Saturday, October 31, 2009

Pediatricians Take Strong Stand Against Media Sex and Violence: Modeled Behaviors Called Key Causal Factors of Real-Life Actions

By: Roseanna Sonnenfeld

 

      The November issue of Pediatrics shows doctors taking a firm stand against violence and sex in movies, music, television and video games, which they say pose a serious threat to kids and teens.  According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, "The evidence is now clear and convincing: media violence is one of the causal factors of real-life violence and aggression."  Because of this many people are saying that doctors should be questioning children about what kinds of media-engaged habits is part of their lives.  With the answers that are given to these questions, there could be more talks with parents about their kids' reckless habits.  Although many do agree that exposure to media violence is not the sole factor that contributes to aggression, antisocial attitudes, and violence among children and teens, it is an important health risk factor that can we can address, reports ABC News.

 

      I agree with the statement being made that this kind of media is not the sole factor to these problems but I also strongly agree that they are a huge factor to these problems.  I have a younger brother who is 10 years old.  When I think of him watching movies or playing video games with curse words, sex, aggression, and violence in them, it makes me upset.  I myself don't even like to watch movies with these things in them, why should a 10 year old be allowed to do that?  Thank goodness my parents have somewhat of a restriction to what he can and cannot watch.  But there are several children who at 10 years old or maybe even a bit younger are playing video games that allow them to shoot and kill or have some type of similar violence/aggression in them.  Yes, I know that it is only a video game or it is only a movie or only a song but at a young age most of what is seen and heard becomes a small part of their memory or something that they want to imitate in some way.  By allowing them to watch, play, or listen to these types of media they are exposed to new ways in which to act towards other people around them.  Every parent has a different way of parenting but I feel as if one of the best choices towards benefitting your child is to have restrictions on what can and cannot be watched, played, or listened to.  It may save you more trouble in the future than you know. 

 

Read more at http://tinyurl.com/yeqylx5

 

Facebook's Dark Side Displayed This Valentine's Day: The Latest Trend - Dumping Lovers Via Social Networks

By: Roseanna Sonnenfeld

 

      Valentine’s Day may be seeing some permanent new trends.  It is refreshing to hear that lovers are learning new ways to communicate with each other.  According to a poll, 48 percent of those under 21 took the bold and enlightened step of ending a relationship with their girlfriend/boyfriend over a social networking site, CNET reports.  Through this not only are the two people in the relationship experiencing the breakup but they are also sharing in this rejection with up to 5,000 of their closest friends.  Because of this, we see that not only is there a different kind of experience happening but a co-experience happening among our global world.

 

      Well, I definitely think that this is 100% positively the wrong way to go about ending a relationship with anyone, no matter what the age may be.  It shows that the person ending the relationship over the internet is not only scared and lazy but also very disrespectful towards that other person and their feelings.  If you liked or loved that other person at one point, have enough respect for them to talk and tell them in person.  I think this concept not only applies to ending a relationship over the internet but also anything where people need to be informed about an issue or problem, or if there is a situation that needs to be handled.  I feel as if these types of things should always be handled in person on a one-on-one basis.  Technology has made everything easier and faster for people.  We can send an email faster than we can call that person, talk with them for a while about the issue, and then have the problem or situation figured out.  So when it comes to bigger situations we would simply much rather just discuss over the internet rather than handling things in person.  Some people have taken this to extremes. An example is firing someone who has been working at this same place for several years and has put in several hours of dedication and love for what they are doing, through an email!   Yes, this does happen.  Probably more often than we know.  So, whether it be ending a relationship or discussing a job situation, don't let technology get in the way of good old-fashioned face to face.

 

Read more at  http://tinyurl.com/bbj9o2


 
      

Reacting to News of Abundance of Junk-Food Ads Consumed By Children, Oregon Nutrition Council Launches New Marketing Campaign

By: Roseanna Sonnenfeld

 

      A woman from the Office of Family Health has said that the Average American Child sees more than 40,000 advertisements a year.  Half of which are for food, most of which are for fast food, high calorie snacks, and sugared cereals. Because of this, Oregon Health Officials have announced that they will be launching a new public awareness campaign that is geared toward informing parents on how to counter against these non-nutritional ads founds all around children. 

 

      Ads are put up all around us to grab our attention and make us ultimately buy the product that is being advertised, whether it is good or bad for us.  When children see advertisements for non nutritional snacks, they don’t know that it may not be the healthiest thing for them to have but they do know that it looks good and that they want it.  So they plead with parents and sometimes may get the unhealthy food that they are wanting. 

 

      I think that launching this new public awareness campaign geared towards parents can be beneficial towards this subject matter but I also don’t think that it will be beneficial enough to make a huge impact on what kids are going to be eating or on what parents are going to buy their kids while at the grocery store.  Most parents today have so many things to get done within a day, whether it is running this kid to ballet and this one to soccer that they don’t have a lot of time to sit down and think about the healthiest snack that they could be buying for their children.  They get what is fastest and easiest which includes a lot of the time the fast food and the high calorie snacks.  So, the kids that are pleading with their parents now and are getting the unhealthy snacks will probably in the future continue to get those unhealthy snacks, even after this new campaign is launched.  While the kids whose parents buy only apples and fruit juice at the grocery store are going to continue to get those same healthy snacks because that is the routine they have already established.

 

Read more at http://tinyurl.com/yl36n68

 


Wednesday, October 28, 2009

concept blog-telling lies

here is my concept paper.

thanks.

Brandon Moore
s200500@nwmissouri.edu
brandon@codeworksplus.com


Tuesday, October 27, 2009

Concept blog again

Andrew Maddux

Concept Blog

Subject: Structuring and ordering persuasive messages: implicit and explicit conclusions

 

Sunshine, the world is illuminated by its pleasant rays every morning, and you are no exception. Your eyes open slowly and your vision begins to clear from its lack of sight from the overnight journey. Slowly you rise and stare at what clothes to put on; every action you make is because of perception, the perception which formed from where you grew up, your love ones, but mostly your peers. Companies and Governments prey on these known insecurities, and persuade you to follow certain rules, make you feel that the name brand is superior to the store brand, and insist that by buying expensive clothes you’ll be the most popular person in the room. Most of those are implicit conclusions structured to be ingrained in you by a very young age, and brings us to the topic of this report.

 Within this small report insight to the structuring and ordering of persuasive messages and the two subtypes of conclusions implicit and explicit conclusions will be gained. Relevant to you, should be after all the first paragraph in this paper was structured to make you feel uneasy enough, to read the rest. In spite of the examples of implicit conclusions used so far, by telling you the 1st paragraph intent it is now an explicit conclusions used to openly persuade.  Hopefully by examining both will not only allow you to identify when they are used on you, but also encourage you to decipher the message being put forth by the persuader.

Before starting off on our exploration it’s necessary to know the difference between implicit and explicit conclusions. An implicit conclusion is, “one in which members of an audience are allowed to draw their own conclusion from the argument and audience.” An explicit conclusion, “was defined as one stated by the speaker during the course of communication.”(Tubbs, 1968)  That is not the only arguable difference between the two, from the same source. The Arthur of the article, “Explicit Versus Implicit Conclusions and Audience Commitment,” Stewart Tubbs argues that less-intelligent people and intelligent people prefer different types of conclusions, and respond to them differently.

