ABSTRACT
By the early twentieth century key consumer markets such as confectionery, soap and tobacco had already become saturated. Though advertisers had developed strategies such as expanding consumer spending through increasing credit, they also turned to advertising messages to help increase sales. As early as 1908, when The Psychology of Advertising by Professor Walter Dill Scott was published, advertisers began to turn to psychological theories to try to unlock the consumer’s mind (Leiss, Kline and Jhally 1990:138). Agencies began to formulate theories of human behaviour and motivation which could be unlocked by persuasive treatments. New approaches to persuasiveness were categorised and systematised in the 1920s into “reason-why” and “atmosphere” advertising techniques. “Reason-why” was designed to stimulate demand by constructing a reason for purchase, such as helping to save time, being modern, or being socially acceptable. Reason-why ads were used to differentiate the product from others on the market, as in an example from the 1960s: “Make sure it’s Cadbury’s. Because no other chocolate can possibly give you the proper, creamy, Cadbury taste.” The premise was that consumers were essentially rational and made consuming decisions based upon reason. In an expanding market, there is no other reason to try to make appeals other than reason-why, because consumers continue to buy, but once competition rises and the market flattens, advertisers need to find new appeals. “Atmosphere” advertising, on the other hand, appealed to the emotional side and was meant to evoke non-rational responses such as
sexual desire and patriotism from consumers. Irrationality became an issue when the market became saturated and advertisers needed a competitive advantage.
