Persuasion is defined by Simons (2001) as “communication designed to influence the autonomous judgements and actions of others”. this suggests that we experience acts of persuasion constantly in our daily interactions with other people and institutions. The central point of persuasion according to Simmons is to achieve a goal. These goals can vary greatly from getting someone to vote for a certain political party, or, buying a certain product. Persuasive intent in these arguments is often obvious from the context of the argument, what is said, and how it is said.
The act of persuasion attempts to influence the decisions of others however there is a distinction between coercion and material inducement. Coercion forces someone to make a judgement or act through threatening them. Material inducement offers something such as money for someone to act in a way you want them to. The action when it has come about by persuasion is always autonomous, the audience has reached its own decision.
Rhetoric is the language that is used to persuade. It is the art of persuasive speaking or writing and relies heavily on the use of figurative language. Rhetoric was first established as an academic discipline by the Ancient Greeks who viewed rhetoric as having 3 forms. Political discourse, Judicial arguments and Panegyrics (a public speech or published text in praise of someone or something.)
Rhetoric id defined by Sonesson as a form of communication. It has five parts, Inventio, Dipositio, Elocutio, Memoria and Actio. Inventio refers to compiling information, Dispositio is this informations organisation, Elocutio is the expression of the information, Memoria is the act of memorising the discourse and Actio is the pronouncement or enacting of the discourse.
As Rhetoric is a form of communication Sonesson suggests a communication model to explain how it works. There is both a sender of information and a receiver of information. Both the sender and the receiver must adapt their thinking somewhat in order for the communication to operate. The sender uses rhetoric in order to adapt their message so that it will be understood by the receiver and how will they be persuaded. Simultaneously the receiver must adapt to the sender by using Hermeneutics, asking, how do i understand the message the receiver is sending. Both the receiver and the sender must rely on semiotics in order to understand each other. This communication and act of persuasion according to Sonesson relies on presuppositions that are shared by both participants of the communication. These can range from the unchanging laws of physics, the sun rising in the east and setting in the west, to socio-cultural ‘lifeworlds’ which are shared within a culture.
As an example of how rhetoric and persuasion are used to sell products i have chosen an advert from Alpecin Shampoo that is shown in the UK.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LVAs7IFM35I
The advert consists of a female voice describing this ‘new’ product to the British consumers. It appears that the shampoo is being marketed explicitly towards men as the main selling point is that the shampoo is ‘moving fast’ and is the ‘fastest growing mens shampoo, because it prevents hair loss’. The message here is clear, that men should by this product because other men are buying it too, and it prevents hair loss. This persuasion relies on two shared presuppositions that hair loss is bad and something that should be treated and also that ‘German engineering’ is somehow superior to other kinds of engineering.
The shampoo is indeed a German product, however it is interesting that this is the main tag line for the product. ‘German engineering, for your hair’. This relies on the British presupposition of the efficiency of German technology which is a long standing cultural perception of Germany in the collective British psyche. It is doubtful that Alpecin would be marketed in the same way in Germany. Indeed in Germany Alpecin associates itself with sport rather than simply being ‘German Engineering’.
The association to with technology and engineering with hair care is also interesting. Here a shared presupposition that hair care is not often related to science and technology is gone against. This strange linking of hair care with masculine ideas of technology speed and efficiency serves to make the product interesting as it subverts one presupposition of hair care, being feminine and unrelated to technology, and replaces it with the presupposed ‘German engineering’ idea in British culture.