Are Autistic People Immune to Marketing? One of the enduring myths in marketing is that autistic people are somehow immune to it. It's rumored that people with autism can simply tune out most forms of advertising. But that's not exactly the case. Perception of advertising differs for most neurodivergent folks. Bluntly said: the autistic brain is not buying what current advertising is selling. Let's explore why traditional marketing often misses the mark when it comes to reaching individuals on the autism spectrum.
Why Autistic Consumers See Through Ad Tactics
"Few studies have been carried out with AS subjects in the communication area, especially in advertising." However, many in the autism community share frustrations with advertising campaigns:
"The more I see their commercials, the less I want to buy it."
"It just seems so transparently phony."
"I find it hard to believe advertising works in general. I mean, what company is going to say 'our products are worse than this other brand'?"
Trust Issues: The Authenticity Problem
Exaggerated claims in ads are actively off-putting to these audiences. As one Reddit user noted, "I see it for what it is, manipulation." Research on emotional regulation highlights the importance of authenticity and straightforwardness, as autistic individuals may have heightened emotional sensitivities. As another Reddit user pointed out, "If you want me to buy your product, make a good product. Do not make a cheap, shitty product and then spend millions on advertising something that doesn't work."
Social Scenarios and Emotional Appeals are Missing the Mark
As the American Psychiatric Association defines it, "Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a complex developmental condition that involves persistent challenges in social interaction, speech and nonverbal communication". This is a key element to understand why marketing misses the mark in some cases. It boils down to social communication. Many ads rely heavily on social scenarios and emotional appeals. They show groups of friends laughing over a product or families bonding thanks to a service. But for autistic individuals who may struggle with social cues, including body language and facial expressions, these scenes can feel alien and unrelatable. Studies on facial emotion recognition underscore the challenges autistic individuals face in interpreting social cues.
Sensory Overwhelm Means Communication Challenges
Bright colors, flashing animations, and loud jingles can be sensory kryptonite. Studies on sensory sensitivities highlight how overwhelming stimuli can be a significant barrier for autistic individuals. Laina Eartharcher in her essay Why TV / radio commercials & internet ads can suck for autistic people highlights this issue better than any neuromarketing graphs can in studies we've read:
"They’re over-stimulating, too much noise and quick-moving pictures, too much chaos. There are too many elements on the screen at once. Some are scrolling. Some quickly fade in and out. Others flash repeatedly. Colors clash, or they’re too bright and intense. Images come in from multiple sides, and that happens too quickly as well."
Information Overload vs. Relevant Details
Autistic individuals often have a remarkable ability to focus on details.
Flashy, attention-grabbing tactics will only get you so far before they get filtered out as irrelevant noise. Much of the sensory input marketing specialists rely on to stand out is hard or impossible to manage for a lot of autistic people. This creates communication issues and generates negative emotions. What autistic consumers are looking for is clear, relevant information about the product or service—something that's often buried under layers of marketing fluff.
On the B2B end of things, cybersecurity expert Lex Duchateau explains it well:
"If you present your product with reviewable data and disclosed gathering protocols to support whatever you're saying, you have my attention and I have homework".
Lost in Translation: Figurative Language Fiasco
"Communicative and sensory differences are core autistic traits, yet speech-perception abilities and difficulties among autistic individuals remain poorly understood." Medical studies are clear on the fact that a difference exists but here's a concrete example of what that means for marketers:
"Our product will make you feel on top of the world!"
For neurotypical folks, this might sound exciting. For many autistic individuals, it's just confusing. Are they supposed to climb a mountain? Float in the sky? Autistic people often interpret language literally. So when marketers throw around metaphors, idioms, and other figurative language like confetti, the message gets lost in translation. The result? Confusion, frustration, and a big ol' "nope" to whatever's being sold.
Marketing and Autistic Women
Autistic women and non-binary folks often face additional challenges in marketing due to gender biases and stereotypes. Marketing frequently emphasize traditional gender roles or social scenarios that may not align with their experiences.
This sentiment is echoed, especially by women in the Reddit autism community r/AutismInWomen:
"the kind of advertising you see on television or (...) in print (...) trying to use image to sell... that doesn't just leave me cold, it annoys me. Why are you trying to sell me perfume by showing glossy people at a party? The only relevant thing about perfume is how it smells! Wow, this car can drive really fast? Great! But there are speed limits and speed cameras on British roads. I don't feel I'm driven by status, and that style of advertising seems to be all about status - if you buy this item, people will see you in this way."
The Bottom Line: Effective Communication is a Must
Neurodivergent and neurotypical people are not immune to marketing. Advertisement at its core aims to put a product or a brand in the forefront of your mind. When the day comes when you do need that product or need to solve a problem and the product could be a good solution, you’re subconsciously more likely to pick their brand because you feel a sense of familiarity. Familiarity is one of the key cognitive biases most humans share.
By understanding and addressing elements like sensory overload, autism speech patterns, attention level, emotion levels along the level of complexity in your ads, you can avoid some of the biggest mistakes people when it comes to marketing strategies. And here's the kicker: many of these autism-friendly marketing strategies can make campaigns more effective for neurotypical individuals too. Clear communication, honest representation, and respect for your audience's intelligence? That's a winning formula for any demographic.
More expert sources we checked out when writing this
American Psychiatric Publishing offers links to a few books that are more medical and one clinical manual.
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Bendo GJ, Sturrock A, Hanks G, Plack CJ, Gowen E, Guest H. The diversity of speech-perception difficulties among autistic individuals. Autism Dev Lang Impair. 2024 Jan 27;9:23969415241227074. doi: 10.1177/23969415241227074. PMID: 38283768; PMCID: PMC10822079.
Putnam OC, Eddy G, Goldblum J, Swisher M, Harrop C. How autistic adults' priorities for autism research differ by gender identity: A mixed-methods study. Womens Health (Lond). 2023 Jan-Dec;19:17455057231160342. doi: 10.1177/17455057231160342. PMID: 36999307; PMCID: PMC10071159.
Samanta T, Pal S, Basu A. Portrayals of Women in Commercial Advertising: A Comparative Study Based on Contemporary Advertisements. Ciencia and Engenharia/ Science and Engineering Journal. 2023 May;11(1):1560-1577. doi: 10.52783/cienceng.v11i1.307.
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