Media and Persuasion Can You Hear Me Now

Media and Persuasion “Can You Hear Me Now? ”

What is media? a plural of medium. 2. ( usually used with a plural verb ) the means of communication, as radio and television, newspapers, and magazines, that reach or influence people widely: The media are covering the speech tonight. Source: Dictionary. com

Why study media? “More than ever, we use media to communicate with each other, share information, and build knowledge. Think about how you learn what the daily news is: you can watch TV or listen to the radio as you go to work. You can read the newspaper or go to a Web site. You can check a blog or have headlines delivered to your cell phone. ” Source: Cable in the Classroom

Five things everyone should know about media All media messages are constructions Each person interprets messages differently Media have commercial interests Media have values Each medium has its own language and style Source: Cable in the Classroom

What is persuasion? A means of convincing people: to buy a certain product to believe something or act in a certain way to agree with a point of view

Common persuasive techniques often used in advertising Slogan Repetition Expert opinion Testimonial/endorsement Attraction/sex appeal Snob appeal Patriotism Nostalgia Bandwagon Happy families • Purpose?

Slogan: “Can you hear me now? ” A catchy phrase or statement often used to sell a service or a product

Repetition: The name of a product is repeated many times HEAD ON Apply directly to the forehead

Testimonial/endorsement A well-known person supports a product or service

Expert opinion Experts approve this product, so you should use it “Four out of five dentists recommend sugarless gum for their patients who chew gum”

All natural/all healthy

Attraction/sex appeal A person is made to have strong feelings about a product or idea based on beauty, physical or sexual attraction

Snob appeal Using wealth, power, or status as a means of promoting an idea or product

Bandwagon A statement suggesting that everyone is using a specific product, so you should too

Patriotism A person is made to have strong feelings about a situation or product based on their love of country

Nostalgia Using warm childhood memories or “the good old days” to create positive associations with a product

Happy families Encouraging people to use certain products because they want their family to be happy.

Audience Awareness Advertisers know how to target their audiences use appropriate persuasive techniques

Who’s the audience?

Audience ?

Audience ? Purpose? Persuasiv e technique ?

Purpose? Audience ? Persuasiv e technique ?

Audience ?

Audience ? Purpose?

Audience ? Purpose?

Audience ? Purpose? Persuasiv e technique ?

Relevant facts Advertisers spend about $200 billion a year on TV advertising The average cost for Super Bowl ads is $2. 6 million per 30 second spot The average American watches about 24, 000 TV commercials a year http: //television-commercial. net/

Making Connections What is your favorite jingle? What slogan for a product do you find yourself saying? What TV commercial has influenced you to make a purchase?

Reflection “Persuasion is all around you” In addition to TV commercials, where else do you see persuasion all around you? Is that persuasion influencing you or your family in any way?

Based on a presentation by Jennifer Bernhard