The Art of Deception: How Brands Use Illusory Superiority to Sell the Dream
We’ve all seen it before — advertisements for products that promise to be the best, the most innovative, and the most luxurious. But have you ever stopped to wonder why so many brands make these claims and why we, as consumers, are so willing to believe them?
The answer lies in a psychological concept known as “illusory superiority”. Illusory superiority refers to the tendency for people to overestimate their own abilities, skills, or qualities in comparison to others. In the context of branding and marketing, it refers to how brands use illusions to create the perception that their products or services are superior to those of their competitors.
So how do brands use illusory superiority to sell the dream? Here are a few tactics that they commonly employ:
Making exaggerated claims: Brands often use exaggerated claims to make their products or services seem more impressive. They may use phrases like “the best” or “the most advanced” to create the illusion that their offerings are superior to all others.
Creating idealized images: Brands use images and messages to create an idealised reality. For example, an advertisement for a luxury car may show it driving through a beautiful, scenic landscape, or a high-end skincare brand may use models with perfect skin to create the illusion that their products will make you look flawless.
Using endorsements: Brands may use endorsements from celebrities or influencers to create the perception that their products are superior. By associating their brand with someone who is perceived as successful or desirable, they create the illusion that their products are also desirable.
Playing on emotions: Brands may use emotional appeals to create a connection with consumers. They may use heartwarming stories or images to create an emotional connection or fear-based messaging to create a sense of urgency or importance.
Offering “exclusive” or “limited edition” products: Brands often use the concept of exclusivity to create the perception that their products are superior. By offering “limited edition” products or using phrases like “exclusive to our brand,” they create the illusion that their products are unique and special.
Using social proof: Brands may use social proof to create the perception that their products are superior. They may use customer reviews, ratings, or testimonials to show that their products are highly rated and well-loved by other consumers. Using phrases like “Our customers are the most satisfied” or “Most preferred by experts”, which implies that other customers or experts have chosen the product; therefore, it must be superior.
Creating a sense of urgency: Brands may use tactics like flash sales, time-limited offers, or countdown timers to create a sense of urgency and scarcity. By creating the perception that their products are in high demand and only available for a limited time, they create the illusion that their products are highly desirable.
It’s not just product capabilities but brands can leverage the tendency for people to overestimate their abilities, skills, or qualities in comparison to others to create a perception of superiority for their products or services.
Examples
Here are a few examples of how brands have used this tactic in their advertisements:
“Get a Mac” Ad Campaign by Apple: The “Get a Mac” ad campaign by Apple is an excellent example of how illusory superiority can be leveraged in advertising to create a perception of superiority for a product or service. The campaign ran from 2006 to 2009 and featured a series of TV ads that compared Mac computers to PCs.
The ads were structured around a simple concept — the Mac and the PC were portrayed as characters in a series of vignettes. The Mac character was portrayed as cool, laid-back, and superior to the PC character, who was portrayed as nerdy and out-of-touch. The ads used humour and clever scripting to highlight the supposed superiority of the Mac over the PC.
One of the key ways the “Get a Mac” campaign leveraged illusory superiority was through social comparison. Social comparison is a psychological process in which individuals compare themselves to others to evaluate their own abilities, skills, or qualities. In the “Get a Mac” ads, the Mac and PC characters served as proxies for the computers themselves, with the Mac character representing a superior option and the PC character representing an inferior option.
By portraying the Mac as cool and laid-back and the PC as nerdy and out-of-touch, the ads created the perception that using a Mac made you superior to those who used a PC. This played on people’s tendency to overestimate their own abilities, skills, or qualities in comparison to others, by creating the illusion that by using a Mac, you were somehow better or more sophisticated than those who used a PC.
Overall, the “Get a Mac” ad campaign is an excellent example of how brands can use illusory superiority in advertising to create a perception of superiority for their products or services.
Dove’s Real Beauty Ad Campaign: Dove's “Real Beauty” ad campaign is another example of how brands can leverage illusory superiority in advertising to create a perception of superiority for their products or services. The campaign ran from 2004 to 2013 and featured a series of ads that celebrated “real” women of all ages, sizes, and ethnicities.
The campaign emphasized that true beauty comes in all shapes and sizes and that women should feel confident and beautiful regardless of appearance. By portraying “real” women in the ads, the campaign created the illusion that using Dove products made you superior to those who used other beauty brands that promoted a narrow, unrealistic standard of beauty.
By emphasizing the idea that women of all shapes and sizes could feel beautiful and confident, the campaign created the illusion that using Dove products made you a more enlightened and socially conscious consumer.
‘Share A Coke’ Ad Campaign by Coca-Cola: The “Share a Coke” ad campaign ran from 2011 to 2019 and featured Coke cans and bottles with people’s names on them.
One of the key ways in which the “Share a Coke” campaign leveraged illusory superiority was through the use of exclusivity. The campaign created the illusion that Coke products with people’s names on them were unique and special and that consumers who were lucky enough to find their names or the names of their loved ones on the bottles were part of an exclusive club.
The campaign also used the concept of personalization to create the perception that Coke products with people’s names on them were superior to those of other beverage brands. By creating a connection between the names on the bottles and the people drinking the Coke, the campaign created the illusion that Coke was a brand that cared about its customers on a personal level, which made its products superior to those of others brands.
In conclusion, brands use illusory superiority to sell the dream by creating illusions that make their products or services seem superior to those of their competitors. By using exaggerated claims, creating idealized images, using endorsements, and playing on emotions, brands create a perception of superiority that may not always be based in reality. As consumers, it is important to approach marketing messages with a critical mindset and to remember that not everything is as it seems.