Stewart sets out to show this by devising an experiment in which there are two groups of college students of equal intelligence who are suppose to record their reaction to the persuasiveness of a speech. The speech was set-up to be identical in all ways except one had an explicit conclusion (Group A), and the other an implicit conclusion (Group B). The findings of the speech point to that in this case the college students in Group A found that the speech’s message was persuasive due to how it was structured and straightforward in its intent. The college students in Group B responded to the implicit conclusion less favorably, and had significantly lower reaction to the persuasive message then Group A. So in conclusion in regards to this study Tubbs did show that what form of conclusion one used did have a big impact on the overall effectiveness of the message.(Tubbs,1968)

Now moving forward we look at the article, “Examining the Use of Forceful Language When Designing Exercise Persuasive Messages for Adults: A Test of Conceptualizing Reactance Arousal a two-step processes” by Brian Quick. The article shows how the “Physiological Reactance Theory” which states that when, “there are more than one attractive options, and an individual is stripped of their right to choose among the options will experience reactance.”(Quick,2008) The study shows that when adults or any demographic for that mattered are told to exercise because they are unhealthy, reactance occurs. So in our case this would be the explicit message however, when the health department used implicit messages, through the idea of maintance more adults were persuaded to exercise. (Quick,2008)  This is only points out how important it is for the persuader to choose the right conclusion for his or her intended audience, because an incorrect judgment will lead to the complete failure of the message.

The finale of our trip resides in the article, “Effects of Literal and Metaphorical Persuasive Messages”, by Jan Bosman and Louk Hagendoorn. The interesting aspect about this study is how it shows what roles gender and what type of brain you are plays in the overall effectiveness of both conclusions. The participants were college students majoring in Law & Psychology so are much more knowledgeable on the overall topic then most individuals. The results of the study which intent was to deal with politics, and how each reacted the literal, or metaphorical messages put forth by two made up parties. The study’s results pointed to the fact that left-brained individuals and women tended to be more convinced by metaphorical messages, while right-brained individuals were more likely to favor the literal message. Showing that once again the importance of how one presented a message was just as important as the message itself.(Bosman, 1991)

From the beginning to the end of this paper, a portrait has been drawn one that to the persuader may be as confusing as a work by Picasso is to me. The simple conclusion is that both conclusions are important for reaching different demographics, and to the success of the intended message. Hopefully by the time the sun sets tonight, that tomorrow you will open your eyes not only to sunlight, but also to the illumination of your mind!

 

 

 

 

 

Bibliography

 

Bosman, J., & Hagendoorn, L. (1991, December). Effects of Literal and Metaphorical Persuasive Messages. Metaphor & Symbolic Activity, 6(4), 271. Retrieved September 23, 2009, from Academic Search Premier database.

 

Quick, B., & Considine, J. (2008, September). Examining the Use of Forceful Language When Designing Exercise Persuasive Messages for Adults: A Test of Conceptualizing Reactance Arousal as a Two-Step Process. Health Communication,23(5), 483-491. Retrieved September 23, 2009, from E-Journals database.

 

Tubbs, S. (1968, March). EXPLICIT VERSUS IMPLICIT CONCLUSIONS AND AUDIENCE COMMITMENT. Speech Monographs,35(1), 14. Retrieved September 23, 2009, from Communication & Mass Media Complete database.

 

 

 

Power of Labeling

By Chris Parsons

The power of labeling a person, place or thing is a something that can
never be taken lightly. Does it really matter, if say, a boy or girl
is label as a jock or a nerd, prep or a goth? What does it mean to be
called an overachiever or a chronic-slacker? Does a label or title
really precede a person if it is spread enough? Do people create a
label for themselves or does the label create them?

What is a label? Webster's Dictionary defines a label as a card, etc,
marked and attached to an object to show its contents, (1. Attach a
label to. 2. Classify as.) So when we as people label one another we
are classifying each other. What is this based on? Is it our actions,
words, ethics, work habits or our hobbies? This article will try to
look into the power of labeling and how it might be used to persuade
us and as forms of propaganda.

Some labels are extremely powerful. You think of a jock and you think
of the best looking athlete scoring the game winning touchdown or
hitting the home runs. On the opposite side of that a person who is
labeled as a geek instantly brings images of suspenders, white button
up shirts with pocket protectors and big thick glasses.

However a label is not always a negative thing. To be labeled as a
husband, a mother, a teacher, a mentor. All of these are honors and
labels are things that people strive to earn and be known as. Positive
labeling has proven and long lasting effects just as negative has its.
Labeling a child as a prodigy or as a child genius and telling the
child this has the effect of them developing into that kind of person
even if it wasn't inherently true to begin with.

As mention earlier even our food choices are steered to a certain
outlook because of labeling. A healthy individual who cares about what
they eat will stay far away from a food labeled as being high in fat.
One week a certain type of food is good for us then the next it is bad
and the populace follows those labels like sheep follow one another in
the flock.

When a person is labeled, positively or negatively, deservingly or
spitefully, the question of whether or not a person can overcome a
label that has been given to them. Can a person who is labeled as a
slacker become a person who gets their work done in a timely manner?
The answer is yes so one of the questions posted at the beginning can
be answered. A person does not become their label. A person can
overcome and move beyond a label. Whether or not they simply move away
from the origin of their label to a place that they are not known or
through work and a dedication to remove them from that title they
finally overcome it.

By that same notion however it can be said that a person does not
create his or her own label. A student who works hard and volunteers
to help the teacher can sometimes be labeled a teachers pet and by
that standard they are never seen to get in trouble or a bad grade
because of that connection, not the work and effort they put into
class.

This relates to propaganda and persuasion in a few ways. One such way
is Looking at it from another stand point when you go to the
supermarket and decide to pick up a piece of steak do you look at the
B grade cuts or is it the grade A prime choice cut that has your
attention. This is how labeling persuades us in our choices. While
most of the time the label is there for your healthy, great tasting
needs sometimes the label is there for a purely cosmetic or
advertising situations.
A box of cereal label as good for you will sell fairly well. Add to
the label of that cereal that it is great tasting and good for you and
people will most likely choose the one that is great tasting because
the label of the cereal declares it to be so.
The label of something has a profound impact on most decisions or
assumptions that a person makes. A manager at a supermarket has two
applicants for a job, both of equal skill and all applicable areas.
One however is an ex-con who has just been released. Because he is
required to make that information known on his application, because it
is the label he and society have put on himself he may very well not
get the job because of that. That is the power of labeling.
Proof of the above mentioned scenario could be found within the
definition of Labeling Theory. Encyclopedia Britannica has the
definition as a product of society's reaction to the individual
(Labeling 2009). Which means that the individual, once convicted of a
crime, is labeled a criminal and thereby acquires a criminal identity.
Once returned to society, he continues to be regarded as a criminal
and is consequently rejected by law-abiding persons and accepted by
other delinquents. This has been found to be true. Most ex-cons on
attempts to start their life anew as a law-abiding citizen are usually
shot down because of their label. Which in turn makes them return to
the criminal lifestyle and the cycle continues.

