What is the Eiffel Tower effect?
The Eiffel Tower effect was named by Robert Giants, an American social psychologist. In the experiment, Robert Giants randomly showed students photos of 12 strangers and measured their likability. However, as the number of times you show pictures increased, your favorability also increased. Through this, the Giants learned that people are aggressive toward strangers, but the more they meet, the more human they feel and their favorability increases.
Therefore, the Giants named the phenomenon, which was unfavorable at first but became increasingly favorable to Parisians, as the Eiffel Tower effect, in comparison to the phenomenon in which the Eiffel Tower became loved by Parisians. In other words, it is also called the simple exposure effect.
Originating the Eiffel Tower Effect
On March 31, 1889, France wanted to build a steel tower, or the Eiffel Tower, in the center of Paris to commemorate the centenary of the French Revolution. However, French citizens protested against the construction of an ugly pylon in downtown Paris. However, as I saw the Eiffel Tower being completed, citizens' thoughts gradually changed.
In other words, by watching the construction of the Eiffel Tower every day, it became familiar to the eye and even looked attractive when it was completed. In this regard, the phenomenon that was unfavorable at first, but gradually became favorable as we saw it frequently, was referred to as the Eiffel Tower effect. The Eiffel Tower effect was scientifically proved by Robert Giants, an American social psychologist from Poland.
The Giants showed college students 12 face photos at random several times and measured how liked they were. He divided the number of times he showed photos into six conditions, including 0, 1, 2, 5, 10, and 25 times, and analyzed his favorability, and it was found that his favorability increased as the number of times he showed photos increased. In other words, even photos of people you don't know at all. The result is that if you watch it over and over again, you will feel familiar and like it.
Example of using the Eiffel Tower effect
Media and drama PPL
The media uses it to persuade the public by repeatedly exposing certain policies or issues. In the drama, PPLs are introduced to certain products and repeatedly shown to simple customers to attract viewers' purchases.
Marketing
Using celebrities or other celebrities in advertising can also increase the appeal of a product or brand because of their familiarity.This can help consumers become more familiar with the brand and increase its appeal.
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