Marketing is about attention and today it has become really difficult to reach the consumers and get their attention. Everyone spends at least 5 hours of their day on their phones and then there is Netflix, Facebook, Instagram, our jobs, and of course our families. We live in a world where attention is limited and everyone is fighting for it. So, engaging customers with one brand is becoming increasingly challenging. Through modern ways, it is now possible to convince people to believe something they would not believe. As we scroll on different platforms in a day, we don’t really understand what is going on and become the victims of manipulative marketing.
Most people these days do not even understand that companies are manipulating them. The original concept of marketing is to get people to buy a product or service. And moreover, marketing is something where all tricks are allowed. So, most companies these days use manipulative marketing to change people’s minds. Manipulative marketing is tricking consumers into buying products through manipulation that includes huge discounts, buy and get something free offers, last in stock, and more. Below are some points that will help one to figure out if he / she has been a victim of this manipulative marketing.
Points that tell you if you have been a target of Manipulative Marketing-
Exaggerated Claims
This is the most common type of marketing used to sell some products. For example, when you want to purchase an anti-dandruff shampoo and most brands claim they minimize it in the first wash itself. One ends up believing it and may even find that the product is not so good as it was advertised. When we see products with exaggerated claims, we may start to think to purchase them and this manipulates us.
Psychological manipulation
Some companies market their products using psychological manipulation techniques by creating unnecessary and artificial needs. For example, a few marketing companies over-emphasize their products and make us look like a loser if we do not use their products. Most people fall in this trap and end up buying the products they don’t even need.
Photoshopped images
This is another marketing technique used widely used by most companies. Like the ad of the toothpaste, one has horrible-looking teeth and as soon as the person starts using a specific toothpaste, the teeth become sparkling white. For another example, we can take the food joints’ example and how their burgers and other eateries look in ads and in real. So, photoshopped images may be a common thing in advertising but it comes under manipulative marketing.
False claims
This is one of the worst forms of manipulative marketing as it misdirects the consumers. Some companies claim that they only use natural and harmless ingredients in their products or there is no paraben or sulfates in their products but that is not true. There should always be proof of such claims and one should not buy products with fake claims. Apart from that, the canned juice we buy from the market claims to be low-sugar while in reality, it is one of the most-sugary drinks available.
Price drop
This is one of the best marketing techniques that attract a lot of customers. This can be done both online and offline. Suppose you have added a product in your cart that you have been eyeing for so long but the price is too high that you don’t finish the purchase. Now, the platform will offer you some sort of discount or some offer to make you close the deal. And eventually, most people buy things after they see there has been a price drop. On the other hand, you might notice some products have a buy 1 get 1 offer and a certain percentage of discount when you shop offline. This is also done to attract more and more customers to make a purchase. And therefore, it helps a lot of consumers to avail huge discounts on their purchases. People wait for brands and stores to declare their sales or other offers like that.
Marketing is a common way of building trust. Promotion and marketing are crucial in getting a business to a height. And if you own a small business, you must know what advertising means to consumers. To begin with, it helps you to communicate with people and tell them about your product and offerings. One’s marketing efforts have to be unique and visible.
In order to avoid being manipulated one needs to be able to recognize the signs that the marketer is trying to provide you with. There are a few pointers that you can keep in mind to avoid being a victim of such marketing tactics-
Make sure you know what is in your cart
Ever since online shopping has flourished, marketers are finding different ways to make consumers buy more and more. So, they add some items to your cat without your knowledge. So, before you make the payment make sure you have cross-checked everything. There is a checkbox usually that is always pre-checked and you have to uncheck it before making the payment.
Hidden cost and hidden subscriptions
Let us say you have found a product within your budget and you are about to make the purchase. But when you visit the checkout page, the cost you have to pay is higher than what you saw earlier. While one always expects taxes and shipping fees, you might want to check the cost of any hidden cost of any subscription or other added cost.
Encouraging impulse buys
This is the type of thing everyone must have gone through but very few people actually notice it. Platforms may do so by telling you an item is almost out of stock or is in high demand so that you would end up buying it. Many platforms have even started including testimonials and listing how many times the product has been viewed. They often add an extra dose of realism so that one would think it is popular among customers. But testimonials may be vague and unsourced and the purchased and viewed numbers can be entirely fabricated.