The Journal of Food Products Marketing conducted a study. A summery of
the study is as follows. "The aim of this study is to identify motives
and barriers for the consumption of fresh tropical fruits and their
juices. Also the potential role of labeling information, more
specifically process-related quality labeling for fresh tropical
fruits, and on-label nutrition and health claims for tropical fruit
juices, are investigated. This study indicates that pleasure-seeking
and hedonism motives are major drivers, whereas high perceived price
and unfamiliarity form the most prominent barriers for consuming
tropical fruit and tropical fruit juices. Process-related quality
labels are considered credible and persuasive, but the expected price
premium hampers the purchase of process-certified tropical fruit
products. Health and nutrition claims on tropical fruit juices are not
believed to be persuasive unless they match well with the perceived
naturalness of the juices" (Sabbe, Verbeke, Van Damme, 2009).

In the end the power of labeling seems to be prevalent and will
continue its hold over those who are labeled through others or their
own deeds. That is why we as a collective should never judge a book by
its cover and delve to find those true natures and facts beneath the
label.

Wednesday, October 21, 2009

Dell warns about going small


By Brooke Shanholtz

Dell CEO, Michael Dell, has publicly stated that the new small 10 inch notebooks are not liked by everyone. He stated that for users who have used a larger screen, downgrading to a smaller screen probably will not satisfy them.

CNET News reported that Dell stated, "We see a fair amount of customers not really being that satisfied with the smaller screen and the lower performance, unless it's like a secondary machine or it's a very first machine and the expectations are low."

Some may be surprised that Dell is so open about the limits and dislikes of their "small" notebook line, but it is a positive thing. If I were to buy a small Dell notebook, and find it to be disappointing, I would be less likely to ever buy any size of Dell notebook in the future. But because they are allowing the public to know what to expect they are showing they do care about the consumer. It is important for any company that wants to be respected and obtain loyal customers to be truthful about their products and services.

Daily Dog. (2009, October 15). New Dell Laptops Get Some Harsh Comments from… Michael Dell: CEO Tells Gathering that New Netbooks “Not a Good Experience” for Users. Retrieved from http://www.bulldogreporter.com/

Companies misusing social networking


By Brooke Shanholtz

Social networking has grown vastly over the past year, but are some companies misusing the service?

Reports have shown mixed attitudes from different companies. Some companies, such as Symantec Corp., report urging their employees to promote the organization through free services such as Facebook and Twitter.

Other companies find that using social networking causes problems and have banned their employees from logging on to these sites while at work. Many believe that allowing employees to log on to social networking sites disrupts their work productivity.

Another problem that could arise is legal issues.  "I think what’s the core of this is a blurring of social and professional," stated Patricia Abril, assistant professor of business law at the University of Miami stated.

I personally believe social networking is a great service and should be utilized by organizations, but keeping it professional is important. I do not agree with companies that allow all and any employees to use social networking for work purposes. Because the purpose is to gain organization awareness, departments such as public relations and marketing should fulfill the task. It is important for a company to maintain a consistent message and this could easily be disrupted by allowing any person to "tweet" or use another service to discuss the company.

Daily Dog. (2009, October 20). Companies Report Mixed Attitudes About Social Networking Sites: What Works for Some Creates Problems for Others. Retrieved from http://www.bulldogreporter.com/

Tuesday, October 20, 2009

Nonverbal Influence on Persuasion

By Katie Adkins

There is an old saying that states: "actions speak louder than words."
I can still hear my mother say it to me to this day. Nonverbal actions
have a large impression on persuasion. I learned the power of
persuasion very early in life. I had strict parents so when I wanted
to do something, they were never easily convinced. If they were
feeling kind and said yes they'd always asked me the same thing every
time before I left: "is your room clean?" I could try and convince
her it was clean but there is nothing persuading about an 8 foot
avalanche of junk streaming from my closet. When my angry mother
emerged from the pile, she'd start "the lecture." No matter what she
said during "the lecture," it always ended with these words: "Remember
Katie, your actions speak louder than your words." It is not until now
that I truly understand the meaning of this; while falling in and out
of love, constructing friendships and watching other friendships sink
I have learned what my mother's words really meant.

According to www.dictionary.com, nonverbal communication is being
other than verbal; not involving words. According to Dr. Paul Preston,
professor at University of Montevallo in Alabama, "Communication
experts generally agree that when two people are engaged in a
face-to-face conversation, only a small fraction of the total message
they share is contained in the words they use. A large portion of the
message is contained in vocal elements such as tone of voice, accent,
speed, volume, and inflection." Many of these elements are
communicated unconsciously, but whether it is intentional or not, non
verbal communication can affect a message positively or negatively.
When approaching my parents, I kept confidence in my voice, but I was
unaware of the message that a week's worth of laundry piled high in my
closet would send.

Observing two people having a conversation, without hearing their
words you can usually guess the tone of their conversation. But,
again, there are non verbal elements that can send the wrong message.
For instance, someone who speaks quickly exudes confidence, but when
giving a speech, fast talk usually indicates that the speaker is
nervous. Dr. Paul gives several ways in which one can improve and
control their non verbal behavior. First, recognize patterns of non
verbal cues. If someone punches a wall, you can probably assume that
they are angry. But don't assume that everyone's non verbal behavior
means the same thing. If someone is crying usually they are sad, but
some people cry when they are happy. Second, maintain good eye
contact. People are more easily persuaded and can give more trust if
you look them in the eye. And third, watch other's reactions when you
are communicating with them. The best way to learn about your own body
language is to see others' body language towards you.

Nonverbal communication and persuasion are indicated by non verbal
cues. Casinos are a good example of how non verbal cues are used. Have
you ever been in a casino? The carpet in casinos is always ugly.
Little do we know, there is a reason for their misguided interior
design. Casinos use carpet that is displeasing to the human eye to
focus customer attention on the machines. By attracting your eyes to
the bright lights and your ears to the noise of the machines, casinos
are using non verbal cues to persuade customers to gamble. I had never
noticed this but a majority of casinos have absolutely no windows in
their establishment and hang no clocks on the wall. This is sending a
message to customers that this is a place you can come and escape.

Some things to remember when you find yourself in a situation where
you have to be persuading: keep your voice low and moderated; keep
your body open and avoid send a message of dominance, this includes
keep both of your feet flat on the floor; keep your eyes focused on
the target or person you are talking to; and always be aware of facial
expressions. These are also good tips to remember when you are giving
a speech or presentation of some kind. People are more likely to
believe what you are saying if they enjoy watching you perform.

In all communication, it is important to remember kinesics or the
combination of gestures, postures, facial expressions, clothing, and
sometimes even scent. Kinesics is one of the main things that
determine what others think of us. This in turn, is going to help you
with your own non verbal skills. Although I don't know many people who
need their parent's permission to do anything, I know that these
things will help you communicate better in everyday life. By learning
to control our nonverbal cues, we can learn to control and persuade.


Sources:

Hogan, Kevin, (2009 New Years Resolution– Better Influence Your Sale).
Influencing Human Behavior. Retrieved from
http://www.influencebehavior.blogspot.com/

McKeon, Kate. (Environmental Cues that Make You Buy). Expanding
Spheres of Influence. Retrieved from http://www.katemckeon.com/

Preston, P. (2005, March). Nonverbal Communication: Do You Really Say
What You Mean?. Journal of Healthcare Management, 50(2), 83-86.
Retrieved from Academic Search Premier database.

