How Commercials Affect Our Psychology

I know for a fact that commercials affect our psychology.

Do you know how I know?

Subway.

During my time working in Subway, I saw 2 renaissances.

Jared the weight loss guy and the 5-dollar footlong special.

Subway subs aren’t the best.

There are a lot of places which have way better food.

Doesn’t matter.

What Subway mastered were their commercials.

They had a compelling narrative that gripped the public’s psychology.

Once you grab their mind, you have control over their bodies…

Jared the Subway Guy

Jared was this guy who used to be huge.

One of the fattest guys I’ve ever seen.

He said he lost weight by only eating Subway.

Ever since he went on his all-sub diet, he became half the size.

Subway capitalized on the moment.

They would have Jared bring his old pants in the commercials to show the contrast from then and now.

The public loved Jared.

He didn’t seem like a threatening figure.

He looked like the everyday man.

Plus, Subway was smart in another way.

Rather than constantly bringing in new people who lost weight in their commercials, they just presented Jared from different angles.

Why was this smart?

Because it allowed the public to build a connection with one person.

Soon, they viewed Jared as their friend.

If Jared recommends Subway, then it must be good!

This was Subway’s first genius move with commercials.

The Rise of Subway Once Again

Eventually, the Jared shtick got old.

Plus, he had a shady past.

Subway needed to pivot.

That’s when Subway created the greatest commercial of all time.

5.

5-dollar.

5-dollar footlong!

In the 2007s, this was the jingle heard around the world.

Such a crisp unit in exchange for another crisp unit.

5 dollars.

1 foot.

Sounds like a deal.

I was working in Subway once this jingle went viral.

One evening, there was this little girl who stood next to her mom as she ordered.

As the mom was ordering, the little girl busted out into a song.

“5, 5-dollar, 5-dollar footlong!”

She even did the hand movements.

Where she was sticking up all 5 fingers for the 5-dollar motion, and she was putting each palm parallel to each other to indicate the footlong sub.

Subway had control over her mind and body.

Why Commercials Influence Our Psychology

A lot of commercials don’t need to make sense.

What commercials do is they show off a thing that happens with regular humans, then they connect their brand to it.

Think about the Geico commercial.

What’s the point of them having a gecko as the mascot?

What does a gecko have to do with insurance?

Not much.

All the gecko is meant to do is create associations.

This gecko is relatable to you because it’s talking and living like an average Joe.

Then they connect that relatability to their brand.

Reliability is built through:

• Familiar experiences.
• Repetition.

A lot of commercials don’t need to make sense.

If it’s catchy enough, then we will keep inviting it back into our lives.

Soon, we will grow attracted to their products.

Commercials That Are Catchy & Make Sense

The reason I think the 5-dollar footlong commercial was the greatest of all time was because it was catchy and practical.

It was the best of both worlds (which is rare).

There was a clear line of action:

• Pay 5 dollars and get a footlong.

Plus, there was a jingle.

‘Don’t you think jingles are a bit corny Armani?’

I think they are corny, yes.

But my nervous system doesn’t.

The nervous system LOVES rhythms.

That’s why each culture discovers its own type of music.

We are built for it.

A jingle that has a message infused in it speaks to our nervous system and intellect.

That’s how a commercial grabs control of us.

You Are Not Immune

The purpose of a commercial is to create impressions in the mind.

Soon, the impressions grow in power, and we begin to purchase from the brand.

The impressions may get so strong that we get angry if anyone ever badmouths our brand.

Let me repeat…

The main purpose of a commercial is to create impressions.

You may think that a commercial won’t affect you for the time being…

But if you evaluate your life in hindsight, then you will see that you’re not immune.

A part of living in society is to purchase things.

Clothes, a car, toothpaste etc.

When we have to purchase something, eventually, we need to reach our decisions with certain mental models.

Sometimes, we may be highly practical with one purchase while emotional with another one.

With toothpaste, we are practical.

Anything cheap will do.

But pasta sauce?

Nah, we are emotional.

Why in the blue hell would we get great-value pasta sauce when Ragu exists??

We must get Ragu!!

When you initially question why you MUST get Ragu, you won’t know why.

But after peeling back the layers, you’ll see that some sort of advertisement (word of mouth, newspaper ad, commercial) must’ve worked on you.

Commercials Aren’t Bad

The purpose of this post is not to scare you.

You may be looking at your current living facility with a whole new lens.

‘Wow! I’ve been influenced a lot.’

Don’t sweat it.

Purchasing things is a big part of living in a society.

We are going to get influenced.

Just know how commercials work.

• The purpose of a commercial is to create impressions in your mind.

They will create impressions that are relatable, practical, and have a jingle (catchiness).

Over time, the impressions will grow in power.

One day, you will need to make a purchase decision.

Rather than weigh out all the options, you just shortcut to the impression in your mind.

The impression that the commercial has been working hard on building.

The commercial has some control over you.

If it didn’t, then your house would be empty.

If you enjoyed this talk, and want to learn more about psychology and narratives, then check out the Art & Science of Storytelling book

✨Ebook

✨Paperback/Kindle

✨Audiobook

– ArmaniTalks