summary / review
- The ABCs of TV Ads -
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A
Ads are units of persuasion.
- The purpose of an ad is persuasion.
- Nonrational persuasion is more common and effective than rational.
- Ads are the best compositions of our era.
B
Benefits are sought by everyone.
- Advertisers are Benefit-Promisers. We are Benefit-Seekers.
- -We seek to KEEP the "good" (Protection).
- - We seek to GET RID OF the "bad" (Relief).
- - We seek to GET the "good" (Acquisition).
- - We seek to AVOID the "bad" (Prevention).
C
Claims in ads are predictable.
- Product-Centered ads stress the merits of the product.
- Audience-Centered ads stress the wants and desires of the audience.
D
Disclosures are the "small print" in ads.
- Most ads are "true," but incomplete.
- "Disclosure laws" are government regulations or rules.
- People disagree on the kind and degree of government regulations.
- People disagree on "borderline" cases.
E
Emotional appeals are the dominant tactics of ads.
- Don't expect ads to be rational, logical arguments.
- Ads primarily use the "association" technique.
- Most ads appeal to our hopes and dreams.
- Some ads appeal to our fears and nightmares.
F
"Feel Good" ads are common.
- Standard products often use simple repetition and association techniques.
- Corporations often use"image" ads for public relations.
G
Getting attention is the first job of any ad.
- First, an ad has to get attention.
- A lure needs to bring audiences to where the ads are.
- Within an ad, something has to keep an audience's attention.
H
Harmful effects of ads can be indirect, delayed, and cumulative.
- No one chooses direct, immediate, and obvious harmful consequences.
- Harms to individuals can be indirect, delayed, and not obvious.
- Harms to society can be indirect, delayed, and not obvious.
I
Ignorance is dangerous for you.
- Protect yourself with knowledge.
- Protect democracy from concentrated power.
- Develop your own writing and thinking skills.
- Enjoy yourself by knowing "the rules of the game."
J
Jingles, slogans, brands, and logos are repeated often to be remembered.
- Simple repetition is a very common technique in all persuasion.
- Ads are designed to be remembered and replayed,
- Brand names are important confidence-builders.
K
Kids are the special targets of ads.
- Kids often have more "disposable income" than adults.
- Kids are easily targeted both at home and in school.
- Kids are often ignorant, innocent, and gullible.
- Kids are often greedy, "spoiled."
L
Lures (especially TV programs) deliver audiences to advertisers.
- Lures gather an audience and deliver it to advertisers.
- Different audiences need different lures.
- TV is the main "marketplace" today, where sellers meet buyers.
M
Market research is a major part of the advertising business.
- "Little" ads are the end result of a huge advertising business.
- Market Research is a major part of this advertising business.
- The advertising business is important to the whole economy.
- But, the advertising business is not except from criticism.
N
Negative ads are common in politics, but not in commercial ads.
- Negative ads are very common in political campaigns.
- Negative ads are relatively scarce in commercial ads.
- Scare-and-sell commercial ads are a special case.
O
Omissions of problems or disadvantages make ads one-sided.
- Most ads are "true," but incomplete.
- Free choice is informed choice.
- Learn to detect relevant omissions.
- Recognize your own omissions.
P
Patterns of ads are predictable, using a 1-2-3-4-5 "fingertip formula."
- Anticipate predictable patterns to better understand persuasion.
- The sequential 1-2-3-4-5 pattern of "the pitch" is the easiest way to analyze ads.
- The Intensify/Downplay Schema is the most comprehensive pattern.
- This "ABC" list is useful, but the 1-2-3-4-5 "pitch" is still the easiest starting point.
Q
Questioning ads is the best way to protect yourself.
- Am I the target audience? What's the benefit? Do I really need it? Who benefits?
- Students often ask "Can they?" (Legal) "Should they?" (Ethical) "How did they?" (Technical)
- The "journalist's questions" are: Who, What, When, Where, Why, and How. (5 Ws & H)
- 200+ Questions About Ads - based on the Intensify/Downplay Schema
- 200+ Questions About Political Rhetoric - based on the Intensify/Downplay Schema
R
Response is the goal, the final purpose, of an ad and of all persuasion.
- An effective ad must provoke a response.
- Persuaders try to make a response easy, simple, and possible.
- Persuaders use key "triggering" words and nonverbals.
- Response can be implied, as in a "soft sell" ad,
S
Scare-and-sell ads stimulate fears with "problems," then offer "solutions."
- Most ads are cheerful.
- Scare-and-sell ads emphasize problems, then offer the solution.
- Negative words and images could be used in any ad campaign.
T
Trust is important to establish in ads.
- A good "image" relates to being seen as expert, trustworthy, and benevolent.
- Presenters are usually "authority figures" or "friend figures."
- Brand names are important confidence-builders.
- Flattery of the audience is another tactic of persuaders,
U
Urgency is common in many ads, but not in "soft sell" ads.
- Creating a sense of urgancy is common in some, but not all, ads.
- Words and Nonverbals can express urgency.
- "Hard Sell" and "Soft Sell" ads differ in many ways.
- Command and Conditioning Propaganda are different.
V
Visuals imply: they implicitly suggest much more than words explicitly say.
- Visuals imply.
- Visuals are edited.
- Nonverbals also imply a message without using words.
W
WWW: Web ads are like TV ads in many ways.
- Attention-Getting
- Confidence-Building
- Desire-Stimulating
- Urgency-Stressing
- Response-Seeking
X
X-Rated ads will never appear on Channel One.
- Channel One delivers students in their classrooms as a target audience to advertisers.
- Channel One isn't going to kill the goose that laid the golden egg.
- Channel One exploits a situation of inequality.
- Channel One is wrong ethically and educationally.
Y
You need to identify your own limits, priorities and values, wants and needs.
- Know your time limits, especially "TV time" and "part-time" working.
- Know your money limits: credit cards blur limits, as does dependency.
- Know thyself! Self-deception is very common about priorities and values.
- Know that our needs are few and our wants are many.
Z
Zapping and zipping may work with VCRs, but not in real time.
- You can't avoid ads.
- Ads are not going away: they will increase in number and sophistication.
- Are ads really worth all of this attention?
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, from Persuasion Analysis | © 2009 by Hugh Rank | http://faculty.govst.edu/pa