The Persuaders

Marketing Products:

"The Persuaders" begins by questioning the increase in the amount of advertising we typically encounter in our daily lives. How would you assess the amount of advertising you see? Too much? Too little? Just right? In your view, what difference does it make to know that people today see much more advertising in their daily lives than people 20 or 30 years ago?

1. Usually I see too much advertising all around me, but it doesn't really affect the way I live, since the more the clutter of advertisements increase, the more I tend to ignore them. Also, I don't watch television very much, so that limits the advertisements I see in my everyday life, but I still see ads on common items or tools, which forces me to look at them no matter how little I care to read them. The internet is covered with all sorts of ads, and the more they pop up, the more I don't read them and close them as fast as I can. In my view, it doesn't really make a difference to know that people today see much more advertising in their daily lives than people 20 or 30 years ago, because like I mentioned earlier, the more advertisements there are, the more people ignore them and are unaffected by them. People become immune to ads, so companies must keep finding new ways to persuade the public.

Marketing Culture:
Douglas Rushkoff asks, "What happens when advertisers assume the roles of our writers, journalists, and entertainers?" How would you answer him?

2. When advertisers assume the roles of our writers, journalists, and entertainers, then everyone will be forced to read ads, and there would be no escaping them. The advertisers would have an advantage because they are attracting more attention to themselves and their products. People will be persuaded more easily through writing and the way advertisers weave in their ads into our everyday lives. Some movies were made to advertise a certain product, and without knowing it, some people may become persuaded by that movie. People may think of the product or place differently now that it was shown in a movie, and they might think of it highly. Advertisers would change people's perspective of things this way. Writers, journalists, and entertainers are familiar with our train of thoughts and know how to be persuasive, and if they start advertising using the same techniques as they did for when they were entertaining or writing, the ads will become all the more affective.

Marketing Politics
Political consultant Frank Luntz tells his clients that, "80 percent of our life is emotion and only 20 percent is intellect. I am much more interested in how you feel than how you think." Contrast this with Thomas Jefferson's notion that democracy requires an "informed citizenry." What is the potential impact of Luntz's political strategy recommendations on the health of a democracy?

1. Luntz's political strategy is to get to the public's emotions instead of telling them everything that is going on. He says 80% of our life is emotion and only 20% is intellect, so he wants to target his strategy on the emotion part of people's lives. Instead of having an "informed citizenry", advertisers would basically have control over the public and their thoughts, and people wouldn't have a say of their own. They would just listen to whatever the advertisers say, as they arouse different feelings in them. This would be the complete opposite of a democracy with "informed citizenry", and almost wouldn't be considered a democracy at all. People won't be able to think for themselves, and although the strategy would be very affective in persuading the public, it would be as if the people are under rule, with the advertisers being "more interested in how [people] feel than how you think."

Propaganda & Media Literacy Log

This is an ad from the internet at m-w.com, advertising FiOS. The propaganda is trying to get people to use FiOS, and its target is generally middle-class parents, teens, the rich, and the educated.
Some specific tactics this ad uses to persuade the audience to buy the product are pathos and logos. Pathos is evident at the top of the ad where it says "This is FiOS. This is Big." This is telling the audience that everyone is using it, and that it is the new "big thing" that you should buy. It makes FiOS sound like such a big deal, and it makes the audience want to use it because it seems like everyone else is using it, and they do not want to be left out. The ad also uses logos when it shows the price of FiOS internet per month. This is factual, and since it is relatively cheap and the price is written in large numbers, it will attract the reader's attention and persuade them to buy it. Also, the ad appeals to the audience's wants. It lists the speed of the internet, and has a strong image that will grab the attention of the audience. Some people will be attracted to the picture, and as a result, become persuaded into buying the product.
These tactics are useful for this particular audience because most middle-class adults are concerned about the cost of internet, and the price shown on the ad will appeal to them the most. Some teens may be drawn to the image, educated people would want high-tech technology, and still other wealthier people who want to keep up with the world of technology by getting new internet and something "big" such as FiOS, will be easily persuaded by this ad.