Monday, October 19, 2009

Iconicity and Persuasion

By Thomas Warren

I have never heard the term iconicity. Initially I thought it was
someone of an iconic form such as famous people. I pounced all over
this subject just because of that and it actually has nothing to do
with being famous.

There isn't tons on the web about iconicity. The correct definition of
iconicity is "having a conventional formulaic style, signs, symbols
etc." That really doesn't it sum up much because that can mean a lot
of things?

Iconicity is described a variety of ways. According to Babylon.com,
the three major principles of iconicity are quantity, proximity, and
sequential.

The use of quantity of phonetic material can be noted in the
lengthening of words to indicate a greater degree, such as "looong."
This would mean extremely long. This is where persuasion comes in
because the effect caused by extra letters. The extra letters describe
the word with more intent. It also makes it easier to understand with
the exaggeration putting the emphasis on it.

Another good example of the quantity principle is certain signs or
symbols that represent something. The artist Prince doesn't write out
his name. He actually uses a symbol to describe himself and his name.
Persuasion has a direct connection to this also because if people
start to follow the symbolic gesture than it can become a trend.

The proximity principle is defined as "when conceptual distance tends
to match with linguistic distance." (When I hear the word proximity I
automatically think how far whatever you're searching for is, like
MapQuest etc.

Well in iconicity it basically means how a concept has a meaning from
its sound. When I was searching for information about proximity in
iconicity the word "onomatopoeia" kept on appearing on all the topics.
Onomatopoeia is a word that imitates or suggests the source of the
sounds that it describes. That sounds weird right? It basically makes
actual words out of sound effects. When dogs bark the sound would be
woof! You can see the direct correlation in that example when you look
at the definition. The concept would be the dog and the linguistic
distance would the bark.

If you thought that was complicated than sequential order principle
will sound like Spanish. The movie "The Da Vinci Code" gave a great
example of this principle because of the hidden riddle they had to
break to find out about Sauniere's death. There was always a clue that
lead to another clue. The best way to define this principle are events
happening in a chain.

I think this is the easiest to relate to persuasion because of the
conspiracy theory. When a rumor starts people are quick to pass it on
and the more people that hear it the more true it sounds. Myths and
superstitions are very similar to this principle. Sometimes they can
be true; sometimes they can be faulty. It just depends on the buzz of
the events and the amount of people that pass on the information.

In conclusion I don't think there is a limit on to say what is a form
of iconicity. I would even say gang signs are a form because if you
have a sign or a symbol that represents your culture than that can be
included.

Persuasion has a lot of power in the world. All it takes is one person
to start a trend and a couple of people follow them, and it can on and
on and on....

Familiar Phrases and Persuasion

By Suzanne Hedberg

When talking about current familiar phrases, it is impossible to do
so without also talking about how advertisements have an effect on our
speech. In today's society, people are exposed to many common phrases
through the internet, television, radio, newspapers, and magazines.
Nearly every major company has adopted a phrase, theme, or jingle.
Many people would be able to recognize Obama's "hope and change" theme
in the 2008 presidential election, sing the jingle to
FreeCreditReport.com, or identify State Farm Insurance Company's
phrase, "Like a good neighbor…" These phrases are meant to persuade
the audience to utilize the company, or, in Obama's case, vote for the
candidate. Everyday phrases such as these are examples of how the
elaboration likelihood model works in our everyday lives.

The elaboration likelihood model holds that there are two "routes" to
persuasion - the central route and the peripheral route. Garth S.
Jowett and Victoria O'Donnell maintain that "motivation to engage in
persuasive transactions is related to attentional factors, message
quality, a person's involvement in the issue, and a person's ability
to process persuasive argument" (Jowett and O'Donnell, 2006).
Attitude change that stems from purposeful evaluation, logic, or
elaboration is the central route to persuasion. It creates an
enduring attitude related to behavioral intention. Generally phrases
that are easily picked up on are due to peripheral cues which are
driven by the attractiveness of the argument. The attractiveness of
the slogan or phrase makes it easily picked up and remembered. It
does not require the audience to weigh the pros and cons and evaluate
the product. The peripheral route of persuasion is most often used
in advertisement. Most ads are short (one minute or less) and are run
multiple times in order to get the phrase across to the audience.

Repetition is a common tactic in all persuasion and would not be
effective otherwise. If, for example, FreeCreditReport.com's
commercial ran once on television and never aired again, this would be
ineffective. The goal of any company is to have name recognition so
the company can make itself known and remembered (Rank, 2008). Our
everyday lives are flooded with repeated commercials and ads that
flash their phrase in hopes it will by catchy to their audience, be
remembered, and therefore be persuasive.

In our notes, Erwin P. Bettinghaus and Michael J. Cody say,
"persuasion involves [a] conscious effort to influence" (J. Fisher,
personal communication, September 18, 2009). When discussing
persuasion as a conscious effort in regards to phrases shared within a
group, I must disagree with Bettinghaus and Cody. Our everyday
actions and phrases often have an effect on others, whether it is
intended or unintended. Take for instance a phrase that one friend
often says to another. More than likely, if the two spend enough time
together the second person will pick it up. This is not because the
first was persuading her to do so, but because groups often share
similar values and similar senses of humor. Additionally, the
unintended receiver effect does not follow what Bettinghaus and Cody
claim about persuasion either. Merely talking about a product to a
group of friends and someone overhearing and going out and buying the
product does not constitute as a conscious effort to influence others.

The internet, television, radio, newspapers and magazines all offer
phrases which are either remembered and repeated by the public -
offering an example of effective persuasion - or forgotten by the
public - offering an example of ineffective persuasion. The
elaboration likelihood model shows us how we are persuaded by
advertising or campaigning. Persuasion does not only occur in
advertisements presented daily in media outlets, but also in circles
of friends who merely share common phrases with each other. Maybe
next time a phrase comes along you won't be so easily persuaded. Or,
maybe the FreeCreditReport.com's jingle will just get stuck in your
head.

Works Cited:

Fisher, J. (2009, September). Intentionality and persuasion. Course notes.

Jowett, G.S. & V. O'Donnell. (2006). Chapter 4. Propaganda and
Persuasion Examined. In Propaganda and Persuasion, 4th edition (pp.
161-202). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

Rank, H. (2008). The abcs of tv ads. Retrieved from
http://webserve.govst.edu/pa/Advertising/ABCs/abc_list.htm.

Foot-in-Mouth Persuasion

By Demetric Fane

Propaganda and persuasion have been said to be used as far back as
Adam and Eve. According to Jowett (1999), "propaganda in its most
neutral form means to disseminate or promote particular ideas."
Persuasion is used to sway the decision of individuals one way or the
other. One type of persuasion is "foot-in-mouth." This method is
also referred to as the "How Are You Today" method because it makes
people at ease before persuading them to do something.

With "foot-in-mouth" persuasion people put themselves in a trap by
responding to the simple question of "How are you today" or something
else that makes them at ease. The simple response leads to agreeing to
commit to something. According to Gass (2003), when charitable
organizations ask a person what they are feeling and acknowledge their
response they are more likely to get donations than just asking for
the donation.

