Are You Framing or Being Framed? 9 Signature Frames

Are you selling an old car or a classic? Have you made mistakes or learned lessons? Framing is a powerful tool to use words to achieve your goal. You direct the other person's thinking and place information in a certain light to convince someone or to encourage them to take action.

You may not think about it, but everyone frames. You do too, consciously or unconsciously. When you sell your grandmother's closet on Marktplaats, for example. 'An antique wardrobe with original details' sounds much more attractive than 'Second-hand wardrobe for sale'. Or you have a nice restaurant in mind and you want to convince your partner to go there for dinner. You choose certain words to describe the restaurant as attractively as possible.

Why do we let one message convince us and another not? Framing can be learned, although it requires a lot of practice.

You've Been Framed! 9 Examples

1. A famous experiment

A well-known example of framing is an experiment in which different words are used to describe a car accident. In a study, two groups of participants watched the same video of a car accident. Group A was asked a different question than group B.

• How fast were the cars going when they made contact?
• How fast were the cars going when they collided?

Participants who were asked the first question tended to respond at a slower rate than participants who were asked the second question.

2. Less fat

Producers make full use of framing. You are in the supermarket in front of the dairy section: do you choose yoghurt with 20% less fat or 80% fat-free yoghurt? Certain characteristics of a product are emphasized extra, making it seem more attractive. Also think of terms such as 'artisanal preparation' or 'freshly packaged'. See the website of Consumer psychologist for more interesting examples.

3. Discount or penalty

You can frame actions towards the goal you have in mind. For example:

• Pay before 31-07-2025 and get 10% off your next purchase
• Pay before 31-07-2025 to avoid a fine

4. Metaphors in politics

In Dutch politics, frames are often used by politicians. A well-known example of a frame is the 'tsunami of Islamisation' that PVV leader Wilders (in 2006) used for the influx of migrants with an Islamic background. Jesse Klaver (GroenLinks) called our country the dirtiest kid in the class, referring to the climate goals. Other well-known metaphors are intensive animal husbandry and villa subsidies.

Trainer Jolijn Mes wrote an interesting article about Mark Rutte's corona speech in March 2020. She discovered 12 frames like:

• Corona has us in its grip (prison metaphor)
• We are on a roller coaster that is going faster and faster (movement metaphor)
• The virus is spreading unchecked (personification)

5. Reliability

Creating trustworthiness is a common framing. ‘This watch is 95% water resistant’ sells better than ‘This watch lets 5% water through’. Sales texts such as ‘Product of the year 2020’ or ‘Rated 9,4 by the Consumers’ Association’ also work well. Products sell better when you emphasize trustworthiness.

6. Risks

Risks can be framed in several ways. A lottery can express the risk of participation in several ways:

• '84% of participants always win a prize.'
• 'Only 16% of participants lose.'

Another example is from a company that sells care products. 'Prevent wrinkles, use anti-wrinkle cream with our unique formula from the age of 30.'

7. The loss frame

Let's go back to politics. A subject that is still fresh in most people's minds: the nitrogen problem. A difficult issue for the VVD, because the party is clearly not in favor of the 'back to 100 measure'. Free use of the car is a hobbyhorse of the party. So what is the VVD doing to save their image? They are fully committed to a loss frame: 'We are doing this to prevent a crisis.' In other words: We disagree but we vote for the greater good.

8. Contrast

With a contrast frame you describe an idea by highlighting what it is and what it is not. This creates a visual contrast. For example: 'Our training locations are unique. You do not follow the training in a boring office building, but in a special, inspiring location in the Utrecht region.'

9. An understandable and recognizable example

A familiar frame is presenting complex information in an understandable and recognizable example. Do you remember this statement from Mark Rutte and Hugo de Jonge? 'With the partial lockdown, we have taken a big hammer out of the toolbox', we heard during a press conference in October. That hammer, the lockdown, must suppress the spread of the virus again.