Grabbing the attention of your audiences and showing them the benefits of your product is important for building a strong online presence.
However, the world of digital advertising is incredibly competitive, making it hard for your products and services to stand out amongst the noise.
Persuasive advertising is an advertising technique that can help you attract the interest of your key target audiences and convince them to give your product a try without being overly educational and informative.
When done right, persuasive advertising can go a long way towards helping your brand build more loyalty and appeal to more people.
In this article, we’ll go over what persuasive advertising is and why it’s different from other digital advertising techniques.
Persuasive Advertising vs. Informative Advertising
Persuasive advertising is often compared to another type of digital advertising strategy, informative advertising.
In order to understand what will work best for your goals and your brand, it’s important that you first understand the differences between the two approaches.
What is Informative Advertising?
Informative advertising uses data, facts, and figures to appeal to audiences and convince them to purchase products.
By sharing the provable benefits of a product or service, brands are able to bring in audiences with statistics and truthful facts rather than feelings and emotions.
Another key feature of informative advertising is the focus of the ad being on the product rather than the customer.
Instead of trying to match the important emotions in a customer, informative advertising will demonstrate the value, features, and benefits of products and services without thinking about how the audience feels about the brand.
Which is More Important for Your Business?
Like with all advertising strategies, there are positives and negatives to informative advertising and persuasive advertising.
The key difference between the two is that while informative advertising uses statistics and data, persuasive advertising relies on emotions.
Many brands would benefit from both of these strategies in different applications.
For example, if you were a shoe brand, you might want to have some advertisements that focus on the features of the shoe like the materials and the science behind the design, while other ads might focus on the way you will feel when doing activities in the shoes and the positive feelings that come from wearing them (like the Nike ad below).
The Psychology Behind Persuasive Advertising
Persuasive advertising works because it lines up with how people actually make decisions. As George Gribbin, Advertising Industry Leader, said: “A copywriter should have an understanding of people, an insight into them, a sympathy toward them.”
Before choosing techniques, it helps to know the psychological principles behind them — and how persuasive ad writing relates to its close cousin, copywriting.
Persuasive Advertising vs. Copywriting
Paul Hollingshead, one of the founders of AWAI, one of the largest writer associations in the world, differentiates the two areas as follows: “Copywriting brings a strong CTA, that is, a strong call to action, while advertising writing refers to a ‘soft selling ad’”.
From a practical point of view, copywriting is more appropriate for attraction strategies, in which the sale extends over a long persuasive process, while advertising writing remains an instrument aimed at direct sales. The two fields are not perfectly distinct, though: copywriting was born from advertising writing, a good portion of its tools came from renowned advertisers of the past, and the two approaches are always mixed — which is why the principles below serve both.
Cialdini’s Six Principles of Persuasion
Robert Cialdini, in his bestseller “Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion”, clarifies that human behavior is guided by some fundamental laws. Each one is a lever your advertising can pull:
- Reciprocity: by nature, human beings tend to respond to an action with another equivalent action. If you want consumers to do something for you, deliver something of value to them first — a free tool, a sample, a genuinely useful piece of content.
- Social proof: since people are influenced by others, testimonials and success stories are powerful ways to increase your message’s credibility.
- Affection: we connect more easily and deeply with people who look like us, so audiences give more attention and respect to the brand that has lived — or clearly understands — a problem similar to theirs.
- Authority: people are more likely to respect those they judge as “superior” — not in the literal sense of the word, but in a particular subject, which is why expert voices carry weight in ads.
- Coherence: when people publicly commit to something, they feel psychologically pressured to behave consistently and deliver the announced result.
- Scarcity: this trigger activates when we realize the possibility of losing something, and it sharpens our desire in order to get rid of the feeling of loss.
You have probably come across many ads that explore these principles, and it is good to use them in your campaigns too — but sparingly. Once the indiscriminate use of these triggers has been identified, the effect is simply the opposite. Use this knowledge as the basis for your arguments, never presenting it explicitly.
6 Persuasive Advertising Techniques
Now that you have a better understanding of what persuasive advertising is, let’s take a look at some of the different persuasive advertising techniques you can use in your own brand’s digital advertising strategies.
These techniques will help you create compelling advertising examples that use persuasive thinking.
1. The Carrot and the Stick
The carrot and the stick is one of the most popular persuasive advertising techniques.
