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But now that I have stopped to think about it, I’m shocked at how irrational it makes us out to be. It suggests that human preferences can be changed with nothing more than a few arbitrary images. Even Pavlov’s dogs weren’t so easily manipulated: they actually received food after the arbitrary stimulus.

The consumer product is the reward. You see a Coke ad. You buy a Coke. It is tasty. You are happy. You see another ad and it reignites the craving.

This tends to work because the thing sold is desirable on its face. It would be less effective if the product was a dental exam (why do I have all these cavities anyway?) or a trip to the DMV.

a lot of ads work simply by raising awareness. These ads are essentially telling customers, “FYI, product X exists. Here’s how it works. It’s available if you need it.”

Yes, but the ad reinforces brand awareness, not just availability. Why buy Advil when generic ibuprofen is the same product? Because you recognize and positively associate the brand of Advil with pain relief.

Occasionally an ad will attempt overt persuasion

But these also tend to be emotional appeals intended to build positive association with the brand. 4/5 doctors trust Advil over the Leading Rival. So you should too. Classic appeal to authority.

But once that message is instilled, you can run a picture of a man in a white lab coat holding a bottle of Advil and it speaks for itself.

Perhaps the most important mechanism used by ads (across the ages) is making promises.

Sure. And that is good for roping in newcomers. But the repeat business is built on reliability.

The difference between a business and a scam is, ultimately, the presence of repeat customers.

And for that, you need an implicit positive association with a product. Advertising instills that association