Simons defines persuasion as “human communication designed to influence the autonomous judgements and actions of others” (pg. 7). Persuasion works with both power and influence – used correctly, it can give you both power over others and power with others. It deals with matters of judgement rather than with matters of certainty. When one must decide which facts are more relevant and how one ought to interpret them (pg. 4). One can persuade someone to do a variety of things such as vote for a particular politician, buy a particular product or make a choice between two different options. The study of persuasion is known as rhetoric. Any kind of textual communication with a a clear point of view and intent to influence others is rhetoric.
Sonesson goes further to suggest a communication model to explain how rhetoric works. By applying a dual perspective on the interpretation of rhetoric he describes it as the theory of both argumentation and persuasion. For Sonesson, it is important that there is a clearly defined sender of information and a receiver of information. Both parties need to be on the same wavelength in order to communicate with each other. The sender uses rhetoric as a tool to package their message in a way that will effectively persuade the receiver and in a way that they believe the receiver will understand them. According to Sonesson, this communication and act of persuasion relies on presuppositions that are shared by both participants of the communication – i.e. that they are on the same wavelength. Parties who come from different cultural assumptions, for example, may not understand each other because the codes embedded within the communication message may be lost in translation.
One example of a persuasive advertisement according to Sonesson’s model is a Milo advertisement from Singapore. This works only if one has previous cultural knowledge of what it’s like to be of schooling age in Singapore. The routine of the child in the advertisement is familiar to the Singaporean school system, down to drinking Milo in the morning – a very traditional inclusion to a child’s morning routine. The advertisement also works when one understands the connection between Milo and children’s sporting culture in Singapore. Milo often sponsors sporting events held by schools and so sells itself as a drink that enables energy, sportsmanship and a go-getting attitude. There is also an emotional persuasive tactic made to parents. By framing Milo as a drink that well-prepared mothers give to their children, parents are more likely to purchase the item in order to cohere to the cultural standard put forth in the video. Through these tactics, Milo is framed as a vital component of the Singaporean childhood.