Tuesday, March 22, 2011
Sunday, March 6, 2011
CEP EXPONENT
Elizabeth Dworak
Idea Development / Professor Betty Sanchez
Course Enrichment Component Thurs. @ 7:45 pm The Persuaders (2003, Barak Goodman/Rachel Dretzin, USA, 90 minutes, documentary)
“The Persuaders” Response
The Persuaders, directed by Douglass Rushkoff, is a documentary film on the advertising and marketing industry. The film’s main concept is to show how marketers are constantly trying to find more and more ways to find their way into consumers’ minds. The beginning of the film was very interesting to me. As the film walks you through New York City to take a look at how advertisements are anywhere and everywhere; you cannot help but think that all advertisements are bait- just waiting for you to latch on. When walking through New York City, you see advertisements on skyscrapers, on billboards, on taxis and buses, on the street, everywhere. It’s almost sickening to realize how many advertisements you see and hear every day. It was also interesting to hear humans being metaphorically compared to a pinball; no matter where we go, we are constantly bumping into something new. Advertising is forced on every single person. It has been said that even toddlers are exposed to a ridiculously large number of advertisements per day. However, Naomi Klein, author of “No Logo,” states that “Consumers are like roaches. You spray them and spray them, and after a while, it doesn't work anymore. We develop immunities.” Because advertisements bombard people every day of their lives, they learn to tune it out, which is not a good thing for the advertising and marketing industry. Because some people no longer physically notice every ad, advertisers sought out to get their attention through emotion. Advertisers want consumers to feel as if they belong; as if they are part of something big. For instance, when talking about a Saturn commercial, Douglas Atkin says, “They created a great meaning system for Saturn in those fantastic commercials. Their meaning system was based on old-time values of community. It was a kind of icon that America yearned for but couldn't find anymore.”
When you see a commercial or even just a simple ad, it is hard to believe just how much time, effort, and money goes into the making of the ad. Once the target market is selected, the ad has to be both physically and mentally pleasing. One study was done concerning white bread. A man was asked exactly what he feels when he is eating white bread, for example- accepting, trusting, lonely? Every advertisement needs to have some kind of positive emotion as well as an appealing ad.
In “The Persuaders,” a Cheerios commercial is shown with a grandma and a baby. The grandma is telling the baby how far she came to see her family for Christmas. She goes on to use the cheerios to draw out a map for the baby, even though she knows that he does not understand. She then tells the baby that no matter how far away she lives, she will always be with him on Christmas. The storyline is gentle and heartwarming and captures the attention of the viewer.
The last part of the film is concerning politics. The film briefly explains how politics are related to advertising campaigns. Society who is disappointed with their President is a very similar situation as consumers who are disappointed with their product. This happens very often and it is because politics influence their audience to get elected into office by manipulating their image and advertisers do this with their products; they make a product out to be “slightly” different than what the product really is.
The advertising and marketing industry is a tough business. With a lot of things (products, services, etc.), it is a hit or miss. However, if it is a miss, it is the advertiser’s job to do all that they can to make it a hit. And a lot of times, knowing something little- for example, knowing that a product makes the audience feel “safe” or “comfortable”- can make a huge difference. The name of this film, “The Persuaders,” has a very powerful meaning to advertising in general. Who are “the persuaders” referring to? Are they referring to the marketing industry itself that persuades and convinces consumers, like us, to be interested and buy their products? Or are we “the persuaders,” persuading ourselves that we need the new mascara that lengthens our eyelashes and we must buy the Hershey’s chocolate bar because it supposedly gets rid of headaches? We, as humans, are just as bad as the advertisers out there, sometimes we are even worse.
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