The rapidly developing social and cultural scene is bringing about a parallel change in values, attitudes and life styles. This is reflected on the consumer's choice of products and brands. In Italy in particular the consumer is bombarded by a mass of different stimuli and invitations to consume. In this context, a survey among women who are responsible for food buying highlights the risks of this excess, and the limited effectiveness of a large number of advertising messages. We therefore need to build up top quality, effective advertising bearing in mind the situation in the market and the media, and the overcrowding of advertisements. Scientific research into today's values and life styles provides the creative people with the concepts and symbols which the target group can relate to. The model we propose here offers: - to creative staff, an indication as to how these values can be translated into effective messages - to operators, a tool by which to judge the effectiveness of advertising campaigns, during pre- and post-schedule testing. This model is derived from the most recent findings in hypnotic theories, from communication pragmatics and from neurolinguistic programming. After a few words on the theoretical assumptions and how they can be applied in marketing, we will propose a case history regarding a newspaper advertisement.
The paper describes a qualitative research project on sugar which was carried out in Italy in 1982. In the years immediately prior to the survey overall sugar sales in Italy had begun to decline slightly while the product had been acquiring negative implications. The goals of the survey were the following: a) a determination of the real factors giving rise to attitudes of suspicion and even fear of sugar; b) the identification of the "reasons-why" that would prove effective in reversing the negative image that sugar had acquired. The research was conducted using various methods: a) traditional clinical interviews b) specialised interviews c) psychodrama groups d) interviews using semi-structured questionnaires. The data obtained included a broad range of materials useful to the Association of Sugar Producers in building up a communicational campaign. The results of this campaign were then evaluated in a further research effort that was carried out in two separate phases.
The authors present a new technique for conducting motivational research - known as "Relaxation Technique" (R.T.) - the theoretic assumptions of which are based on research into hypnosis and the states of consciousness it induces. After specifying the advantages and limitations of R.T., the paper goes on to describe the case history of a survey to assess the impact, appeal and understanding of a television commercial (for Liebig bouillon cubes), starting with the pre-existing image of the product and the recall of past advertising. Finally, some aspects of the results of the survey are compared to similar data (for the same brand) obtained with traditional methods.