Even though this technique is sly, it is very effective. It catches
a person on a more personal level. It is simple trickery. Even if a
person says that they are having a bad day, they can still get caught
in the trap of this persuasion.

Most people that are confronted with this persuasion don't expect
hard sell. They feel the persuader is showing concern or just being
nice. The best way to handle this persuasion is to think before you
respond.

Sources:
D, B. M. (1994). A Relational Obligations Approach to the Foot-in-the
Mouth Effect. Journal of Applied Social Psychology.
Gass, R. K. (2003). Persuasion, Social Influence and Compliance .
Boston: Allyn and Bacon.
Jowett, G. S. (1999). Propaganda and Persuasion. Thousand Oaks: SAGE.

Friday, October 16, 2009

Intelligence and Persuasion

Wednesday, September, 23, 2009

By Jessica Seipel, Northwest Missouri State University

Persuasion is the process by which a person's attitudes or behavior are, without pressure, influenced by communications from other people.  Intelligence means capacity for learning, reasoning, understanding, and similar forms of mental activity; aptitude in grasping truths, relationships, facts, meanings, etc. (Dictionary.com) Persuasion tries to please both the persuader and the persuade.  Persuasion is when you try to get what you want out of the situation.  The art of persuasion is when you help other people get what they want.  People use intelligence to persuade.  People need to get to know their audience and who they are trying to persuade. 

Military’s use different ways of Mass Persuasion.  For example, in 2003 seventeen Iraqi soldiers surrendered to the US government.  They believed that this might have happened due to their mass persuasion before the war.  Military intelligence officers and psychologists sent e-mails, made phone calls and even dropped millions of flyers out of the sky to persuade Iraqi soldiers and fighters in the Republican guard to give up.  There were also the radio broadcasts that have been broadcasting to the enemies since the Vietnam War.  This was called Commando Solo.  They broadcast daily and usually consist of messages telling the Iraqi soldiers to go home, surrender, or stop shooting.  Flyers were another weapon used.  There were about nineteen million flyers dropped out of the sky telling Iraqi soldiers to not hurt any civilians, or use weapons of mass destruction, or to set the oil their oil fields on fire. The flyers also told the soldiers how to go about surrendering.  Another example, of Commando Solo was used during the Persian Gulf War in 1991 called, "Voice of the Gulf" radio.  Thousands of Iraqi’s who gave up said that their decision was influenced by the radio.  Commando Solo is considered to be the, “weapon of mass persuasion.”

Intelligence and Persuasion played a huge role in the War on Terrorism.  Military persuasion is the threat or use of armed force in order to get a needed political or military goal.  Military persuasion is also a psychological strategy where they try to pressure them into a decision.  Military persuasion has been around for a long time, war is mental and physical.  After the 9/11 the US government sought to bring whoever was responsible to justice for the lives of 2,800 men and women.  The United States attacked al Quida bringing the Taliban out of power in Afghanistan.

A form of mass persuasion took place September 21, 1943, by a very well known radio entertainer named, Kate Smith.  She ran a marathon war bond drive running for eighteen hours and making sixty-five appeals.  This showed a great success because by the end of that eighteen hours 31,000,000 dollars had been raised for war bond purchases.  Kate Smith’s intelligence to reach out to a wider audience through the radio was a success.

 

References:

Cimbala, S(2006).  Military Persuasion, Intelligence and the War on Terror(Abstract). Defense and Security Analysis, 22, 61-72

 

Wilkinson, T(2003, March 20).  Military’s ‘Weapon of Mass Persuasion’.  Retrieved from http://articles.latimes.com/2003/mar/20/news/war-sway20?pg=1

 

 

 

Wednesday, October 14, 2009

Ethics and Emotional Appeals

By Lyndsey Hedge


Do you ever hate going to work, wishing you were somewhere else? No
matter how wonderful you say your job may be, I know there are times
when you would rather phone is sick then be at work. I saw this
commercial during the 2009 Super Bowl for Careerbuilder.com and it
caught my eye quicker than any of the other commercials I had seen so
far. The commercial was actually pretty annoying but the emotional
appeal it used in its advertizing made me tune right in. I will not
say where I work or what specific job I am referring to, but I feel
exactly like the lady in this commercial does about 40% of the time I
am at work. Sad, right? This commercial makes me want to go to
Careerbuilder.com and pick me out a job where I can work my own hours,
travel and be able to do normal human things at work like checking my
email for instance. What kind of job does not allow you to check your
email? The commercial for Careerbuilder.com knew exactly how to target
their audience with the emotional appeal of this AD.

Friends, family, co-workers, the media and about 20 other million
different things can persuade a person using their ethical and
emotional appeals. Gosh, I remember this really young girl, about 6
years old coming to my door last summer at home selling Girl Scout
cookies. Of course, the broke college student who was home from work
on my flex day, decided to answer the door. This girl was precious;
blonde hair with her little pig tails and her uniform, all dolled up
to sell her cookies. She goes on to give me her speech on how she
needs to raise money to go on her summer camping trip to pretty much
save the world. How could I say no? I ended up ordering 5 boxes from
her and I don't even really like the damn cookies. She most definitely
used her emotional appeal to persuade me into buying those cookies.

"Using emotions to persuade others is ethical as long as the persuader
allows, encourages and facilitates rational decision-making on the
part of the persuade." Not all emotional appeals work the same. There
are several different ways that can affect the success of emotional
appeals. These include; emotions potency, persuade salience and fit to
persuade personality. If I were to watch a commercial for axe
deodorant for men, I would not be persuaded to run out to the store
and purchase the item. Although the commercial may draw to my
attention with the attractive men, it would not attract me to the
actual product being advertized, only the propaganda that is being
used to sell this product.

I am persuaded emotionally by my friends all the time. I remember last
year at the Pitt State game being persuaded to drink Michelob Ultra
Light over Bud Light because it had fewer calories. I am not one to
sit around and count my calories, especially when it comes to beer,
but the way this girl persuaded me made me want to start drinking that
beer over the other one I had been drinking before. Pretty ridiculous,
huh?

I think it is funny how easily we are persuaded. I have this book at
home called "Eat This, Not That", and it says how you should eat this
all natural peanut butter over the Jiffy brand. Well, I was on this
health kick at the time so I went out to purchase the healthy peanut
butter in hopes of it making me healthier and the crap they put into
the "healthy" peanut butter is disgusting! I tried putting it in my
dogs Kong toy that she loves to much and she could even tell the
different and looked up at me like "momma, what the hell did you just
put in my toy?!" Those words of course didn't come out of her mouth
but I knew exactly what she was thinking…the same thoughts that were
running through my head when I put it on my waffle in the morning.
Sick. So, although the emotional appeals on a specific product being
advertized may make you want to go out and purchase it, it may not end
up being something you love. We are persuaded all the time and the
media allows us to not make our own decisions but simply base our
decisions off the advertisement and that advertisement alone.

