What the Experts Say II

Sherril M. Stone from Northwestern Oklahoma State University wrote a research paper called ‘The Psychology of Using Animals in Advertising’ to find out how animals are used in commercials. According to the research, animals like dogs, cats, horses and rabbits are often shown in commercials. For example, during the Super Bowl, advertisements with horses broadcasted in a large number. Apparently, the result revealed that people make a emotional connection to advertisement, which included some negative scene or some animals. However, if an advertisement used animals in humorous, comical commonplace ways, then it is described in ‘behavioral terms’. Professor Stone states that ‘…marketing professionals use animals in comical ways in an attempt to grab the audience’s attention and influence their buying decisions. This is not to say that advertisers refrain from using negative images of animals. However, when used negatively, the advertiser is doing so in an effort to evoke an emotional response, which then results in behavioral actions’ (Stone, P. 21).

Original source: http://www.huichawaii.org/assets/stone_sherril_the_psychology_of_using_animals_in_advertising_ahs2014.pdf