The Role of Cognitive Dissonance in Advertising

Filmed at the Videonomics Summit 2018 Rancho Palos Verdes, CA

Adam Kleinberg recounts how many of his clients ask the difficult question of whether they should get involved with politics, and the answer is never an easy one. That type of risky brand involvement can be a lightning rod or it can backfire badly if not handled well. But if you’re a brand that regularly takes up socio-political issues that align with your consumer base, it makes sense as a strategy. It’s critical to remember, Adam says, that advertising works best by building and reinforcing ideas or constructs that live in the prospect’s mind. When you portray that idea in a different light that’s in line with their values but also creates cognitive dissonance then you have the potential to create an ad or a story or a piece of content that someone will remember for the rest of their life, and that’s the power of great advertising.