References

Ethics and Emotional Appeals. The role of and imitations of emotional
appeals in persuasion. http://www.umpi.maine.edu/~petress/emotion.pdf

Youtube.com. Careerbuilder.com Official Super Bowl Commercial 2009.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=79tMMFja-Fw

Douglas Walton, The Place of Emotion in Argument (Penn State, 1992).
http://www.fallacyfiles.org/emotiona.html

Monday, October 12, 2009

Age and Persuasion

By: Jaimie Ham
 

Advertisers seem to consider many aspects when choosing what audience to advertise to- where to place an ad, how often to show an ad, who to advertise to, etc. So much planning goes into one ad just to ensure that the message advertisers are sending out is persuasive to an audience that may be persuaded. Age and persuasion relate because, for many, age can represent how easily persuaded you may be. 

            According to Diane Phillips and John Stanton in their article Age-related differences in

advertising: Recall and persuasion, age is in direct correlation to recall ability and persuasiveness. “Younger consumers are more likely to recall information presented in an advertisement, but are less likely to be persuaded by that information. Conversely, mature consumers are much less likely to recall information in an advertisement, but are more likely to be persuaded by the information” (Phillips and Stanton, 2004).  Whether or not this is a correct observation, it does seem logical that age is a factor when attempting to persuade an audience.  Young people may not be as easily persuaded because of the knowledge they become aware of. Younger people know now, more than in the past, that many people, advertisers especially, don’t always tell both sides of the story. They may list the benefits of their viewpoint without listing the disadvantages; I think more and more people and younger ages are becoming more aware of this. Breaking it down even further, “young adults remember advertising better than older adults, and teens remember advertising better than young adults” (Dubow, 1995). If we were to relate this statement to Phillips and Stanton’s ideas, then teens would be even more difficult to persuade.

            In contrast, the article Dealing with Stubborn People, and How to Persuade Them, by Paul Hancox, suggests that both older and younger people are difficult to persuade. One reason that both these age groups may be harder to persuade would be because of “lack of understanding and knowledge” (Hancox, 2009). This information could be used to advertisers’ or any other persons’ advantage when attempting to persuade a younger or older person.

            When I think of age and persuasion, I have a combination of all of these theories. Just from previous experiences and what I feel I have learned throughout my life, I see younger people as hard to persuade, at first, but I think once they are persuaded-whether they have all the available information or not- then they will run with it. Young people can be just as stubborn as older people once they have a certain mindset. With teens, though Dubow’s and Phillips’ and Stanton’s ideas point to teens being less likely to persuade, I think teens may be just as easy or difficult to persuade than those older than them.  Teens may know that the whole story may not be being told, but they are also more impressionable at their age than other. I think older people have learned, just as younger people have, that many times, the entire truth is not always being told when someone is trying to persuade them. From the viewpoint of someone trying to be persuaded, I think I should always be cautious of anything that may be trying to persuade me to act on something I may not very much previous knowledge about. One good story shouldn’t persuade a person completely. People should, if asked to take action, review every side and every angle of the topic in question. Also, be aware when people are attempting to persuade you- you might be more easily persuaded if caught off guard.

            From the viewpoint of a persuader, I would keep in mind that age does play a part in persuasion. I would prepare my side as thoroughly as I could, and include arguments for any rebuttals that may occur. Also, going back to Phillips and Stanton, older people may not be able to recall information as well as younger people. I would use this information and adapt my argument around it. Whether this means repeating important points in the process or any other way to help recall, I would try to use the knowledge to my advantage.

            Overall, I feel that age and persuasion do correlate with one another.  Whether persuader or persudaee, this knowledge would be helpful in those situations.

 

Phillips, D., & Stanton, J. (2004, October). Age-related differences in advertising: Recall and persuasion. Journal of Targeting, Measurement & Analysis for Marketing, 13(1), 7-20. Retrieved September 20, 2009, from Business Source Premier database.

Dubow, J. (1995, September). Advertising Recognition and Recall by Age--Including Teens. Journal of Advertising Research, 35(5), 55-60. Retrieved September 20, 2009, from Business Source Premier database.

Hancox, P. (2009, January 5). Dealing With Stubborn People and How to Persuade Them. Retrieved September 22, 2009, from http://ezinearticles.com/?Dealing-With-Stubborn-People-and-How-to-Persuade-Them&id=1848847.

 
Jaimie Ham
 
Northwest Missouri State University
Vice President Promotions and Fundraising, Public Relations Student Society of America
Northwest Alumni Magazine Fall Intern

The Truth

"The Truth" about Cognitive Dissonance

 

                Don't read the next sentence.

                See, telling people what not to do never really works. It is a much better idea to use persuasion and propaganda techniques to get your point across to the right people. A tactic that is used by The Truth, which fights the negative and misleading information that is used by the big tobacco companies to sell a product that helps to shorten your life, can be described as  the use of cognitive dissonance.

                Cognitive dissonance, by definition from Merriam-Webster Dictionary online,  is" psychological conflict resulting from incongruous beliefs and attitudes held simultaneously". These conflicts can arise from attitude, belief, and knowledge discrepancies. 

                If you have seen any of the truth ads it would be clear to you that the tactics used are of a wide variety. Cognitive dissonance is also used in numerous ways throughout the campaign. Truth ads do not tell people to stop smoking, they simply present conflicting information from the information the tobacco company is presenting, that may in turn cause cognitive dissonance by the viewer of these ads.

                How many people do you know that absolutely love being told what to do, what to think, or what they should believe? I know that I can say I don't know any. This is why many executives in the communication industry understand the importance of propaganda and persuasion, because instead of telling you must prove and show why your argument or views are in fact correct.

                Another great example of cognitive dissonance hard a work can be found on the ever popular site of Facebook. There are numerous applications that are thrown is users faces every time they login. A tactic to get other users to download the application is in fact, cognitive dissonance. While I understand these applications truly have little importance, or real value they consume the site. If one friend downloads the application and it is shown to other friends that reduces the dissonance for that friend. The conclusion will be that the application must be fun if my friend uses it, and/or invited me to try it out for myself. This "Kiss Me" application screen is an example of an invitation for other friends to join the fun, and a visual example of the reduction of dissonance. 

                Cognitive dissonance is experienced every single day by people. It's very common, and people change their minds often based off cognitive dissonance, and they also will avoid experiencing any dissonance if they feel their opinion will or side of the issue will be put into question. Avoidance of topics or downgrading others opinions because they contradict with yours is often used to evade any kind of dissonance. The Cognitive Dissonance Theory developed by  Leon Festinger backs this assertion of avoidance.

                Parents, are another major group of people that use cognitive dissonance to persuade. If you sit and really think about growing up in your parents household I am sure you can think of a time when this was used and you never realized it. When one repeatedly attempts to persuade someone to do something that person will loose credibility and authority will diminish as well, and the more resistant the other will become to avoid dissonance.  How many times do parents use the "disappointment" word to promote better behavior which creates dissonance within the child that is now rethinking their position or action that caused this.

                Encouraging cognitive dissonance c an truly help to persuade another person, but it is something that needs to be done almost cleverly, to stay away from resistance from the other party in response. I can think of no better example as having just the right balance as the truth campaign. The commercials are very humorous, but make the impact.

                Cognitive dissonance is a great tool to use to persuade, just ask the truth creators, facebook, and your parents. 