This is an ad I found on the internet at a blog called Get it in Writing, and it is advertising kleenex. Their main target is the middle-class adults and parents that may have a need to buy tissues occasionally.
A specific tactics used to persuade the audience in this propaganda is slogans. The slogan used is "I can't live without Kleenex", which can also be an example of pathos, showing the audience that they should buy this product because you can't really live without this brand of tissues. This effective slogan can also be interpreted as an example of ethos, although the actual speaker is unknown. Someone is saying that they cannot live without Kleenex, which persuades others to buy it because the statement makes it sound so important and almost like a necessity of life. Pathos is also seen when the ad says "They [Kleenex] seem endless", implying that Kleenex is everywhere and that the watcher should buy it since it is popular and "endless", and everyone else is using it.
These tactics are used in this ad for this specific audience because for the parents that are looking for the right brand of tissue, the slogan will persuade them to buy Kleenex.

I found this ad on the internet at a website called Daily Texon Online. This propaganda is mainly targeted towards educated, middle-class people who need something like Xerpi to organize their bookmarks and share them, and the ad is trying to make the audience try Xerpi.
Specific tactics used in this propaganda include ethos, pathos, appealing to the audience's wants, and slogans. Ethos is represented in this ad three times: first when someone says they got it from Ed, the second time when a man says he got it from Traci, and finally when a woman says she got it from her brother, and she "loves it". Here, three spokespersons are used to advertise Xerpi, and they each mention something good about the product to persuade the audience to use it. This tactic causes an appeal based on the character of the speaker. Pathos is evident in this ad where it says "share them with your friends". This sentence, in a way, stirs emotion and feeling in the audience, telling them that they can share bookmarks with their friends if they use Xerpi, and that way, they will be able to connect with their friends more often. This ad also appeals to the audience's wants by offering them money, saying "try it and win $500". Xerpi has a persuasive slogan of "love your favorites".
These tactics are effective for this specific audience because middle-class people will be enticed to click on the ad, hoping to win $500 dollars just for trying Xerpi. Educated people that want ways to organize things will be attracted to the "organize your bookmarks" part of the ad.




This is an internet ad from myspace.com, advertising acne solution, and its main targets are teens since they are the ones that use these types of products the most.
Some specific tactics this ad uses to persuade the audience to buy their product are logos, pathos, and strong/powerful images. An example of logos in this ad is when it states the results of the acne survey, "The results are in! 98% saw acne gone in days!" Another example is the part on the bottom that says "clinically proven". These factual statements prove that the acne solution worked on almost everyone that tried it, and should also work for the reader. Since the solution is clinically proven, it must work. The use of pathos is evident where there are check boxes below each picture, one saying "sucks?" and the other "rules?". The "rules?" box is checked, showing the reader that, obviously, the second picture is the best, and it provokes feeling among the audience. The audience wants skin like the person in the picture above the "rules?" box, and they will be persuaded by the words "sucks" and "rules". It also represents the usage of appealing to the audience's wants. The images used are very powerful to the audience, as they can see the result of using the product compared to before using it, and by doing so, realize that the product could also have the same effect on themselves. The second image is more appealing than the first one, so people will be enticed to try the product themselves.
These tactics are used for this specific audience because most teens are concerned about their physical appearance and fitting in, going along with what "rules", and these images and words are very useful in persuading teens to buy the product.





This is a movie trailer for the film called Into the Wild that I found from Youtube. This ad is targeted towards middle-class adults and teens alike, because they are the ones that most likely will watch this movie. The trailer will not appeal as much to younger children. This propaganda is trying to get people to either go to the movies to watch it or to buy the actual video.
Some specific tactics used in this trailer are pathos and powerful images. Pathos is used when the character in the trailer says "Not only is it important to be strong, but to feel strong", "If you want something in life, reach out and grab it", and the words "lonely" and "scared" he writes down. These sentences and words stir emotion in the audience, and they want to see this movie because it makes them feel a certain way (sad, a certain connection to character, etc), and some may wonder what the main character means by these quotes. The music provides an intense atmosphere, and so do the strong images used, such as the part of the flash flood hitting the character's car. The images also make the watcher want to know what actually becomes of him in the end, and makes them want to experience what he went through by watching the film. The images add to the dramatic feeling of the trailer, which entices the watcher to go and watch the movie.
These tactics are useful for this specific audience because teens and adults like tension in movies and get persuaded more easily by seeing strong images that they could possibly relate to or might be curious about.





