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5. BUY RESPONSE-SEEKING |
Response is the goal -- the basic intent and the final purpose -- of persuasion.
Attention-getting may be the first necessary step, but an effective ad ultimately must provoke a response.
Persuaders try to create a situation for an easy response, using certain common triggering words.
Some mass media response devices include coupons, contests and sweepstakes, 800 and 900 numbers. Many of these are being adapted to direct mail, telemarketing, and online.
Perhaps any pleasant "soft sell" could be explained or justified as contributing toward some vague, unmeasurable goal.
But, most ads are designed to sell a specific product, during a specific time, at a specific cost-effectiveness.
An ad campaign may be clever and witty; but, if it doesn't sell the product, it isn't effective.
The basic criteria for judging any persuasion, per
se, is pragmatic: does it work? Is it effective?
When I asked students what advice they would give to younger students about RESPONSE-SEEKING, here are some of the responses, in their own words: