That might indeed be the goal of some rather ineffective advertising. But for the most part, it’s not the goal of most ads. And I say that as someone who’s been successfully writing ads for the last 17 years… and writing about advertising and marketing psychology for the last eight years.

Trust, for instance, is extremely important to the success of an advertisement. Without it, no sale. So is the consideration of the prospect’s prior conditioning. You can’t sell well to an audience if you don’t know what they’re thinking or where they’re coming from.

But good marketers know that trying to change minds about a product is more or less a waste of time. Minds are hard to change. Rather, a good ad wants to connect with those who already have a predisposition toward some or all of what your promise and your product represent.

In short, good ads preach to the choir… in a way more memorable than anybody has managed to preach before.

Often, this is best done not with logic — which would appeal tot he cognitive attitudes — but with an emotional appeal, because that’s where decisions happen fast. And you need fast decisions in a world where everyone else is clamoring for the same amount of buyer attention.

P.S. It’s always fascinating how these kinds of observations get comments from readers who are sure they’re not as emotional/more logical than other buyers. Usually, those that believe that are the most emotional buyers of them all. For fascinating insights on why, check out two books: “How We Decide” by Jason Lehrer and “Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion” by Robert Cialdini.