People who are selling things usually put out advertisements about their articles in newspapers and magazines, and on radio and television. Advertisements tell us what we can get to buy, and they can help us to get what we want. If you look at the page of classified advertisements in a newspaper you will see many advertisements that give you just factual information about articles. For example:
One lot: 10, 000 sq. ft. covered with fruit trees,
Since we always have to choose what to buy with our money, every advertiser tries to make us think that his article is the best one, or is a very good one. The advertiser uses different ways to get us to believe that, and to get us to choose the article, product or service he is advertising. How can we judge what to believe, and what not to believe, before we spend our money? The answer is by learning to see through the tricks some advertisers use, so that we do not get fooled very easily.
First, we have to know people can be persuaded to make a certain choice if someone promises them something they want. We all have certain instincts, desires, needs and weaknesses as human beings. A person who suggests that a certain need will be satisfied will have us ready to do what he wants us to do, unless we can spot what he is up to. As Dr. Samuel Johnson, a renowned writer, once said, “Promise, large promise, is the goal of an advisement.”
Some of the desires people have are:
to be ‘important’ or to be with ‘important’ people;
to enjoy a life of pleasure;
to captivate someone of the opposite sex;
to feel safe and secure, especially in old age;
to feel accepted and liked by other people;
to feel strong and powerful, physically and otherwise;
to feel attractive to others,
to escape the drudgery of some forms of work;
to protect their families;
to be admired and, perhaps, envied in some way;
to get ahead of other people;
to be like other people in certain respects;
to be told how to solve their problems easily;
to find a quick and easy way to success.
From ProGREssive English
广告手法 ①
销售者通常在报纸、杂志、广播、电视上为他们的商品做广告。广告告诉我们可以买什么，并帮助我们买到想要的东西。如果你看看报纸上分类广告的页面，你将看到许多广告为你提供物品的实际信息。例如：
一块地：位于乔治山，栽满果树，
因为我们在花钱买东西时常常要做出选择，所以每个广告商都设法让我们认为他的东西最好或者非常好。他使用不同的手法让我们相信这一点，并促使我们选择他做广告的东西、产品或服务。在花钱之前，我们如何判断哪些广告可以相信，哪些不能相信呢?回答是通过看清一些广告商使用的巧妙手法，这样我们就不会轻易地上当受骗。
首先，我们得知道如果有人对人们想要的东西做出承诺，人们就会经劝诱做出一定的选择。我们每个人都有人的某些本能、欲望、需要和弱点。有人暗示可以满足我们的某种需要，我们就会去做他想让我们做的事，除非我们能发现他要干什么。正如一位著名作家塞缪尔·约翰逊博士所说：“承诺、过分的承诺是广告的精髓”。
人们的某些愿望是：
变得重要或与重要人物在一起；
享受生活；
吸引异性；
有安全感，尤其在老年；
感觉被别人接受和喜欢；
在身体和其它方面感到强壮有力；
感到对别人有吸引力；
摆脱某些单调沉闷的工作；
维护家庭；
受人羡慕，也许某种程度上受人嫉妒；
超前于别人；
在某些方面与别人一样；
被告知如何顺利地解决问题；
