The Persuaders

Frontline and PBS did a documentary called, “The Persuaders” and within this documentary, they “explore how the cultures of marketing and advertising have come to influence not only what Americans buy, but also how they view themselves and the world around them.” This documentary is a ninety minute long thing with different people doing interviews with Frontline, talking about the concepts and techniques behind advertising and what draws people in. One of the techniques that was discussed is called emotional branding which is basically is an emotional edge to the ad that has an invitation for a longed for lifestyle and allowing culture and community to come together. Advertisers use the whole idea of acceptance and belonging to their advantage, because the consumer is more willing to buy a certain product or a certain brand if they think it will make them feel accepted. It’s like the consumers have an “in” with a certain group of people once they buy a certain brand. It’s all about the emotional attachment between a product and the consumer.

Something that I found interesting didn't come until later on in the documentary, when Frontline basically states that because technology is changing and as a result advertising is losing viewers and so marketing companies are integrating ads and products into shows on TV. The writers for a show are meeting with an advertising company to create a story line around a certain product or company. For example, in castaway you see “FedEx” being shown, in “I am Sam” and “You’ve got mail”, you see Starbucks being advertised. It’s called seamless integration where it’s all about product placement. New ways of grabbing the consumer’s attention are being explored and used because of the changes in technology and the changes in advertising.