Self-Esteem Advertising

Abstract

Abstract Abstract Self-esteem advertising is a type of advertising which attempts to alter consumers' attitudes and behavior toward products by stimulating positive feelings toward themselves. For example, one of the oldest sales pitches in the world begins with, "You look lovely today, madame." This paper draws on psychiatry, sociology and social psychology to describe "self-esteem" and how consumers' feelings of self-esteem might be leveraged to effect buying behavior. Ideas are cast as hypotheses, and implications for research are suggested. The main hypothesis is that advertising which has positive effects on consumers' attitudes toward themselves has positive effects on their attitudes toward brands.