In ads, men like superiority claims, women product info

IA dela Cruz, an advertising and promotions professional, never leaves home without make-up, and has developed a certain level of expertise in lipstick, eye shadow, foundation, and the other tools of facial enhancement. "I first saw an online advertisement for a vibrating mascara that got me interested," she said in an interview. "It claimed to be a breakthrough, with a demonstration on how the product vibrates when applied." Dela Cruz said the advertisement explained how the new product was new to the mascara world, how it can make one's lashes longer and darker, and how they lashes get separated because of the vibrations, among other unique features. "I got really interested with how the product was demonstrated, so I bought one," she said. Studying that kind of decision-making is crucial in the advertising world, and new research shows that men and women are still on different planets when it comes to reacting to ad content.

According to a July 2011 report by digital market intelligence firm comScore, women, generally, have more positive reactions than men to advertising elements such as product research information, repetitive brand mentions, and demonstrations of results using the product, like in dela Cruz's case. Men, on the other hand, are influenced largely by claims of superiority, such as products claiming to be the best, the biggest, and the fastest, the report noted. The report, however, clarified that overall, these specific elements tend to be effective among both genders, but are particularly effective for one gender. No set formula Dela Cruz shared that by and large, her buying preferences are influenced often by product demonstrations. "If there is a product demonstration, I often get interested. And there's a big chance that I would buy since I invested time to watch the demo," she explained. But in an interview with GMA News Online, Budjette Tan, deputy executive creative director at advertising firm McCann Worldgroup Philippines, clarified that choices of elements to put on an ad material vary depending on the message the company wants to impart. "It depends on how you want to persuade people. You can always attempt to persuade on a logical basis, such as through product demonstration, but at the same time, you can persuade them by talking to them on an emotional level," he stressed. Tan said that while there are certain elements that work best for men and women—such as women in skimpy bikinis on covers of car and gadget magazines, or impossibly long and shiny jet-black hair in shampoo commercials—there really is no set formula that could pique the interest of a specific gender group. "It's a hidden mystery. There really is no formula. You can put in all the same elements that worked in one commercial to the next, and it might not work," he stressed. Outliers Still, some of the report's findings seem to ring true for some people, like in the case of Ulyssis Enrico, an account executive in one of the burgeoning advertising agencies in Manila. "It happens a lot with gadgets. Whenever I see a commercial touting the product as having the latest and the best technology today, I instantly get interested in buying," he said. Enrico said he used to own a third-generation touchscreen music player from one of the biggest gadget manufacturers, but when the next generation came out claiming the latest in display technology and processor speed, "I just knew I had to buy one," he said. While Enrico's interest is easily aroused by claims of superiority, he said it doesn't always necessarily translate to a buy. "I still consult my techie friends whenever I get interested with a certain gadget. And of course, financial factors are also a consideration," he said. Jose Ma. Bartolome, a board member of the Pambansang Samahan sa Sikolohiyang Pilipino, said that in general, it is no longer a question that men and women react differently to all sorts of stimuli in advertising. "The question is what stimuli and how. But many academic studies, such as this one, would not allow us to make other conclusions. For instance, this study would not necessarily translate into a guide for actual buying behavior," he stressed. Still, in so much as there are definite trends in advertising affecting men and women, "there will always be outliers," Bartolome stressed. "For instance, while males are usually better in math and women in language, you will always find a number of females who are very good in math and males very good in language," he said. - HS, GMA News