfied, give an example of the negative result that awaits him in the opposite case.
Using “catchphrases” or well-known examples of positive or negative experiences of generations, you will achieve significant results in the art of suggestion
Belief
Persuasion is one of the most harmless and effective methods of psychological influence on a person. It is based on facts that become clear as a result of constructing a logical chain of thought. When using various methods of influencing people, one should take into account the level of intellectual development of the opponent. Proving something to a person who is below you in mental development is ridiculous. Your arguments will not be understood and accepted. If you are trying to convince someone who is smarter than you of something, it will look funny.
When the first piece of new information reaches a person’s consciousness, his brain looks for an explanation. And now it depends on the skill of the one who convinces whether they will believe him or not. It’s good if you can get a person to trust you, but the rest depends on the method of psychological influence and the alternation of new data. The most important thing that methods of psychological influence on a person require is not to deceive your opponent. As soon as a person feels falsehood in words, the level of trust will drop significantly. If this happens again, you may completely lose the trust and attention of this person.
To really be believed, you must correspond to the lifestyle or statements that you are trying to convey to your opponent. Your words should radiate power and you should come across as authoritative and confident.
So, everything coincided:
- Opponent's development level:
- The truthfulness of your statements;
- Correspondence between image and statements.
Your words should radiate power, and you should create the impression of an authoritative and confident person.
Now you need to choose a behavior strategy that will help influence the person psychologically. There are several strategies.
- Aggressive . It is based on the contradiction of proven facts. This proves to the person that you are an extraordinary person and very different from him. He has a desire to listen to you and unravel the logical chain that you have confused. Therefore, he listens carefully to every word. But this strategy of psychological influence on a person is typical for professionals of speech and persuasion.
- Passive . This strategy only works if you know the other person well. By carefully citing examples from his and your own life, comparing them with cases known to the whole world, you lead your opponent to the idea that you want to convey to him. Avoid inconsistencies and differences in judgment. This will throw the work done back several positions.
Now you know how to psychologically influence a person during a conversation. Use the “Persuasion” method, applying the laws of logic and building logical chains.
Leonardo DiCaprio and Matt Damon, still from the movie "The Departed"
Imitation
Many subconsciously use methods of influencing a person, without even knowing it. Reaching some heights in a career or intellectually, we become an object of respect and admiration. Less experienced people tend to follow the example of someone who has already realized their aspirations. But the object of imitation must always “keep up the brand”. It should be attractive, bright, memorable, delightful. That is, to satisfy the opponent’s desire to follow the ideal.
Ask for a favor
We're talking about an effect known as the Benjamin Franklin effect. One day, Franklin needed to win the favor of a man who didn’t like him very much. Then Franklin politely asked this man to lend him a rare book and, having received what he wanted, thanked him even more politely. Previously, this person avoided even talking to him, but after this incident they became friends.
This story repeats itself over and over again. The point is that someone who has done you a favor once will be more willing to do it again compared to someone who owes you something. The explanation is simple - a person decides that since you are asking him for something, then if necessary, you yourself will respond to his request, so he should do the same as you.
Reflect
Reflection is also known as mimicry. Many people use this method naturally, without even thinking about what they are doing: they automatically copy other people's behavior, manner of speech and even gestures. But this technique can be used completely consciously.
People tend to treat better those who are similar to them. An equally curious fact is that if during a recent conversation someone “reflected” a person’s behavior, then for some time this person will be more pleasant to communicate with other people, even if they had nothing to do with that conversation. The reason is most likely the same as in the case of calling someone by name - the behavior of the interlocutor confirms the very fact of the existence of the person.
Take advantage of your opponent's fatigue
When a person is tired, he becomes more receptive to other people's words, be it a request or a statement. The reason is that fatigue not only affects the body, but also reduces mental energy levels. When you ask a tired person for a favor, you will probably get an answer like “Okay, I’ll do it tomorrow” - because at the moment the person does not want to solve any more problems. But the next day the person will most likely fulfill his promise - people, as a rule, try to keep their word, because otherwise they get psychological discomfort.
Keep calm
The trick: don't correct a person when he's wrong. In his famous book, Carnegie also emphasized that one should not tell people that they are wrong. This, as a rule, will lead to nothing, and you will simply fall out of favor with this person. There is actually a way to show disagreement while still having a polite conversation, without telling anyone that they are wrong, but by striking the other person's ego to the core. The method was invented by Ray Ransberger and Marshall Fritz. The idea is quite simple: instead of arguing, listen to what the person is saying and then try to understand how they feel and why. You should then explain to the person the points you share with them and use that as a starting point to clarify your position. This will make him more sympathetic to you and he will be more likely to listen to what you have to say without losing face.
The influence of people on each other.
Psychology of influencing people
There are many tricks of psychological perception that help you figure out how to influence other people. There is not even a need to use certain techniques and tricks, but you just have to remember the very characteristics of the psyche and edit your behavior or the peculiarities of presenting information in time, and you can use randomly developing circumstances.
One of the most interesting points in the peculiarities of the perception of others is that the presence of shortcomings and weaknesses that are not critical to social norms and morality makes a person more pleasant to others. This allows you to relax yourself and stop striving to achieve perfection in everything - when there is a living person nearby, you also want to be alive.
So, if you show fatigue at the end of the working day, you will inspire more trust among the team, and if you come in imperfectly ironed clothes or with paint stains, then they will not doubt the sincerity of your words.
Perfection causes tension and distance, and the presence of small flaws makes you closer to people. From a close and confidential distance, you can afford much more, and the information will not be subject to harsh criticism.
The second point that allows you to achieve favor is calling by name. A proper name is the sound that a person is accustomed to hearing most often, responding at a behavioral and emotional level.
