When most people hear propaganda they usually think about war posters or conspiracy theories. Propaganda and Persuasion isn’t often portrayed in a positive light. If the general public only knew the science that went behind properly created persuasion techniques, they would think differently.
The attitudes target have when advertisers market to them can vary greatly, even in a segmented group. There was a preview for a show called ‘Suits’ playing during a Burn Notice season premiere. The first two were slightly different but both made me think it was a inspiration drama series, which didn’t interest me. The third showed how amazing the memory the incoming new guy had, which turned me back into and interested me.
Another instance of this happened during the same show. It was an advertisement for a show called ‘Covert Affairs,’ and I was interested until I heard it was made by the Borne trilogy people. That completely turned me off to it because I didn’t like that series. If I hadn’t had seen that I would have watched it. My preexisting attitudes towards other shows and movies is what either sold me or turned me off to these products.
I found it interesting that some of the synonyms for persuasion were as follows: strong-arm, coerce, bully, coax and inducement. TV ads are using persuasion techniques to try to sell you a car, insurance or series but I’ve never seen an ad try to do those terms listed. That may be what more gullible/weaker minded people think about those loud insurance commercials but I just mute it and forget about it.
Most commercials create dissidence in target audience in order to create a need for their product. Like this iPad commercial I saw recently. It said you can now curl up with a movie, watch a newspaper and listen to a magazine. I’ve been doing all that with my laptop for years, and I have a proper keyboard and cd/dvd drive to boot. Advertisers prey on the target’s attitudes towards style and ‘having a new toy,’ to sell something that cost more than a fully functional laptop.
This practice makes me question a company’s credibility. I understand selling a product is a science but some companies, especially the ones that sell things we don’t need, tend to focus on their target’s insecurities. Some of the ads are basically sending people to the 4th grade again by saying ‘if you don’t buy this, the guys at work will laugh at you.’
A company’s credibility is tightly wound up with their reputation and what happens to one happens to the other. The people that ‘buy in’ to that view and buy the expensive item won’t see it that way, but the more logic minded part of population will begin to think that way.
Commercials also use group conformity to influence consumers into buying what they are selling. While I was typing this, a part of the lyrics from No Shelter by Rage Against the Machine popped in my head and fit perfectly “Empty ya pockets son, they got you thinkin that what ya need is what they sellin, make you think that buyin is rebellin', from the theaters to malls on every shore, the thin line between entertainment and war.”
Apple uses conformity in groups to sell most of their merchandise. Apple users are sometimes arrogant and elitist over their products. I know I’m one of the them. I think they are things my mac can do better and they certainly look better. I have a netbook because there are just sometimes easier done with a pc. That is one instance where a company sells based on influence. People who fall into this category are the ones seen lining up outside an Apple store for hours to get the first release of something with their logo on it. The first release is always hideously flawed yet people keep buying them.
Companies like Apple, Microsoft, Coke, Pepsi to name a few, just have to exist for people to continually buy their product by the truckload. Unless in a reminder stance, these giants don’t have to advertise to get sales. I only see Coke ads during Christmas and I still buy Diet Coke on a routine basis. These companies, although with their flaws, do have a level on consistency in their image and products they roll out. People expect certain things from these companies and they have a level of excellence they need to keep up.
Attitudes, consistency, group conformity/influence and credibility were the topics discussed this semester in my Propaganda/Persuasion class that were the most interesting because I could relate and understand them best. Some topics are wrapped up in psychologist ‘mumbo jumbo,’ that it can be hard to wrap your head around. Topics I discussed are fairly straight forward topics consumers deal with on a daily basis.
