Describe what psychologists have discovered about types of advertising and advertising techniques.

Mark scheme

Marking points from the official mark scheme (May/June 2018). The mark or mark type is shown in brackets.

1. Describe what psychologists have discovered about types of advertising and advertising techniques. Types of advertising and advertising techniques, including the following: ∞ advertising media (e.g. television, etc.); persuasive techniques ∞ marketing mix models: The 4 Ps (McCarthy), The 4 Cs (Lauterborn) ∞ product placement in films (Auty and Lewis, 2004) Advertising media (e.g. television, etc.) Could include reference and description of radio, magazine, television and online advertising. persuasive techniques e.g. central route where the message is personally relevant to the consumer (e.g. information on products for children when the consumer has a child) or peripheral route is where the message is not personally relevant so the message needs to be stronger (e.g. buying a new product because experts have suggested it is effective). Yale model of communication could be described here. Marketing mix models: The 4 Ps (McCarthy), The 4 Cs (Lauterborn) The 4 Ps form a marketing tool that can be used by advertisers. 1 Product – the physical product or service. 2 Price – Price of the product – must be appropriate based on market forces (e.g. what the consumer is prepared to pay and prices of other similar products. 3 Place – location where the product/service is sold and way product is distributed. 4 Promotion – the advertising of the product be it in the media, sales promotion or cold calling. 4 Cs 1 Consumer – what does the consumer want and need 2 Cost – actual price plus the other costs such as distance travelled, value of the product to the consumer, ethical concerns, etc. 3 Communication – the company should seek out from the consumer information on what they want and what they need. 4 Convenience – companies should offer a variety of ways for the consumer to purchase the product (online or in a shop). Product placement in films (Auty and Lewis, 2004) 105 students from UK were randomly assigned to one of two groups: In the experimental group the children watched a clip of ‘Home Alone’ where the family were eating pizza and drinking milk and Pepsi. In the control group the family were eating macaroni cheese and milk. Ex students of the school interviewed the children after the study and initially offered them a drink where the choice was either Pepsi or CocaCola. They were then asked to describe the film and given specific questions if they did not mention Pepsi. The results found product placement did have an effect and the children were more likely to choose Pepsi after seeing the clip. Mark according to the levels of response descriptors in Table A. Other appropriate responses should also be credited.
2. Evaluate what psychologists have discovered about types of advertising and advertising techniques, including a discussion on the use of children in psychological research. A range of issues could be used for evaluation here. These include: ∞ Named issue – use of children in psychological research – Auty and Lewis study used children in their research. This is a positive part of their research as it is often children who pester their parents to buy fizzy drinks so it is a useful study. The researchers also sought parental consent and the older children most likely felt comfortable in the study and more willing to say if they wished to leave as they were 11-12 years old. The 6-7 year olds may have felt more uncomfortable or found it less easy to say if they wished to leave the study as given their age they may have felt more intimidated. Both groups of children may have tried to figure out the aim of the study and were eager to please the researchers and selected the Pepsi for that reason alone. ∞ Strengths and weaknesses of the methods used in research investigating advertising. - Auty and Lewis used a lab study ∞ sampling and generalisations – Auty and Lewis used children from the UK to do their study ∞ usefulness/practical applications – the theories about 4 Ps and 4 Cs are very useful as they suggest what the company should focus on when marketing their products. In addition, persuasive techniques can help to sell a product. The Auty and Lewis study shows the product placement can work and is worth the investment of a company. ∞ reductionist nature of the theories – the theories are fairly complex explanations of what is involved in trying to market a product. Include many factors such as price, consumer needs and wants, etc. ∞ Ethics - study was done on young children. ∞ Deterministic nature of the theories – suggests that with the right persuasion/marketing mix the consumer can be convinced to buy a product. Does recognise the free will of the consumer. ∞ Comparison of 4 Cs and 4 Ps Differences 4 Cs more focussed on the consumer than the 4 Ps. Specific comparisons e.g. place is replaced by convenience to buy in 4 Cs as consumers buy their products in many different places including the internet. Similarities Holistic nature of the two models Lack of evidence to back up the two models. Effectiveness of the two models in improving advertising (and therefore sales) for companies. Mark according to the levels of response descriptors in Table B. Other appropriate responses should also be credited.