When it comes to advertisements an element that is shared by all of them is that they attempt to persuade the consumer to buy their product, as this is essentially the main function of advertisements. Persuasion can be classified as “communication designed to influence the autonomous judgments and actions of others” (Simons, 2001, p.20). As derived from the word persuasion its intent is to persuade. It is a human communication tool which has the purpose to influence the autonomous judgement and actions of others (Simons, 2002). However, when it comes to persuasion it can fail and succeed when trying to influence judgement of actions. When it comes to the orientation of persuasion in advertisements they can either be critical-humanistic or social-scientific. It has the capability of achieving power with others instead of just over others (Simons, 2001). Overall it is a skill that intends to persuade through the use of communication between the creators and audience, inviting the consumer to make a choice.
Persuasion is a branch of rhetoric’s. Rhetoric is an instrument that has the capability to give effectiveness to truth (Simons, 2001). It can be used for numerous different things including to deceive, mislead, explain or oppress. Göran Sonesson analyses both rhetoric as well as persuasion in his academic article. He looks at the techniques of advertising discourse and how cultural elements are presented in advertisements by Absolut Vodka and IKEA. Through the examining of different parts of rhetoric in advertisements over the past years with the technique of cultural semiotics, Sonesson makes numerous interesting discoveries. Cultural semiotics examines the relationship between cultures and how they are shaped by certain ideas a certain culture entertains about another (Sonesson, 2013).
An advertisement that uses an interesting yet very obvious technique of persuasion is the American men’s hygiene brand Old Spice. In their commercial campaign know as The Man Your Man Could Smell Like which was released in 2010, the actor Isaiah Mustafa represent the man every woman wants or the man the consumer wants their man to smell like. Through the monolog of the actor the consumer is convinced in a humorous yet direct way that the Old Spice product will make men smell richer and more manly. An interesting factor is that the advert directly addresses women even though it is a product for male consumers. However, this does not mean that men should not feel addressed by it. The 30 second advert indirectly addresses men because it brings across the message if they smell like old spice women will think that they are rich and good looking. It must be remembered that all of this is presented in a slightly sarcastic manner. Through the use of humour, the advert comes across as more effective, if everything that was said in the advertisement would have been serious the advert would have not had its successful effect. The use of props is another form of persuasion through out the commercial he progresses through different scenes, demonstrating different activities in lavish locations. This occurs uninterruptedly and Mustafa constantly keeps eye contact with the camera or when seen on television with the consumer. Through the constant eye contact of an attractive actor who is not wearing a shirt the consumers are drawn to the commercial. The persuasion of this advert is not carried out in an aggressive manner. Rather it is done differently to other modern time ads. It is different to other modern advertisements because it directly addresses the viewer, this was also the case when television advertising first began. Todays advertisement often compare their product to others on the market in order to persuade the viewer that their product is the best.
Perusasion is a very powerful and useful tool when it comes to advertising. As analysed by Sonesson, culture often plays a role when promoting a product. This was not the case with the advertisement by Old Spice, however it relies on other factors to try and convince the consumers of their product. This includes the presenting of the product through out the commercial as well as stating all the things that one could have or imperconate with their product. Persuasion is the key element of advertising without it adverts would not carry a specific function as they would only show a short video with no distinct purpose.
References
- Simons, H.W. (2001). The Study of Persuasion. In: H.W. Simons with J. Morreale & B.E. Gronbeck, Persuasion in Society, Thousand Oaks: Sage.
- Sonesson, G. (2013). Two strands of rhetoric in advertising discourse. International Journal of Marketing Semiotics, 1(1), 6-24.