Advertising and marketing is a multi-level production in the human psyche. When analyzing it, we have to make sure to not get tricked by the seemingly obvious. Most explorations on advertising usually start out by respondents focusing on what is easy to explain, talked about or shown in the ad and somewhat logical. This is the cover story expressing itself. It usually goes along with the first impression and „unbroken“ perception of an ad or other communication material. The cover story is also what usually gets through in quantitative analyses. It can easily be explored through questionnaires.
However, don‘t miss out on the unconscious. We constantly find that especially what is more difficult to express, in the background and often somewhat clouded, shapes the overall experience of the ad. We call this impact story, the story below the surface that mostly speaks to the unconscious. And this is what quantitative approaches cannot get to.
It takes thorough digging and breaking to get to the impact story since it is hidden behind the more obvious cover story.
A classic international example for this dynamic is Marlboro. When exploring Marlboro‘s original „Marlboro Country“ ads, people usually first think and talk about freedom and adventure. However, this misses the secret impact mechanism. Marlboro Country and the cowboy also stand for very consistent everyday routines: getting up, having coffee, going for a ride, catching cows, coming home and having a camp fire with friends. A never-ending circuit that, behind its „freedom and adventure façade“ very much looks like a regular everyday job. And this was Marlboro‘s secret promise to the smoker: you are okay and even without too much change and development, you can have some adventure every day: in every going away and coming home as well as your coffee drinking and smoking with your loved ones.
rheingold‘s in-depth psychological approach, morphological research, does not only analyze the impact story, but also the interplay of the cover and impact story that defines the successability of an ad. Cover and impact story have to work hand in hand: the cover story needs the sensual support by the impact story and the impact story the rational explanation delivered by the cover story. Our analyses reveal the overall mechanisms and uncover what is hidden below the surface to systematically make use of these hidden treasures. We apply the concept of Cover and Impact Strategy to all communication driven challenges involving brands, products, advertising and media.