Calling by last name, in turn, can make a person tense - school lessons and comments, as well as work meetings, are immediately remembered. A name is something sacred, and the more often you address a person this way, the calmer and more trusting they will be around you, which means that much of the information you say will immediately fall into the subconscious. However, you should not overdo it, since frequent calling by name can cause a backlash of tension and mistrust.
The construction of your requests can also be adjusted in relation to the characteristics of a person’s perception. Try to avoid direct language, use questioning intonations instead. The best option is when you yourself give the person a choice of what to do, but at the same time limit him to those options that suit you personally. Those. When you need help in the garden and things picked up from the dry cleaner, it’s worth asking which of these items the person chooses to do. In this context, the option to opt out is removed in advance, and the number of choices is reduced to the categories you need.
When it seems that a person will resist some decision or influence, then it is worth discussing with him exclusively secondary issues, without questioning what you need. In the case of a trip, you can argue about the timing, transport and amount of luggage, but not the fact of the trip itself. This technique even works with children, distracting from the conflict moment - morning preparations may include bickering about clothes and who is carrying the backpack, then the idea that there is an option not to go to school is excluded.
Another option on how to achieve what you want is to ask for a lot of things that are unattainable at once, and then lower the bar to the level of what is necessary. A person who has refused a large request may experience guilt, the desire to get rid of which is quite strong, so if you immediately offer him the opportunity to pay off with less, consent comes almost instantly.
People influence each other even through passivity, for example, a long pause forces a person to say more about the previous topic. The awkwardness of silence is difficult to bear psychologically, and social norms require constant dialogue, so if you deliberately delay the pause, the interlocutor will be forced to fill it with something. For the topics of such fillings, the last question discussed or the emotional experiences of the interlocutor is usually selected.
In general, try to speak less, giving the other the opportunity to speak out and indicate your position. Not only does everyone prefer to be listened to, but there is still little of this in our world, so they immediately gain confidence in a good listener, telling more and more. Even if you have more experience and more accurate knowledge on a particular issue, listen anyway - you will receive information about the person himself and his life concept, and timely questions asked will help turn the conversation in the right direction.
What makes it possible to establish close contact is the fact that a person feels that he is being listened to when what he said is paraphrased, the same information is returned, slightly changed in form, but not in meaning. Gradually, you can add your own ideas to the voice of your interlocutor’s text (everything you add will be perceived as your own thoughts).
These are the main features of the human psyche, which allows one to be more and more influenced: the maximum level of trust in the interlocutor and the manifestation of one’s freedom. The more you master the art of instilling trust and creating for a person the possibility of choice and the illusion of control of the situation, the more power you will gain not only over actions (which can be forced), but also over the motivational and emotional sphere (here you only need inspiration).
Call names
Trick: Use the person's name or title depending on the situation. Dale Carnegie, author of How to Win Friends and Influence People, believes that mentioning a person's name frequently in conversation is incredibly important. He emphasizes that a person’s name in any language is the sweetest combination of sounds for him. Carnegie says that a name is the main component of human identity, therefore, when we hear it, we once again receive confirmation of our importance. This is why we feel more positive towards a person who confirms our importance in the world. However, using a title or other form of address in a speech can also have a strong impact. The idea is that if you behave like a certain type of person, then you will become that person. This is somewhat like a prophecy. To use this technique to influence other people, you can address them as you would like them to be. As a result, they will begin to think of themselves in this way. It’s very simple, if you want to get closer to a certain person, then call him “friend”, “comrade” more often. Or, when referring to someone you would like to work for, you can call him “boss.” But keep in mind that sometimes this can backfire on you.
The influence of words on a person.
Repeat the words of your interlocutor
The trick: paraphrase what the person says and repeat what they said. This is one of the most amazing ways to influence other people. This way you show your interlocutor that you really understand him, capture his feelings and your empathy is sincere. That is, by paraphrasing the words of your interlocutor, you will achieve his favor very easily. This phenomenon is known as reflective listening. Research has shown that when doctors use this technique, people open up more to them and their “collaboration” is more fruitful. It's easy to use when chatting with friends too. If you listen to what they say and then paraphrase what they said, forming a question for confirmation, they will feel very comfortable with you. You will have a stronger friendship and they will listen more actively to what you have to say because you have managed to show that you care about them.
Methods of influencing people.
Flatter
The trick: Flattery can get you where you need to go. This may seem obvious at first glance, but there are some important caveats. To begin with, it is worth noting that if flattery is not sincere, then it will most likely do more harm than good. However, scientists who have studied flattery and people's reactions to it have discovered several very important things. Simply put, people always try to maintain cognitive balance by trying to organize their thoughts and feelings in a similar way. Therefore, if you flatter a person whose self-esteem is high, and the flattery is sincere, he will like you more, because the flattery will coincide with what he thinks about himself. However, if you flatter someone whose self-esteem is suffering, there may be negative consequences.
It is likely that he will treat you worse because it does not intersect with how he perceives himself. Of course, this does not mean that a person with low self-esteem should be humiliated.
Ways to influence people.
Offer something that a person cannot refuse
The trick: start the conversation with something that the other person can't refuse, and you will achieve what you need. This is the flip side of the door-in-the-face approach. Instead of starting the conversation with a request, you start with something small. As soon as a person agrees to help you in small ways, or simply agrees to something, you can use the “heavy artillery.” Experts have tested this theory using marketing approaches. They started by asking people to show their support for protecting the rainforests and the environment, which is a very simple request. Once support has been received, scientists have found that it is now much easier to convince people to buy products that contribute to this support. However, you should not start with one request and immediately move on to another. Psychologists have found that it is much more effective to take a break of 1-2 days.
Techniques for influencing people.
