The Persuaders - a 2004 PBS Documentary - Essay Example

The 2004 presidential campaign is also made a part of this video to explicate how the two persuaders, the Republicans, and the Democrats, tried to take maximum advantage of innovative techniques to attract and persuade voters on basis of their demographic profiles. However, the catch-22 is that with a more fierce bombardment of marketing techniques, it has also become increasingly harder to get consumers to respond to them. It is implied that as the marketing claims continue to become more sophisticated, consumers also continue to get more cynical. This has prompted the refinement of old techniques by the persuasion industries to re-establish a bond between Americans and various brands.

A personal view on whether the techniques discussed improve the lives of consumers or represent an invasion of privacy and manipulation of consumer tastes:
The video shows that to establish a magical and long-lasting connection with consumers, many brands have begun to use very surprising techniques like the hiring of linguists and brain researchers as brand managers. Such brand managers seek to awaken the hidden desires of consumers and their magical words to influence their decision-making when they go to a store to buy a certain product.

Although they strive to create an emotional connection between consumers and their brands, there is much debate on whether these connections could be held real. My personal opinion is that often such brand managers, instead of honestly explaining the real message and promise behind the brand, only means to manipulate consumers, misguide them, and tarnish their tastes. It is not uncommon for consumers to get lost or carried away while listening to these brand managers work their magic with their words. For example, the reality can turn out to be drastically different after buying a product and discovering the contrast between its real value and the value promised by brand managers earlier on.

Take one product or service that you use and discuss how the techniques covered in the video either are being used or could be used with that product:
I use an Apple iPhone and I can demonstrate well how the relatively new marketing trend, in which consumers are persuaded by brands to buy a product to join a cult or gain an identity, has been used with this specific product. Long gone is the time when advertisers concentrated on highlighting the simple function of a product to help consumers simply purchase it and be done with it. Now, the focus is laid on explaining what is meant by a product and how it can help consumers acquire a certain identity. I chose Apple among a sea of other brands to buy into an identity and become a part of a certain social group. With the changed marketing trend, the brand managers very effectively made me focus more on what the product meant than on what it did. Read More