Digital Communication Week 4 Assignment

1. What I want to change/my target group to do

I chose Dove, a brand owned by Unilever, for my Digital Communications Plan. Dove aims to improve women’s confidence about their looks. Therefore I want my target group (international girls and women) to develop a positive mindset about their body and use Dove’s products to help them feel confident about their appearance.

2. Persuasion Techniques

I am going to use the Promised Land persuasion technique and the Implementation Intentions persuasion technique (extracted from “Hidden Persuasion” by Andrews, Van Leeuwen and Van Baaren, 2014).

3. Theoretical Background of Persuasion Techniques

The Promised Land technique seduces consumers into buying a product to help them achieve a desirable, personal goal. Although the claims about the product are often exaggerated they appeal to basic human desires. Thus consumers are prone to be persuaded by this technique because 
- people want to believe the exaggerated claims are true
- the advertisement creates a positive association between our dreams and desires and the
  specific brand that uses the Promised Land technique. 
According to the authors of “Hidden Persuasion” “The Promised Land can be seen as an empowering Promise; it will give you the right tools and powers to succeed” (Andrews, Van Leeuwen, Van Baaren, 2014). Therefore it is perfect for my goal: Dove’s products will be portrayed as ‘tools’ to help young women feel confident about their body.

However, this technique alone is not sufficient to achieve change in the long-term because to change consumers’ mindset you need concrete instructions. Therefore I am going to combine it with the second persuasion technique Implementation Intentions.

It helps people to achieve their goal by following a concrete plan. It creates an implementation intention that increases the chance that they will carry out the action. The aim is to transfer this attitude into a behaviour by the consumers’ conscious commitments.

4. How to implement techniques in real  life

The Promised Land technique can be applied by presenting Dove’s products in an idealized, attractive situation that triggers people to buy the product in order to achieve that ideal situation. For instance, an advertisement poster that shows a happy, young woman going out with her friends and having the best time of her life after having used one of Dove’s personal care products.

The Implementation Intentions technique can be applied by creating advertisements that give specific instructions on how to develop a positive mindset about your body. For instance an advertisement poster that gives tips s.a. “Get rid of everything that makes you feel bad about your body (diet plans, magazines, certain clothes, candy, etc.).” or “Write down 3 things you love about your body. Start doing it weekly.” It is easier to start small and step by step to achieve such a goal.

Sources:

http://www.dove.com/uk/stories/about-dove/our-vision.html

http://www.dove.com/uk/stories/about-dove/our-research.html

http://www.dove.com/uk/home.html

"Hidden Persuasion" by Andrews, Van Leeuwen and Van Baaren (2014)