Use of psychoanalysis to effectively design: creative strategies in advertising

Abstract

Transactional Analysis has been proven to be an effective tool to understand Human Behavior. This study aims at using this tool to study creative strategies in advertising, and identify any patterns that might exist. Also, the Life Role model has been used to understand advertisements better in the Indian context. Our attempt is to provide some tangible guidelines for advertisers while designing their Creative. It has been shown time and again that for increased purchase intent, the relationship between the brand positioning statement and the consumer response has to be a positive one. The advertisement plays the role of the facilitator. The relationship between the positioning statement and the advertisement has been taken as given with reference to a project done by students earlier at IIMA. Thus, this study is an endeavor to find the nature of the link between the advertisement and the consumer, and how it can be manipulated to suit the advertiser's objectives. Through the course of this project, we did find certain patterns emerging which showed beyond a doubt that there does exist a relationship between the transactions that take place within the creative of the advertisement and the transactions that take place with the respondent. Thus given the positioning statement for a product and the expected reaction from the consumer, the advertisement could contain certain transactions that would elicit a favorable response from the consumer. The purpose has not been to design the St1 advertisement per se, but to give a few guidelines on what key transactions it should contain.