Bibliography

cognitive dissonance. (2009). In Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary. Retrieved September 29, 2009, from http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cognitive dissonance

Festinger, L.: A theory of cognitive dissonance. Stanford, CA: Stanford University (1957)

Kam, D. (2009, April 16). Using Cognitive Dissonance to Your Advantage. Retrieved from Marketing Business Strategies: http://marketingdeviant.com/using-cognitive-dissonance-to-your-advantage/

 

 

Erin Montgomery

Nonverbal aspects of persuasion

By Katie Adkins

There is an old saying that states: "actions speak louder than words."
I can still hear my mother say it to me to this day, "Nonverbal
actions have a large impression on persuasion." I learned the power of
persuasion very early in life. I had strict parents so when I wanted
to do something, they were never easily convinced. If they were
feeling kind and said "yes," they'd always asked me the same thing
every time before I left: "Is your room clean?" I could try and
convince them it was clean but there is nothing persuading about an 8
foot avalanche of junk streaming from my closet. When my angry mother
emerged from the pile, she'd start "the lecture." No matter what she
said during "the lecture," it always ended with these words: "Remember
Katie, your actions speak louder than your words." While falling in
and out of love, constructing friendships and watching other
friendships sink, I have learned what my mother's words really meant.

According to www.dictionary.com, nonverbal communication is being
other than verbal; not involving words. According to Dr. Paul Preston,
professor at University of Montevallo in Alabama, "communication
experts generally agree that when two people are engaged in a
face-to-face conversation, only a small fraction of the total message
they share is contained in the words they use. A large portion of the
message is contained in vocal elements such as tone of voice, accent,
speed, volume, and inflection." Many of these elements are
communicated unconsciously, but whether it is intentional or not, non
verbal communication can affect a message positively or negatively.
When approaching my parents, I kept confidence in my voice, but I was
unaware of the message that a week's worth of laundry piled high in my
closet would send.

Observing two people having a conversation, without hearing their
words you can usually guess the tone of their conversation. But,
again, there are non verbal elements that can send the wrong message.
For instance, someone who speaks quickly exudes confidence, but when
giving a speech, fast talk usually indicates that the speaker is
nervous. Dr. Paul gives several ways in which one can improve and
control their non verbal behavior. First, recognize patterns of non
verbal cues. If someone punches a wall, you can probably assume that
they are angry. But don't assume that everyone's non verbal behavior
means the same thing. If someone is crying usually they are sad, but
some people cry when they are happy. Second, maintain good eye
contact. People are more easily persuaded and can give more trust if
you look them in the eye. And third, watch others' reactions when you
are communicating with them. The best way to learn about your own body
language, is to see others' body language towards you.

Some things to remember when you find yourself in a situation where
you have to be persuading: keep your voice low and moderated; keep
your body open and avoid sending a message of dominance. This includes
keep both of your feet flat on the floor; keep your eyes focused on
the target or person you are talking to, and always be aware of facial
expressions. These are also good tips to remember when you are giving
a speech or presentation of some kind. People are more likely to
believe what you are saying if they enjoy watching you perform.

In all speaking, it is important to remember kinesics or the
combination of gestures, postures, facial expressions, clothing, and
sometimes even scent. Kinesics is one of the main things that
determine what others think of us. Which in turn, is going to help you
with your own non verbal skills.

Celebrities and persuasion

by Carli Mercer

How often do we see celebrities in commercials for one thing or
another? When you stop to think about it, almost every commercial has
a celebrity or every commercial creates a celebrity. The word
'celebrity' is defined by dictionary.com as "a famous or well-known
person." Companies who hire people who are already in the eye of the
media and the Americans who follow politics, entertainment, etc. are
going in with an advantage over their competitor when advertising
begins. In an article called "Celebrity Selling" from the Plos
Medicine website, they consider "a partnership between a celebrity and
a brand has an intangible sort of magic."

It's unexplainable how well the celebrity can sell a product or
service for a company. While most corporations only hire celebrities
who are looked positively upon by the rest of their country, any
celebrity will have an effect on sales. Take Michael Jordan and
Charlie Sheen who are both in the Hanes commercials. Both of these men
are people who a very large number of the country will recognize, and
Hanes has done a very smart thing with two celebrities from different
areas of entertainment including an athlete and a comedic actor. Every
adult who's watching television is bound to recognize at least one of
them. Not only can celebrities be hired to sell products but they can
also sell services for companies.

Consider Catherine Zeta Jones; she has worked with T-Mobile for
several years helping sell their plans and giving cell phone service a
sensual experience as well. We've all seen the commercials where no
one answers their door for the old, bald men dressed in suits but as
soon as Jones knocks on the door, teenage boys everywhere are letting
her in and setting the mood while their parents are away. Why is this?
Why does it matter to us whether or not celebrities are in a
commercial or advertising a product? Do we really believe they use
everything they are paid to sell and we can be like them if we use it
as well? If they are using the product, it's because it's a part of
their contract to be seen a specific number of times a week using it
or it came free in their dressing room. Do we really think Paris
Hilton wears heals and a swim suit while dancing, washing a car, AND
eating a six dollar burger from Hardee's? Why do we fall for these
marketing tricks and when is the line drawn for extreme celebrity
selling power?

Another big industry that is benefiting from celebrity selling power
is the diet industry. Every commercial for a diet plan has your "every
day, average" people and a celebrity who has conquered their weight
gain or obesity. Also found on the Plos Medicine website was the fact
that "in Spanish, the word advertising is 'propaganda.'" Within the
same paragraph, it also states that corporations "hefty investments in
celebrity selling are well worth it."

As you can see, celebrities have a huge impact on advertising and
sales, not only in America but all around the world. Their influence
on consumers to purchase a product or service from a company is well
worth the money spent on them to shoot the commercial. My advice to
everyone is to look past the advertisement and see what is actually
being advertised and not who.


Bibliography
Celebrity (n.d.). Retrieved September 20, 2009, from
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/celebrity
Gatevackes, W. (n.d.). Judging the Selling Power of Celebrities.
Retrieved July 28, 2009, from
http://www.brokenfrontier.com/columns/p/detail/judging-the-selling-power-of-celebrities
Sexy Paris Hilton Eating Hamburger (2006, October 13). Retrieved
September 20, 2009, from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9P1TTJrho58
The Intangible Magic of Celebrity Marketing (2004, November 30).
Retrieved September 20, 2009, from
http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articlerender.fcgi?artid=529428

Intelligence and Persuasion

By Jessica Seipel

Persuasion is the process by which a person's attitudes or behavior
are, without pressure, influenced by communications from other people.
Intelligence means capacity for learning, reasoning, understanding,
and similar forms of mental activity; aptitude in grasping truths,
relationships, facts, meanings, etc. (Dictionary.com) Persuasion tries
to please both the persuader and the persuadee. Persuasion is when
you try to get what you want out of the situation. The art of
persuasion is when you help other people get what they want. People
use intelligence to persuade. People need to get to know their
audience and who they are trying to persuade.

