People think adverts don’t make us buy things; they just inform us about products. When we regret that purchase, all the blame is on us.
That is not true.
Adverts don’t just tell us about products. They are consciously designed to compel us to buy them. Corporations spend over $1.07 trillion to make this happen.1See Global ad spend more than doubled over past decade.
Gruen Transfer
When I was studying in Australia, one of my favourite shows was called Gruen. The show unmasks the creative tactics advertisers arm themselves with.
The title comes from the Gruen Transfer, a psychological exploit used in shopping mall designs.2The name Gruen Transfer or Gruen Effects is inspired by a Jewish-Austrian architect Victor Gruen. See The Gruen Effect.
For example, the floors are designed so that you follow a certain path, allowing you to see more items they want you to notice. IKEA stores do this beautifully.
At the sales counter, you see junk food in colourful packages. Wait, aren’t they already in the snacks aisle back inside the store?
Yes, but now you are about to leave. Your impulse is tempted one last time. These items are often placed on the right side of customers, as most people are right-handed.
Gruen elements make you slightly disoriented, just enough to make you walk around more but not so confusing that you become frustrated. The ultimate goal is for you to buy things you desire but don’t need.
Digital Adverts
In a way, those physical forms of the Gruen Transfer were problems for previous generations. With the conquest of online stores, we now rarely go to the malls. So, we are safe.
Wait. Are we?
At the checkout page of your favourite online store, you see ‘suggestions’ of products. You didn’t even think about buying them before, but now you do. The algorithm determines: We looked at your shopping cart. Your impulse is statistically susceptible to these. Come on, buy them.
The Gruen Transfer is still there, online. It is part of a wider environment where our desires are at the mercy of digital adverts.
In this environment, every element is designed to make the buying decision for you, whenever possible, without you consciously noticing it.
Even colour palettes are chosen to make us feel differently about brands. Is it only a coincidence that fast-food restaurants have so much red?3Colour is a factor for multi-million branding and marketing. See Color Psychology in Marketing and Branding is All About Context . See also Yu, L., Westland, S., Li, Z., Pan, Q., Shin, M. J., & Won, S. (2018). The role of individual colour preferences in consumer purchase decisions. Color Research & Application, 43(2), 258-267. (full text). For the relationship of colour and eating behaviour, see König, L. M., & Renner, B. (2018). Colourful= healthy? Exploring meal colour variety and its relation to food consumption. Food Quality and Preference, 64, 66-71. (full text)
Even children are not spared.4See New research shows kids are targeted with alcohol, gambling and junk food ads online.
By sharing their locations and activities on their phones and computers, they unknowingly provide ammunition for targeted advertising. This is on top of thousands of exposures embedded in the kids’ shows they watch.
At the place where I live, they’ve even installed advert screens in the lift. So your mind can’t find a moment for a quiet reflection—not even during a 30-second ride.
Adverts are everywhere.
Adverts as ‘thought visitors’
I don’t believe that advertisements per se are insidious.
They are visitors to our minds, like guests who visit our homes. These guests tell stories to us and our family to modify behaviours—to buy, to vote, or to subscribe.
Adverts can change society for the better.
We ourselves advertise things or ideas to one another, often for laudable intents.
Older people sincerely advise us, advertising their take on success and happiness. We do similar things for our siblings, friends, and others within our sphere of influence.
Even this essay can be thought of as an advert. I am advertising knowledge to you about how pervasive adverts are. I do my best to make you ‘buy’ that knowledge to modify your behaviour and become a better thinker around adverts.
Freedom in the sea of adverts
A complete independence from adverts is impossible. And since they can also bring positive messages, it might not even be desirable.
However, this does not mean we should surrender and do nothing about it.
Just as we would never allow visitors to walk into our homes uninvited, we should never let anything enter our minds without careful consideration.
Here are my strategies:
1. Seek less from the outside.
Don’t let external standards determine your value. Reflect deeply on what beauty, self-worth, or success means to you personally. Advertisers prey on insecurities by making us feel inadequate. Challenge this narrative and reclaim control of your self-perception.5Your external environment can sabotage you. See The Silent Saboteur: How Your Surroundings Can Lead to Failure.
2. Stop underestimating the power of advertising.
All of us are vulnerable. Be aware of this reality. Even when you feel you’ve made a choice independently, it’s possible that choice was subtly influenced. Recognising the psychological mechanisms behind advertising is the first step toward reducing susceptibility.
3. Build a firewall.
Develop systems to control what enters your mind. Use services designed to counter predatory advertising models. For instance, consider using browsers like Brave, which block invasive ads.
4. Have mini ‘digital Ramadans.’
Take breaks from digital consumption, especially social media. Start small, perhaps half a day each week, and gradually extend these periods. Use the time to reconnect with nature, deepen relationships with loved ones, or pursue a hobby that feeds your soul.6Have your family watch The Social Dilemma. I knew the issue before watching it, but its presentation of the issue is so far the best I have seen.
5. Leave fewer trails online.
Teach yourself and your family to reduce online footprints. This limits the data advertisers can use to target you. Switch to privacy-focused search engines like DuckDuckGo, Qwant, or Startpage.7See Top 12 Ways To Stop Being Tracked Online.
Final Thoughts
Adverts hold immense power, shaping how we think, feel, and behave. If left unchecked, they can steer our decisions in ways that don’t align with our best interests.
Your choices—what to own, what to desire—ultimately shape your experience of life.
Protect your independence fiercely. Take steps to make it exceedingly difficult for anyone, especially advertisers, to make those decisions for you.
Your mind is your palace. Guard it wisely.
Notes:
- 1
- 2The name Gruen Transfer or Gruen Effects is inspired by a Jewish-Austrian architect Victor Gruen. See The Gruen Effect.
- 3Colour is a factor for multi-million branding and marketing. See Color Psychology in Marketing and Branding is All About Context . See also Yu, L., Westland, S., Li, Z., Pan, Q., Shin, M. J., & Won, S. (2018). The role of individual colour preferences in consumer purchase decisions. Color Research & Application, 43(2), 258-267. (full text). For the relationship of colour and eating behaviour, see König, L. M., & Renner, B. (2018). Colourful= healthy? Exploring meal colour variety and its relation to food consumption. Food Quality and Preference, 64, 66-71. (full text)
- 4
- 5Your external environment can sabotage you. See The Silent Saboteur: How Your Surroundings Can Lead to Failure.
- 6Have your family watch The Social Dilemma. I knew the issue before watching it, but its presentation of the issue is so far the best I have seen.
- 7