How to Coach Yourself and Others How to Influence, Persuade and Motivate | Page 367

create a new image. They simply create even stronger and more positive
associations with what already exists.
One of the most common examples of advertising affiliation occurs in the
alcohol and cigarette industries. How often do you see a lung cancer
patient in a cigarette ad? Instead, advertisers in these industries use young
vibrant people who are in the prime of their lives. The beer companies
want you to associate drinking beer with having fun and attracting the
opposite sex. Their ads portray images of men and women having fun,
while surrounded by beer. Their message is, "If you aren't drinking, you
aren't having fun." On an intellectual level, we all know that these are just
advertisements, but the associations they arouse in us stick in our minds.
When companies need to change their image, they usually find a good
cause to latch on to. They will typically find a good social or
environmental issue they can tap into. For example, an ice cream
company advertises their support for an environmental movement, or
yogurt companies start a campaign to stop breast cancer. You also see
patriotic endorsements being employed to create a positive association in
your mind. The simple sight of the American flag, or the phrases "Buy
American" and "Made in America," can trigger instant positive
associations.
In the 1970s, the big American car still dominated the U.S. automobile
scene. American carmakers had no fear of imported automobiles. There
was a tradition in most families to always buy the same make of car.
Imports were associated with being cheap, unreliable, and a waste of
money. When the baby boomers came along, however, they became better
educated and they refused to blindly follow the guidelines laid out by their
parents. They viewed imports as having better gas mileage, greater
reliability, and lower prices. During the oil crisis of the 1970s, the
negative association shifted suddenly from foreign cars to gas-guzzling
American-made cars, and the rest is history. American carmakers were
almost put out of business by this shift, and they, still to this day, lose big
market share to imported cars. As the tide turned, American car
companies had to learn to make new associations with their cars.
Sponsorship: Lasting Impact
Closely related to advertising is the notion of sponsorship. Companies and
organizations sponsor events that they believe will produce a positive
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