Logically, it makes sense that people prefer to have rewards over punishments. In advertising, a carrot refers to the potential gains that a customer will have from using a product, and a stick refers to the potential loss a customer will have if they don’t use your product.
An ad could call out the benefits of using a product, like better skin for a moisturizing company, or it could point out loss, like the increased chances of a robbery when a customer doesn’t buy your brand’s home security system.
These types of persuasive strategies work because they target some of the most hardwired feelings in our minds.
2. The Scarcity Principle
You, like many others, probably think that it is cool to have collectibles and items that are scarce in quantity.
It makes the one that you have seem more valuable since it can’t belong to just anyone. This is the scarcity principle in action, and it’s a powerful tool for persuasive advertising.
When you make it seem as though your product is a limited offer, a one-time-only deal, or comes from a limited stock, you can persuade your audiences to make a purchase decision quickly before they lose out on the opportunity.
It taps into emotions of power and self-worth to have products that other people do not have or didn’t get the chance to purchase on time.
3. Writing in the Second Person
Using second-person language with pronouns like “you” and “yours” is another important technique to use in persuasive advertising.
It helps you connect and engage with audiences on a more personal level and can be used to grab their attention and help them visualize your products and services in the present rather than the future.
In actual campaigns, this approach can make an ad feel like a conversation instead of a lecture. If you’ve ever seen a slogan that says, “You deserve a break today,” that’s precisely the effect: it slips beneath your guard and speaks directly to the you sitting on your couch, scrolling and snacking. This subtlety is easy to overlook but packs a punch when used thoughtfully in ad copy or social posts. No surprise big brands keep leaning into it—people just react better when they feel spoken to, not spoken at.
There’s something else that gets overlooked: using the second person can bring out the quirks or real-life scenarios your audience recognizes in themselves. Think about campaigns that speak to everyday messes or tired mornings, and say, “You’ve been there, right?” It’s almost disarming. Suddenly, a faceless brand sounds like a friend who “gets it,” and weirdly, that can tip the scales when someone’s deciding between ten nearly identical products.
4. The Call to Value
As marketers, we are all familiar with a call-to-action in marketing collateral.
This is the push you give customers and the action they need to take in order to move to the next step of the customer journey.
In persuasive advertising, it helps to make the CTA a CTV, or call-to-value. That makes it clear to audiences that by clicking the button or the ad, they are benefiting their lives.
5. The Bandwagon Appeal
No one wants to feel left out or left behind.
Joining the bandwagon refers to the process of persuading customers that they won’t be in on the popularity if they don’t have a particular product or item.
Rather than feeling as though they are missing out, a customer will instead try and purchase the product to join in on the appeal and meet their desire to belong.
6. The Celebrity Association
Another powerful tool for persuasive advertising is to use celebrities and influencers to make your appeal to customers more enticing.
People want to be like the people that they admire, and when you use a celebrity testimonial or association, it makes your products appear more desirable and can help your customers decide to make a purchase rather than wait.
5 Persuasion Triggers That Strengthen Any Ad
Beyond full techniques, there are smaller elements — triggers — that you can layer into headlines, ad copy, and calls to action. Not all of them need to be present in every piece; choose the ones that fit your offer.
1. Urgency
It is common for people to procrastinate on a decision unless it has to be made urgently. Your message should not only attract attention but also prompt fast action. Words and phrasings that create a feeling of urgency help:
- “Do you want to become a successful freelancer today? Click here to learn more!”
- “Until today, nobody had shared this secret of how to increase sales. Find out now!”
2. Specificity
Vague promises are easy to ignore. Define the deadline, the number, or the next steps the audience must take to execute the action:
- “Learn the 7 tips for writing perfect content!”
- “Learn more about the course that teaches you how to do copywriting in up to 2 weeks!”
3. Transformation
When someone gives an ad their attention, they expect something to change after acting on it. Make that transformation clear from the headline:
- “Learn how to create a successful blog from scratch!”
- “9 steps to change your freelance life right now.”
4. Exclusivity
Audiences are drowning in content that is “more of the same”, and hardly anyone wants to click on it. Exclusivity signals that your message offers something they cannot get elsewhere. Compare a flat headline with an exclusive one:
- Flat: “What is Instagram? Find out now.” Exclusive: “What is Instagram? Find out the opinion of the greatest experts on this social network!”
- Flat: “How to create an Instagram account.” Exclusive: “7 steps on how to create an Instagram account and have lots of followers!”
