"The Persuaders"

Beyond billboards and television blurbs, past promotions and posters, an entire world exists to discover how people think. This world exists for the dollar sign alone: the sole purpose is to discover a way to maximize consumer output on a product or service. This is the world of advertising.

In “The Persuaders” documentary, I was surprised to learn how complex advertising is today in an attempt to be more influential than ever before. Effective advertising is intentional and personal. FRONTLINE presents techniques used to achieve effective advertising:

Narrowcasting involves extensive research in consumer demographics in order to individually tailor advertisements. This was used most recently by Obama in the 2012 election.

To me it seems the time and resources put into narrowcasting as an advertising technique are wasted. I understand the appeal to the technique, especially in an election campaign, but I feel the results of the technique have proven too insignificant to use this technique regularly. I was intrigued that a society so self-consumed would have entire corporations devoted to learning about others lives, even if the motives are purely monetary.

Correct wording is the examination of the psychological effects of words. The correct word correctly placed could significantly ramp sales.  Research shows that using certain key words can seal the deal. Key words include:

• new
• proven
• love
• results
• guarantee

In my opinion, as long as the words are not hurting any one, it is perfectly ethical to use words to your advantage. Proverbs 16:24 says that pleasant words are as sweet as honey. 

Emotional appeal plays on humanities most core needs of love and life fulfillment. This technique allows the consumer to believe the product or service is more than its face value. In a Folgers commercial, the advertisers play on the beautiful love of a sister and a brother returning from war in order to sell coffee.

Product placement allows companies to skip the ads that television viewers will probably skip anyway. I think this technique is the most practical and clever way to advertise. Companies pay television shows and movies to integrate the use of their product into a show or movie so that the viewer subconsciously relates to the product through the subliminal endorsement. Many companies have had great success using this technique.

Overall, advertising can be a world of deception. As Christians, it is important to stay above reproach in our advertising to avoid the slippery slope of product or company deception.