Rewriting Skills: Manipulation And Marketing Influence

While the tradition of giving rings as a symbol of commitment has long existed, the practice of presenting diamond engagement rings was largely fabricated through one of the most successful marketing campaigns in history. In the early 1900s, diamond sales were declining, posing a serious problem for the company that effectively controlled the diamond market. In 1938, this company engaged an advertising agency that proposed reshaping societal attitudes towards diamonds. In addition to featuring film stars adorned with diamonds in magazines, the agency orchestrated the inclusion of diamond engagement rings in movies. The campaign peaked with the slogan 'A diamond is forever.' This approach was novel for its time; rather than promoting a specific brand, the objective was to establish diamonds as the ultimate symbol of eternal love. This was achieved by exploiting the brain's associative nature: linking neurons activated by the concept of 'love' with those that encoded the concept of 'diamonds'. By 1941, diamond sales had surged by 55%.

Advertising takes on various forms, from blatant neon signs to subtly integrated products in films. In each instance, the aim is to shape our habits, desires, and opinions. Our visual system is bombarded with information on the internet, street posters, billboards, and even in cinemas. Our auditory system succumbs to catchy radio jingles and telemarketing calls. More subtly, our sense of smell is targeted with scents like vanilla and citrus, designed to lure us into retail environments. It's challenging to quantify the effectiveness of these campaigns, but as seen in the 'A diamond is forever' campaign, they can be so influential that they reshape our cultural landscape. For instance, in the case of bottled water, advertising convinces us to pay for something we could otherwise get for free. Most people cannot distinguish between bottled and tap water, let alone differentiate between brands of bottled water, which is why blind taste tests are rarely proposed by bottled water companies.

So, why is marketing such a potent form of mind control? It's intriguing to ponder whether other animals exhibit anything akin to humans' susceptibility to advertising. If we offer a lab rat two types of cereal, it will consume roughly equal amounts of each. However, if we place this rat alongside another that has spent the day consuming only one type, when given a choice, our rat will now show a preference for the same type as the companion rat. Psychologists term this phenomenon 'socially transmitted food preference'.

The origins of cultural learning in primates are exemplified by a clever monkey residing in a colony of Japanese monkeys on Koshima Island. Initially, she began washing her dirt-covered sweet potatoes in the river before consumption. Observing this behavior, several other receptive monkeys adopted the practice. Eventually, potato washing spread throughout the colony, with most monkeys eating clean potatoes within a few years. Clearly, humans are not the only animals to engage in imitation and social learning.

Observational learning is a highly beneficial cognitive trait, enabling us to acquire communication skills, motor abilities, and effective problem-solving strategies. For instance, a newcomer struggling with ticket purchases and navigating the subway in a foreign city may step back to learn from nearby individuals. Humans and other primates exhibit various forms of imitative learning, termed cultural transmission.

Advertising effectively taps into the brain's inclination towards imitation. Anyone who watches TV knows that advertisements often feature attractive, successful-looking individuals. When we choose to imitate, we are more likely to mimic those who appear popular and appealing.

While not all researchers are convinced by these findings, several studies suggest that some animals also imitate dominant members of their group. Primatologist Frans de Waal provides anecdotal evidence of preferential imitation among chimpanzees. He observed that in one group, the dominant male sustained an injury and limped as a result. Subsequently, it was uncommon for a non-dominant male to sustain injury.

Imitation is undoubtedly a valuable skill, but our tendency to imitate can sometimes lead to poor decisions. When athlete Dick Fosbury revolutionized the high jump by performing a backward jump over the bar in 1968, many imitators adopted his technique, not his choice of athletic shoes. However, today's sports figures appear in advertisements urging us to purchase laptops or sports drinks they endorse. Logically, we know their success did not hinge on these products; our inclination to purchase is more linked to neural programs that evolved to encourage imitation of those higher up the social ladder. Today, companies engage in stealth marketing campaigns where individuals are paid to promote certain products subtly in bars or online forums. Companies also conduct studies tracking the eye movements of viewers and carefully design names, packaging, and jingles associated with their products. While we may hope that large-scale manipulation is not possible, advertising is not inherently harmful. On the contrary, promoting products or ideas is crucial to human culture. The key lies in ensuring that our choices reflect our true goals and desires, distinguishing between information dissemination that benefits us and manipulation for the gain of companies.

Questions 1-5

Select the appropriate letter, A, B, C, or D.

Enter the correct letter into boxes 1-5 on your answer sheet.

1. As per the author, which marketing strategy aims to prolong consumers' stays in a store?

A  playing appealing music

B  emitting pleasant scents

C  displaying attractive posters

D  making in – store announcements

2. The mention of bottled water by the writer serves to illustrate that

A  consumers buy it because of the fact that it is marketed.