5. Repetition
“Get the subject right once. Then go back and hit it again. Then hit it a third time, with a ‘tremendous blow’.” (Richard Perry)
Sports metaphors aside, every ad, landing page, or piece of copy has an introduction, a development, and a conclusion. Introduce the core promise up front, develop it in the body, and reinforce it in the close.
6 Persuasive Advertising Examples
In order to excel in persuasive advertising, it can help to have some different examples of what a persuasive ad will look like once it is published.
Let’s take a look at some of the best performing and most recognizable persuasive advertising examples from top brands around the globe.
1. Heinz
Heinz, the condiment brand, used persuasive advertising in their partnership with singer Ed Sheeran to appeal to UK audiences.
Ed Sheeran, a notable fan of Heinz, appeared in an ad where he added the product to many different types of food and fancy and luxurious restaurants.
It helped to build a positive association between the singer and the product while making it feel approachable and enticing.
2. Clorox
Clorox, the cleaning supply brand, used persuasive advertising with its “Trusted by Moms” campaign.
The campaign used language that focused on how mothers are trusted cleaners and used that as an emotional hook to connect with audiences.
And by avoiding specifics on how many moms bought their products, they were able to build a connection to mothers as a whole.
3. Lyft
Lyft, the ride-sharing company, used persuasive advertising in their advertisements where they thanked people who were achievers, hard workers, and also drivers.
By focusing on the customers who needed the product rather than the ride share app itself, Lyft was able to make an emotional connection between people who strive to achieve their goals and the brand itself.
4. Apple
Apple, a global technological brand, appealed to reasonableness and logic to entice its audience to purchase what was, at the time, the newest iPhone.
Instead of comparing the smartphone to competitors, Apple focused on what its product had to offer in the way of technological and physical advancements, such as Face ID software and durable glass, two features its audience finds valuable.
5. Burger King
Burger King, the fast-food restaurant brand, succeeded at persuasive advertising with its “Shadow Campaign.”
Creating an online war of sorts on Twitter, the campaign centered on the promotion of people’s disgruntled tweets about a competitor, Wendy’s.
Relying on emotions, Burger King let the customers do the talking themselves, adding credibility to the messaging.
Also, this is one of the advertisements that uses persuasive techniques that prove fun for the audience, creating laughter.
6. HP
HP, a global technological device company, targeted a specific audience with its “Nobody’s Watching” campaign.
The persuasive ads campaign centers around the ability of users to easily turn off the camera on their laptops, allowing them to do what they wish without worry of being viewed by others.
By identifying and gearing the persuasive advertising messaging to a specific audience’s concern about their product, HP was able to show why this really is not an issue at all.
Essentially, the message sent out was you can be yourself while using your HP laptop.
You may also be interested in these articles:
- Google Will Allow Users To Control The Display Of Advertising By Topic Or Brand
- How to Get Started Advertising on TikTok
- What McDonald’s And Burger King’s Misleading Advertising Accusations Teach Us About Marketing And Brand Trust
Persuasive Copy in Action: From Ogilvy to Modern Brands
One of the most prestigious examples of persuasive copy goes back to the golden era of American advertising. In 1957, David Ogilvy, considered by some authors as the father of modern advertising, created the famous Rolls-Royce car campaign with a text of just 607 words — and a breathtaking title chosen by half a dozen editors from his agency among 26 options created by them.
Ogilvy’s approach at the time was very different from the way corporate communication is handled these days, but the story illustrates the importance of certain elements in an ad — in this case, the title — and the power that a well-written text represents.
Modern brands apply the same persuasive principles on a smaller scale:
Headspace
Headspace, the meditation app, reaches customers on its homepage by being action-oriented and specific. It speaks to the benefits of using the app, such as to “find more joy”, “get more goodnights”, and “make every day happier” — selling the transformation rather than the features.
Death Wish Coffee
Death Wish Coffee creates product descriptions that stand out. For its Gingerdead Coffee, it captures attention with headlines like “Sleigh the Season with Gingerdead” and lets readers in on the process of how it is made — personality, exclusivity, and credibility working together.
Wrap Up
Persuasive advertising focuses the advertising journey on the customer’s desires and interests.
It makes any type of product or service appear in a more positive light, regardless of what it is your brand does. When done right, persuasive advertising will bring in more customers and build brand loyalty through engaging content.
While persuasive advertising is one example of content that delivers, there are many other ways to engage with audiences.