This is a piece of propaganda that I found on the internet from the same website as the Kleenex ad, Get in in Writing Blog. This ad is trying to sell a product called Ariel Pocket, a stain remover, and it targets mainly middle-class adults, busy parents who want an easier way of getting rid of stains, and possibly even teens.
Some specific tactics used by this ad are pathos and the appealing to the audience's wants, needs, and fears. Pathos is evident where the ad is showing a washing machine skiing and "enjoying" itself, and says, "Ariel Pocket, and your washing machine could go on a holiday". This makes people think of their washing machine as an actual living thing, and persuades them to buy the product partly for their washing machine's happiness, now that the ad gets them thinking in a new perspective. Appealing to the audience's wants and needs are effective for parents who don't want to spend so much time cleaning stains and are useful for that specific audience. Other adults and teens that, for example, want to have an easier way of cleaning a little stain rather than throwing the whole thing in a washer, which is very time consuming. It would make life easier for them. This ad also appeals to the audience's fears by starting off with something frightening (tense /creepy music) and fading words such as, "Thousands of guests enjoying their holiday... And they are not alone..." which catch the audience's attention. This attention grabber holds the audience's interest in time for the washer to show up, and it makes the watcher wonder what is happening, so they keep watching until the actual advertisement product shows up, persuading the watcher to buy it.

Beasts of England DIDLS

Tone and Style Analysis

D iction:
The poem contains repetition of the phrases "Beasts of England, beats of Ireland" and "golden future time". This is an example of register, as the phrase "golden future time" is registered in the animals' minds, constantly reminding them of what is to come if they are successful in overthrowing the humans.
"soon or late the day is coming"
The song uses strong, persuasive words and phrases such as forever, toil for freedom's sake, shall be ours, shall be trod by beasts alone, and tyrant man.


I magery:
The image of how England will look like after humans have been overthrown: "bright will shine the fields of England, purer shall its waters be, sweeter yet shall blow its breezes"
"rings shall vanish from our noses", "fruitful fields of England", "riches more than mind can picture"
The descriptions in the song are enticing the animals to start a revolution for want of these things.


D etails:
the riches: "wheat and barley, oats and hay, clover, beans, and mangel-wurzels"
"bit and spur shall rust forever, cruel whips no more shall crack"
"tyrant man shall be o'erthrown... shall be trod by beasts alone"
The details included in the song make the animals want to experience and live the type of life being described, and the thought of having the land all to themselves with no whips and suffering is very tempting for the animals.
"purer shall its waters be" This is meant to explain and describe to the animals how much better England will be with the humans gone, and it persuades them to form a revolution.


L anguage:
use of strong words to provoke feeling among the animals and stir up a revolution, "all must toil for freedom's sake", "golden future time"
The song uses register through the language, as some more important and emphasized phrases will stick in the animals' minds more than others.


S entence Structure:
The song uses short phrases, use of adjectives to describe life for the animals after humans have been overthrown. Every other sentence in the song rhymes:

"Beasts of every land and clime,
Hearken to my joyful tidings
Of the golden future time."

"And the harness from our back,
Bit and spur shall rust forever,
Cruel whips no more shall crack."

The sentence length is balanced, it has a loose sentence pattern, and complex-compound/complex sentences can be found throughout the song.

Overall:
The overall tone of the song "Beasts of England" is defined by the use of imagery, repetition, and persuasion, and from the diction of the song, it is clear that the author has strong feelings and determination towards the subject of rebellion. Repetition causes the words of the song to register in the animals' minds, making it difficult to forget. The author uses imagery to paint clear pictures in the animals' minds and persuades them to want to stir up a rebellion.