Holidays are some of the best times of the year for gifts and food. But did you know that the gifts you give can make a big difference to the planet? Click here to find out more! Click here to find out more!

Buying Factors | Marketing Techniques | Shopping Quiz

Advertisers use lots of techniques to sell stuff. Sometimes they use one or a combination. Here are a few examples of how advertisers try to get our attention and make us want to just buy it.

Everything you want to be and more
Who doesn't want to be cool, adored, or envied? Ads sometimes try to get us to think that our image will change if we buy their products. If we wear a certain type of shoe or drink something special, then suddenly we can shoot hoops or everyone will think we're cool.

Everyone else has it
OK, OK, everyone knows about peer pressure. But how about peer pressure from ads? Advertisers know that people don't like to feel left out. So they try to convince you that so many people are doing it; that if you're not, everyone will notice.

If you laugh it's good
Ha ha ha—did you see the ad on TV about . . . ? It was so funny that it made me want to buy . . . wait a minute. What does that ad have to do with the product they're selling? Funny ads make the name of the product stick—so you like it and tell your friends about it.

You really need a makeover
Apparently you need to have a large screen TV, a cell phone with lots of anytime minutes, shiny hair, glowing white teeth, and the right drink in hand to be happy, connected, and hip. Ads suggest that you can improve your looks and feel better about yourself if you buy those products.

S-E-X
If there's one thing that ads use a lot to sell products, whether it's subtle or outright, it's sex. They use images of people meeting at a party, flirting in the street, showing a whole lot of skin—all to get your attention.

I, ________ (insert celebrity name here), love this stuff!
You've probably seen a lot of ads with famous actors, musicians, or sports stars talking about how much they love some product. The celebrities get PAID—and paid LOTS—for these endorsements. (So do those doctors and other experts who claim to support certain products.) Do you still believe what they say?

Quick! Before it's too late!
Hurry! Buy now! Last chance! Limited time offer! Some ads hint that you'll never get these prices or products unless you buy now. If the products are really that great, they'll be around again.

Advertising plays a role in your buying choices. There are lots of reasons you buy.

	See how your purchases all add up.
	See how you can take action.

* Adapted from "Anatomy of an ad" in Living in a Material World: Lessons on Commercialism, Consumption, and Environment (Center for the Study of Commercialism, 1996).