B  people purchase it despite the fact that it has no taste.

C  marketers need not do taste tests when a campaign is effective.

D  tests prove that people cannot differentiate it from tap water.

3. According to the author, socially transmitted food preference occurs when

A  only dominant members of an animal group influence what others eat.

B  the same types of animals naturally prefer the same types of food.

C  animals are influenced by what any other animals of the same species eat.

D  a food type is more desirable because an animal views that food as scarce.

4. As per the author, how is observational learning and imitation a beneficial aspect of brain function?

A  it helps people overcome challenges.

B  positive models can influence social behaviour.

C  it can give an advantage when communicating with others.

D  cultural norms and relationships can be understood more easily

5. According to the author, how does television advertising capitalize on the human inclination to mimic others?

A  It shows buying behaviour that marketers want to encourage in viewers.

B  It features people who have a desirable image.

C  It shows older people whom teenagers admire.

D  It features successful people endorsing products responsible for their success.

Questions 6-10

Do the following statements align with the assertions of the author in the Reading Passage?

In the spaces marked 6-10 on your answer sheet, write

YES if the statement agrees with the claims of the writer

NO if the statement contradicts the claims of the writer

NOT GIVEN if it is impossible to say what the writer thinks about this

6 The diamond campaign worked by making a connection in people’s minds between diamonds and luxury

7 People are more aware of visual marketing than auditory marketing.

8 The campaign advertising diamonds had a positive influence on society.

9  There is still some uncertainty about whether animals copy the behaviour of the most powerful animals among them.

10 Consumers make a logical connection between celebrities ‘ achievements and the products they promote.

Questions 11-14

Match each statement with the correct ending, A-G, provided below

Fill in boxes 37-40 on your answer sheet with the appropriate letter, A-G

11 The behaviour of the monkeys on the island of Koshima showed that

12 Primatologist Frans de Waal found that

13 Dick Fosbury is mentioned in order to show that

14 A feature of some modern marketing campaigns is that

1. people imitated behaviour that was linked with success .
2. younger animals of a certain species are more likely to imitate each other.
3. an animal would imitate another that had higher status .
4. imitation of popular sportspeople has occurred for many decades .
5. products are marketed to potential consumers who are unaware that marketing is occurring .
6. animals can develop new habits by observation.
7. incentives are provided for consumers who behave in a certain way.

Answers:

1. B (Đoạn 2, “More surreptitiously, our olfactory system is targeted by variations of vanilla and citrus perfumes aimed at enticing US to linger in a retail outlet.”)

2. A (Đoạn 2, “In the case of bottled water, we are swayed by advertising into paying for something that we can obtain for free.”)

3. C (Đoạn 3, “However, if we put that rat with another rat that spent its day eating just one type, when faced with a choice, our rat will now show a preference for the same type as the other rat was eating. Psychologists call this ‘socially transmitted food preference’.)

4. D (Đoạn 5, “Learning by observation can be an extraordinarily valuable brain feature, this is how we learn to communicate and perform motor skills as well as deal with many everyday problems.”)

5. B (Đoạn 6, “ If we are going to imitate someone, we are more inclined to imitate those who appear to be popular and appealing.”)

6. NO (Đoạn 1, “ Rather than pushing a brand, the objective was to promote diamonds as the symbol of everlasting love.” → Gắn hình ảnh kim cương với tình yêu vĩnh cửu, chứ không phải thể hiện sự trang trọng, quý phái.)

7. NOT GIVEN (Không có thông tin)

8. NOT GIVEN (Không có thông tin)

9. YES (Đoạn 7, “Although not all researchers are convinced by the findings, a number of studies indicate that some animals also imitate dominant members of their group.)

10. NO (Đoạn 8, “Rationally, we know these people’s success did not depend on these products, so it seems our propensity to purchase products relates more to neural programs that evolved to encourage imitation of those further up the social ladder.” → Thành công không có liên quan gì đến việc người nổi tiếng sử dụng sản phẩm gì.)

11. F (Đoạn 4, “What many regard as the first documented examples of cultural learning in primates started with a clever monkey that lived in a colony of Japanese monkeys on the island of Koshima.”)

12. C (Đoạn 7, “Primatologist Frans de Waal provides anecdotal evidence of preferential imitation among chimpanzees. He noted that in one particular group the dominant male was hurt and was limping as a result. Soon unlikely if a non-dominant male had been injured.”)

13. A (Đoạn 8, “When athlete Dick Fosbury revolutionised the high jump by jumping over the bar backward in 1968, imitators obviously copied his jumping style, not his brand of sports shoes.”)