A key decision required of advertising managers is whether a
"hard-sell" or "soft-sell" strategy is appropriate for a specific
target market. The hard-sell approach involves the use of direct,
forceful claims regarding the benefits of the advertised brand over
competitors' offerings. In contrast, the soft-sell approach involves
the use of advertising claims that imply superiority more subtly.
One positive aspect of the hard-sell approach is its use of very
simple and straightforward product claims presented claims presented
as explicit conclusions, with little room for confusion regarding the
advertiser's message. However, some consumers may resent being told
what to believe and some may distrust the message. Resentment and
distrust often lead to counterargumentation and to boomerang effects
where consumers come to believe conclusions diametrically opposed to
conclusions endorsed in advertising claims. By contrast, the risk of
boomerang erects is greatly reduced with soft-sell approaches. One way
to implement the soft-sell approach is to provide information that
implies the main conclusions the advertiser wants the consumer to
draw, but leave the conclusions themselves unstated. Because consumers
are invited to make up their own minds, implicit conclusions reduce
the risk of resentment, distrust, and counterargumentation.
Recent research on consumer memory and judgement suggests another
advantage of implicit conclusions. Beliefs or conclusions that are
self-generated are more accessible from memory than beliefs from
conclusions provided explicitly by other individuals, and thus have a
greater impact on judgment and decision making. Moreover,
self-generated beliefs are often perceived as more accurate and valid
than the beliefs of others, because other individuals may be perceived
as less knowledgeable, or may be perceived as manipulative or
deliberately misleading.
Despite these advantages, implicit conclusions may mot always be more
effective than explicit conclusions. One risk is that some consumers
may fail to draw their own conclusions and thus miss the point of the
message. Inferential activity is likely only when consumers are
motivated and able to engage in effortful cognitive processes. Another
risk is that some consumers may draw conclusions other than the one
intended. Even if inferential activity is likely, there is no
guarantee that consumers will follow the path provided by the
advertiser. Finally, a third risk is that consumers may infer the
intended conclusion but question the validity of their inference.
11 It can be inferred from the passage that one reason an advertiser
might prefer a hard-sell approach to a soft-sell approach is that
A) the risks of boomerang effects are minimized when the conclusions
an advertiser wants the consumer to draw are themselves left unstated
B) counterargumentation is likely from consumers who fail to draw
their own conclusions regarding an advertising claims
C) inferential activity is likely to occur even if consumers perceive
themselves to be more knowledgeable than the individuals presenting
product claims
D) research on consumer memory suggests that the explicit conclusions
provided by an advertiser using hard-sell approach have a significant
impact on decision making
E) the information presented by an advertiser using the soft-sell
approach may imply different conclusions to different consumers
12 Each of the following is mentioned in the passage as a
characteristic of the hard-sell approach EXCEPT
A) its overall message is readily grasped
B) it appeals to consumers' knowledge about the product
C) it makes to explicit claims that the advertised brand is superior
to other brands
D) it makes explicit claims that the advertised brand is superior to
other brands
E) it makes claims in the form of direct conclusions
13 It can be inferred from the passage that advertisers could reduce
one of the risks discussed in the last paragraph if they were able to
provide
A) motivation for consumers to think about the advertisement's message
B) information that implies the advertiser's intended conclusion but
leaves that conclusion unstated
C) subtle evidence that the advertised product is superior to that of
competitors
D) information comparing the advertised product with its competitors
E) opportunity for consumers to generate their own beliefs or conclusions
14 The primary purpose of the passage is to
A) point out the risks involved in the use of a particular advertising strategy
B) make a case or the superiority of one advertising strategy over another
C) illustrate the ways in which two advertising strategies may be implemented
D) present the advantages and disadvantages of two advertising strategies
E) contrast the types of target markets for which two advertising
strategies are appropriate
15 which of the following best describes the function of the sentence
in lines 25-28(Because consumers are invited to make up their)
in the context of the passage as a whole?
A) it reiterates a distinction between two advertising strategies that
is made in the first paragraph
B) it explains how a particular strategy avoids a drawback described
earlier in the paragraph
C) it suggests that a risk described earlier in the paragraph is less
serious than some researchers believe it to be
D) it outlines why the strategy described in the previous sentence
involves certain risks for an advertisement's
E) it introduces an argument that will be refunded in the following paragraph
16 It can be inferred from the passage that one situation in which the
boomerang effect often occurs is when consumers
A) have been exposed to forceful claims that are diametrically opposed
to those in an advertiser's message
B) have previous self-generated beliefs or conclusions that are
readily accessible from memory
C) are subjected to advertising messages that are targeted at specific
markets to which those consumers do not belong
D) are confused regarding the point of the advertiser's message
E) come to view the advertiser's message with suspicion
17 It can be inferred from the passage that the research mentioned in
line 43 (Recent research on consumer memory and judgment) supports
which of the following statements?
A) implicit conclusions are more likely to capture accurately the
point of the advertiser's message than are explicit conclusions.
B) Counterargument action is less likely to occur if an individual's
beliefs or conclusions are readily accessible from memory.
C) The hard-sell approach results in conclusions that are more
difficult for the consumer to recall than are conclusions resulting
from the soft-sell approach.
D) When the beliefs of others are presented as definite and forceful
claims, they are perceived to be as accurate as self-generated
beliefs.
E) Despite the advantages of implicit conclusions, the hard-sell
approach involves fewer risks for the advertiser than does the
soft-sell approach.
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