The effects of advertising often work in tricky ways. Many people don’t even realise they are being marketed to when they change their behaviour after encountering advertisements. Advertising is such a powerful psychological tool that an entire field of study devoted to unlocking how advertising influences consumer behaviour has been developed.

Another effect of advertising is educating consumers about specific products or services. This can be part of the persuasion written in an ad. In an advertisement, a company can influence potential buyers by showing how the product works and how it can solve the problems they face. For example, a dog owner who previously thought there was no solution to his dog’s anxiety can learn through a dog vest ad that there actually is a solution, and that solution is the gentle pressure provided by the vest.

Advertisements generally use similar language. Many advertisements are designed to make the viewers take immediate action. Words and phrases often used in such ads include “Buy now!” “Get started!”   and “Try now!”. Specifically, the part of an ad that pushes for immediate action is called “call to action”, which is important to any ad because it drives the viewers or listeners to take action. Besides, companies usually use persuasive language in the rest of the advertisement. This can be a recommendation from a previous buyer, a chart showing the product’s benefits, or a list of the product’s benefits.

Advertising is part of marketing. Although the two terms are sometimes used interchangeably (可替换地), they aren’t the same thing. Marketing is the broad process of researching consumers needs, collecting and evaluating data related to those needs and developing various strategies for attracting consumers. Advertising, on the other hand, strictly refers to the process of attracting potential customers to make a sale.

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Let’s begin with the question of why people volunteer. 【小题1】 For example, people volunteer to express personal values related to unselfishness, to expand their range of experiences, and to strengthen social relationships. If volunteer positions do not meet these needs, people may not wish to participate. To select volunteers, you may need to understand the motivations of the people you wish to attract.

People also volunteer because they are required to do so. To increase levels of community service, some schools have launched compulsory (义务的) volunteer programs. Unfortunately, these programs can shift people’s wish of participation from an internal factor (e.g., “I volunteer because it’s important to me”) to an external factor (e.g., “I volunteer because I’m required to do so”). When that happens, people become less likely to volunteer in the future. 【小题2】

Once people begin to volunteer, what leads them to remain in their positions over time? To answer this question, researchers have conducted follow-up studies in which they track volunteers over time. For instance, one study followed 238 volunteers in Florida over a year. One of the most important factors that influenced their satisfaction as volunteers was the amount of suffering they experienced in their volunteer positions. 【小题3】 The researchers note that attention should be given to “training methods that would prepare volunteers for troublesome situations or provide them with strategies for coping with the problem they do experience”.

Another study of 302 volunteers at hospitals in Chicago focused on individual differences in the degree to which people view “volunteer” as an important social role. 【小题4】 Participants indicated the degree to which the social role mattered by responding to statements such as “Volunteering in Hospital is an important part of who I am.” Consistent with the researchers’ expectations, they found a positive relationship between the strength of role identity and the length of time people continued to volunteer. These results, once again, lead to definite advice: “Once an individual begins volunteering, continued efforts might focus on developing a volunteer role identity.... Items like T-shirts that allow volunteers to be recognized publicly for their contributions can help strengthen role identity”.