Persuasive Appeal in Universities’ Advertisements: A Neuro-Persuasive Analysis of Pakistani Private Universities’ Advertisements Campaigns on Facebook

Abstract

This research article presents a neuro-persuasive analysis of Pakistani private universities' advertising campaigns on Facebook. The study aims to investigate the six neuro-persuasive stimuli utilized in the advertisements of these universities, namely personal, tangible, memorable, visual, emotional, and contrastable, by analyzing the neural responses of the target audience. The research employs a mixed-methods approach, combining qualitative content analysis with visual measures. The findings reveal that Pakistani private universities tend to utilize emotional and visual stimuli in their advertising campaigns, with personal, tangible, memorable, and contrastable stimuli being underutilized. Furthermore, the study highlights the importance of understanding the cognitive and affective processes involved in the persuasion of potential university students through advertising, and suggests that future advertising campaigns should consider utilizing a wider range of neuro-persuasive stimuli to increase the effectiveness of their advertising efforts. The research findings have significant implications for advertising practitioners in the education sector, and can inform the development of more effective advertising strategies.