How can the Advertising Industry Spark Inner Joy Amongst the American Population?

In The Book of Joy: Lasting Happiness in a Changing World by His Holiness the Dalai Lama and Archbishop Desmond Tutu, with Douglas Abrams, inner joy is developed from a genuine sense of love and affection for all through compassion and concern for the well-being of all humans. Inner fulfillment and happiness is formed through our relationships, specifically expression of genuine love, compassion, and generosity to others in our life. According to neuroimaging research by Dr. Richard Davidson, Professor of Psychology and Psychiatry at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, there are four independent neural circuits that influence humans’ lasting inner joy which include resilience, outlook, attention, and generosity. Moreover, according to John Stuart Mill’s “On Virtue and Happiness” in Utilitarianism, all humans desire two things: happiness and virtue. Through developing love and compassion for all and individually strengthening the four constituents mentioned above, Americans can increase inner happiness as a collective population and have greater inner fulfillment. A recent study conducted by Andrew Oswald, Professor of Economics and Behavioral Science at the University of Warwick, which compared survey data on the life satisfaction of more than 900,000 citizens of 27 European countries from 1980 to 2011 with data on annual advertising spending in those nations over the same period, found an inverse relationship between the two. With limited policy recommendations, the team came to the conclusion that advertising makes us unhappy. Furthermore, with the abundance of advertising, some experts estimate Americans are exposed to around 4,000 to 10,000 ads daily (Simpson), and the public perception of advertising at an all-time low concisely described by Marc Pritchard, chief brand officer at Procter & Gamble, as irrelevant and “just silly, ridiculous or stupid” (Hsu) presents an opportunity through a social and scientific lens for marketers to cut through the noise with relevant advertisements that promote inner happiness and fulfillment among Americans, especially since increasing happiness has a causal impact on a multitude of other benefits such as increased health, life expectancy, and pro-social behavior, among others (“The Economics of Human Well-Being” 6:50–7:40). This paper will examine various methods available to advertisers to make decisions that facilitate inner joy for the American population.

A 2018 survey conducted by the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychology showed that 90% of teens ages 13–17 have used social media, 75% having at least one active social media profile, and 51% report visiting a social media site at least daily. A 2016 report showed that 50% of children in the U.S. have at least one social media account by the age of 12 (Lauricella) and another study found that 70% of adolescents (aged between 13 and 17) engaged with food and beverage brands on social media and 54% of the adolescents surveyed reported engaging with fast food brands, whilst 50% engaged with brands of sugary drinks, followed by candy (46%) and snacks (45%) (Fleming-Milici). With the increased amount of children and young adults using social media, advertisers have taken advantage of promoting unhealthy food and beverage products high in fat, sugar, and/or salt with limited interference from government and social media platform regulation which tends to be voluntary in nature (Sacks). This study called for civil society groups, including consumer advocates, the public health community, and investors, to explore ways to pressure social media platforms such as Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, Whatsapp, etc. to take action against unhealthy food and beverage marketing toward children in order to subdue the alarming obesity projection of 57% children aged 9–16 in 2016 will be obese by age 35, according to a study from Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. Social media platforms should be mandated to adopt advertising restrictions that apply to all children under 18, cover a wide range of marketing techniques, and use a comprehensive definition of “unhealthy foods and beverage,” based on government-endorsed criteria. Advertisement guidelines enforced by Nickelodeon and The Walt Disney Company provide examples that can be implemented by social media networks, such as Nickelodeon requiring its advertisements to not promote an unhealthy lifestyle nor the excessive consumption of unhealthy foods, and The Walt Disney Company forcing all food advertisers to adhere to the company’s specific nutrition guidelines (Sacks). Additionally, promotion of nutrient-dense products on social media platforms should be invested in to see change in youth eating behavior, in order to align with the goal of WHO to reduce premature mortality from noncommunicable diseases by 25% by 2025 and the aim of the UN to ensure healthy lives for all by 2030 (Kraak et al.). Similar to “The Real Cost” Youth E-Cigarette Prevention Campaign conducted by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) educating teens aged 12–17 about the risk of vaping, creative advertisements can be made to warn youth about the future risks or “the real cost” of excessive consumption of unhealthy foods. Through stricter social media regulations on unhealthy food and beverage ads and emphasis on creative healthy food and beverage ads targeting children, the advertising industry can foster inner joy in American children by endorsing healthier decisions, leading to positive outlooks and healthy lifestyles, and the prevention of negative health consequences caused by obesity such as low self-esteem and mental illness.