Military's use different ways of Mass Persuasion. For example, in
2003 seventeen Iraqi soldiers surrendered to the US government. They
believed that this might have happened due to their mass persuasion
before the war. Military intelligence officers and psychologists sent
e-mails, made phone calls and even dropped millions of flyers out of
the sky to persuade Iraqi soldiers and fighters in the Republican
guard to give up. There were also the radio broadcasts that have been
broadcasting to the enemies since the Vietnam War. This was called
Commando Solo. They broadcast daily and usually consist of messages
telling the Iraqi soldiers to go home, surrender, or stop shooting.
Flyers were another weapon used. There were about nineteen million
flyers dropped out of the sky telling Iraqi soldiers to not hurt any
civilians, or use weapons of mass destruction, or to set the oil their
oil fields on fire. The flyers also told the soldiers how to go about
surrendering. Another example, of Commando Solo was used during the
Persian Gulf War in 1991 called, "Voice of the Gulf" radio. Thousands
of Iraqi's who gave up said that their decision was influenced by the
radio. Commando Solo is considered to be the, "weapon of mass
persuasion."

Intelligence and Persuasion played a huge role in the War on
Terrorism. Military persuasion is the threat or use of armed force in
order to get a needed political or military goal. Military persuasion
is also a psychological strategy where they try to pressure them into
a decision. Military persuasion has been around for a long time, war
is mental and physical. After the 9/11 the US government sought to
bring whoever was responsible to justice for the lives of 2,800 men
and women. The United States attacked al Quida bringing the Taliban
out of power in Afghanistan.

A form of mass persuasion took place September 21, 1943, by a very
well known radio entertainer named, Kate Smith. She ran a marathon
war bond drive running for eighteen hours and making sixty-five
appeals. This showed a great success because by the end of that
eighteen hours 31,000,000 dollars had been raised for war bond
purchases. Kate Smith's intelligence to reach out to a wider audience
through the radio was a success.

References:
Cimbala, S(2006). Military Persuasion, Intelligence and the War on
Terror(Abstract). Defense and Security Analysis, 22, 61-72

Wilkinson, T(2003, March 20). Military's 'Weapon of Mass Persuasion'.
Retrieved from
http://articles.latimes.com/2003/mar/20/news/war-sway20?pg=1

Sunday, October 11, 2009

Sloganeering Kelsi Jo Franklin

Slogans are seen everywhere in today’s society, because almost every large company uses one for their marketing and advertisements.  The catchiest, most simple phrases are often the most successful, because it is the easiest to remember.   The most universally recognized is Nike’s infamous slogan, “Just Do It!” Or I’m sure you’ve caught a fast food slogan on some commercial or radio spot.  There is everything from Subway’s catchy “Eat Fresh!" to Taco Bell’s “Think outside the Bun”.   All of these are great examples of slogans, which you definitely hear on a daily basis.  For as common and popular as slogans are, most people actually aren’t as familiar with the phrase ‘sloganeering’.  The use of this noun is extremely rare, but the actual definition of sloganeering is persuasion by means of empty slogans.  So, the obvious difference between a simple slogan and sloganeering is the fact that the slogan must be “empty”. 

Sloganeering is often used when describing various political candidates’ slogans, phrases, or speeches made during a campaign to attempt to persuade voters.  In Winnepeg Free Press it evaluates the effectiveness of various political candidates’ statements using sloganeering.  First, in the Capital Chronicles, it looks at the Conservative Party of Canada new slogan of “Moving Forward”, which is similar to Britain’s “Forward Not Back”.  Both of these slogans are very generic, and they are both extremely obvious statements that aren’t educating or promoting a certain idea.  Both of these are the expected course that political parties are expected to move, and they both highlight a good example of sloganeering.  However, neither of the slogans stands out nor did they help advance the message of their purpose or direction. The Winnepeg also delves into American politics, as well as Canadian (that was for you Fisher).   It states that “often the candidate with the better political slogan tends to win the race” (Reynolds).  A prime example is Obama’s catchy; “Change We Can Believe In” definitely outweighed his opponents, McCain’s “Country First.”  This is where the persuasion of various slogans shows its importance.  A candidate only has a few short words that have to be strong enough to represent their unique ideals using strong, memorable language.  The goal is not only to have others remember their slogan, but they also desire their constituents to gather a meaning from it.

Sloganeering uses a variety of persuasive techniques, and one highly effective one is incorporating the emotional techniques.  These emotional appeals are going to be used in all forms of advertisements, including slogans.  Avis’s slogan is “We’re number two. We try harder.”  Although they are using the number two as a positive twist, they are also tugging on the strings of rooting for the underdog.  Another different type of emotional appeals is from Charles Atlas whose slogan is “You Too Can have a Body Like Mine”.  This appeal isn’t toward getting sympathy, but this emotion is desire.  For the different genders this slogan could represent two different things.  For men, it shows attainability, because if they desire to look like Charles Atlas it is encouraging to hear that slogan from his mouth.  It makes the goal seem like an item and image a favorable one, because Charles Atlas isn’t being egotistical or exclusive- the exact opposite.  It appears that he is your average guy and is confident that any guy could look like him.  For women, it is a different type of desire.  The lustful side of this slogan is a handsome man saying that “You too can have a body like mine,” it seems like a more sexual innuendo.   This is a smart slogan, because it is not often times that you can find a slogan that appeals to women and men on an emotional level since their emotional levels seem to be so different.  However, in some way both of these slogans would definitely b examples how an emotional dynamic can be added even through the use of slogans.

On a flip side there are definitely serious implications of how informative slogans are presented in lieu of their desired effect of their audience.  There are “protection slogans” that focus more on issues like, Aids, drugs, and STD preventions.  It is important to understand the severity of these messages and how they are presented.  The fact that they are strongly against an issue makes their message ten times more important.  The slogan has to have quick, efficient message that will direct against without over doing it or coming across as pushy.  “Above the Influence” is a simple, catchy phrase that has been the drug prevention slogan for teen drugs, specifically marijuana, for the past several years. This slogan when coupled with images of high school aged children acting as low lifers, encourages students to keep their life on track while being “above the influence” of drugs and alcohol.  Apparently this message has had a positive effect, because they have stuck with this slogan for quite some time.

It is important to see how sloganeering has an effect in all genres and areas of persuasion: political, informative, and entertaining.   Slogans are difficult to portray the desired persuasive message of the advertisement, so it is important that the words are chosen very carefully.   I believe that the varied strategies and examples presented throughout give a better understanding of the direction, intent, and purpose of sloganeering.   Persuasion can be found in all areas of an individual’s life, so understanding the implication behind their message is imperative.  Everyone has an agenda and bias of some kind, so recognizing this throughout slogans will help the message come across correctly.  Ultimately, sloganeering is a key component when it comes to the basis of persuasion and advertising.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sources Cited

 

Miceli, M. (2006, November). Emotional and Non-Emotional Persuasion. Applied Artificial
     Intelligence, 20(10). Retrieved from EBSCOhost database.

 

Reynolds, L. (n.d.). Sloganeering [Editorial]. Winnepeg Free Press. Retrieved from
     http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/opinion/blogs/rabson/Sloganeering-60407737.html

 

Salomon, J. (2005, January). Integrating HIV Prevention and Treatment: From Slogans to Impact.
     PLoS Medicine, 2(1), 50-56. Retrieved from EBSCOhost database.