In The Book of Joy: Lasting Happiness in a Changing World, Douglas Abrams mentions that the root of prejudice stems from humans’ unconscious nature of being wary of others who look different than themselves. He explains that humans’ empathy naturally does not extend to those outside our “group,” which is why the Archbishop and the Dalai Lama constantly remind people that humanity is blind to the separation of races as we all have the innate ability and desire to cooperate and be generous to others, and advertising can help harness humans’ natural inclination to be inclusive by normalizing all races, creeds, colors, gender expressions, physical conditions, etc. through depicting diverse people, scenes, culture, etc. The Diversity in Advertising: Adobe Digital Insights 2019 report found that 61% of U.S. adults feel diversity is important in advertising, 53% of African American consumers 58% of LGBTQ+ consumers have stopped supporting a brand due to lack of representation of their identity in advertising. According to the Morning Consult National Tracking Poll #200686 released in June 2020, 42% of U.S. adults would like to see more racial diversity in advertising, 32% of adults believe the extent to which racism is addressed too little in promotional materials, and 31% of adults are much more likely to support a company if it took action to combat racism. Evidently, not only can advertising be more inclusive and accepting in advertisements to improve happiness in the American population, but it can also drive business growth as Keith Weed, chief marketing officer at Unilever and president of the Advertising Association, said, “We live in an age where people are increasingly conscious of the need for business to act responsibly and be a force for good in society.” According to U.S. consumers, Nike is seen as the most diverse advertiser which can give inspiration to brands looking to use emotionally-connected storytelling and social good marketing to demonstrate their greater purpose to capture the attention of potential customers. Not only does branding set companies apart and is “what people say about you when you’re not in the room,” according to Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos, but company purpose and actions are important in how customers feel towards the organizations and thus, how likely they are to purchase and become loyal customers. Deloitte leaders emphasize that organizations should lead with empathy, show real impact through figures from social good campaigns, and view customers as more than customers (O’Brien et al.). Leading with purpose and inclusion through actions that get everyone involved will help organizations maintain a trusted status and loyalty with customers and exemplify empathy and generosity for all, which in turn will lift the inner joy of the American population.

Although this may not yet be the most viable option for many companies due to sheer affordability, advanced neuromarketing techniques and technology can help predict consumer response and behavior towards advertisements, enabling companies to optimize for inner joy amongst American target audiences. The most common methods include brain scanning with fMRI and electroencephalography (EEG), which measures neural activity, physiological proxis (such as eye tracking) which measure attention and arousal responses, facial-expression coding, which measures emotional responses and heart and perspiration rates, and finally, skin conductivity, which measures arousal. Although these methods are expensive, they have the ability to reveal insights beyond traditional market research methods such as surveys, focus groups, user testing, etc. since advertisers believe attracting attention is the most important aspect of advertising (Kover, 1995; Nyilasy et al., 2013), and understand that creative ads that cut through the noise involves risk-taking. Advertisers tend to assume that all attention grabbing ads will be evaluated positively, although that may not be the case, according to one study which found that the neural measure of arousal is positively associated with notability of ads in the population at large, but may be negatively associated with attitude toward these ads, largely due to the undesirable creative nature of shown ads (Eijlers). Using brain scanning technology like EEG allows advertisers to predict the actual reaction toward the ad (i.e., pleasurable or unpleasurable), to improve assessing the effectiveness of an ad design at an early stage, and even apply this measure on a moment-to-moment basis. Using data from brain scanning also allows creative advertising agencies to convince clients that advertisements produce positive reactions that resonate with customers and have a positive effect on buyer decision making since clients often fear the outcomes of creative advertising solutions (Nyilasy et al., 2013). Disney’s success with reaching customers’ emotions can be partly credited to their former neuromarketing lab operated by Media Science, launched in 2008, which had a variety of technology such as eye tracking, facial coding, and implicit testing, along with more conventional approaches like focus groups, surveys, and usability tests (Dooley). These advanced technologies helped Disney gain accurate insight into target audiences’ responses to make adjustments to campaigns and marketing collateral accordingly. Ad tech company Persado uses artificial intelligence to write persuasive marketing copy for Charity: Water, a nonprofit organization providing clean drinking water globally, whose founder, Scott Harrison emphasizes showing, not telling, to promote empathy for impoverished populations among target audiences, thus incentivizing donors to fund the cause and making them feel fulfilled about their actions. An insight Ben Blake, Vice President of Global Customer and Business Development at Hotels.com, has derived from working with Persado is the “power that the emotional components of language can have to engage customers in very short snippets.” JoAnne Allen, a web development professional with experience in the media and design industry, believes in the power of testimonials to tug the heartstrings and convert audiences when crafting an emotionally luring advertisement, rather than using stereotypical visuals that exploit suffering people, communities, animals, etc. Allen cites the Wounded Warrior Project advertisements as a well-done example of using personal testimonials from mentally and/or physically injured service members and veterans who have been directly aided by donors’ support to uplift the spirits of the greater good, compelling them to donate to the cause and higher purpose of giving back to those who have sacrificed themselves to protect our nation. Acknowledging donors’ generosity will also make people feel more fulfilled, as generosity is one of the four independent neural circuits that influence humans’ lasting inner joy. Although most small to medium sized businesses currently do not possess the budget or bandwidth to implement advanced technology like artificial intelligence, facial coding, or brain scanning, it is a future implication that can be used to elicit enhanced empathy and compassion in the American population.

The current consumer attitude towards advertising has a large room for improvement as 63% of internet users feel negatively about advertisements in online video clips and 47% feel negatively about advertisements on websites (AudienceProject). With 54% of adults reporting that they generally do not pay attention to commercials (Morning Consult), yet 41% of consumers reporting a positive effect of advertising placed around relevant online content (AudienceProject), there is a clear opportunity to cut through the noise with relevant, impactful advertising that connects with consumers emotionally and stamps inner joy within the American population. It is important to note that channel matters, as customers perceive and have different behavioral outcomes based on their understanding of message intent, for example, one study revealed that banners perform significantly better than article-style native advertisements since understanding of the message intent is stronger for banners than for article-style native advertisements (Bianca). If not, it will become tougher to prevent negative consequences like consumers being willing to pay more for a service if it does not show ads, which a survey found that 33% of respondents were (Morning Consult). By appropriately using consumer data to create relevant, emotionally connecting ads, which abide by guidelines when targeting youth, emphasizing quality over quantity, and creating a strong brand by standing for a greater purpose, the advertising industry can make tremendous progress toward promoting inner joy and fulfillment amongst the American population.

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