What Is the Role of Advertising on Persuasion in the Public Sphere - Literature review Example

What is the role of advertising in the public sphere on persuasion? Persuasion plays an integral part in the manner in which practitioners in public communication, in the aspect of advertising and public relations, come up with strategies to attempt as much as possible to arrive at particular outcomes, in their communication. Public communication offers information which is important for making people make an informed decision. In contrast, communication practices can be seen as information manipulation in order to achieve advertising goals (Maignan & Ferrell 2001, p. 458). Professionals in Public relation have been accused with ‘spin doctoring’ information with the aim of achieving the objectives of their organization or the client without looking at the influence it has on society and on individuals. Information is viewed by many as being persuasive while others see a distinction between persuasion and information. A healthy public sphere is distorted open and free communication. In his article, Sandikci (2004) contends that advertising has been blamed by critics for manipulation of people, instilling and creating false values and needs, encouraging materialism, enhancing stereotypes, and portraying a personal of consumption which is devoid from any social problems (Sandikci 2004, p. 42). In as much as marketers or advertising professionals would want to create attention for their production, they should not present a world that is unrealistic. Mass persuasion has been the means through which autocratic regime managed to stay in power as they perpetuated atrocities against their subjects. Public sphere discourse is the foundation of democratic governance and provides a substitute to the application of force in the maintenance of social order (Vezina & Paul 1997, p. 179). Consequently the aspect of persuasion is seen in the public sphere commencing with promotion of a law, ideas, using persuasion that is inclined towards propaganda. Where by an idea target to create solidarity in society, promotion presents the idea in a positive taste and minimizes or omits any opinions that are dissenting. Parents, for instance, can suggest to their children that consuming certain kinds of food is healthy for their bodies. Opinions on advertisements have been found to be very polarized. Critics hip blame on shock tactics used by companies in the ways of advertising for commercialization and emotional manipulation as serious; while others applaud them for bringing forth the same issues (Sandikci 2004, p. 42). Sandikci (2004) argues that shock advertisements precipitate popular and academic debate. Shock advertising is aimed at eliciting attention for brand name through jolting consumers. Observers hold that as consumers become advertising savvy and literate, it becomes challenging for professionals to come up with advertisements which can elicit attraction. Some advertisers go the extent of cutting through the gutter through deliberately advertisement that are controversial and cause distress to the target audience (Pollay 1986, p. 19). Shock can be attained using provocative images of human misery and suffering as well as using images that are pornographic or erotic, vulgar, mocking, disgusting, or morally insulting. Research demonstrates that shock appeals improve brand recall and attract attention. These advertisements have also created triggered criticism. Companies have been accused of trivializing and commercializing social and political issues in order to promote product sales (Sandikci 2004, p. 43). Incredible power of subliminal advertising is being witnessed widely. This type of advertising is founded on two techniques: words are allowed to flash during commercials; they are not consciously seen but they possess strong effect on the mind and secondly testimonials from celebrities guarantee the brand owing to their fame (Giner-Sorolla 2004, p. 765). Would-be consumers tend to believe the credibility of the product on the basis of a famous celebrity using it. This kind of advertising is dangerous, and it can mistakenly convince buyers who are not aware of the trick. Advertisers study target areas so as to come up with commercials and advertisements that reflect the needs and the likings of people targeted. Studies concerning individual minds reaction to persuasion have demonstrated that people are convinced to purchase things that they have heard about; this means that individual memory filters out what is believed to be of less importance or immoral to them. Advertisers determine ambitions and drives for people, as well as what causes fear so as to use them in proposing something in a moral and smart way (Abraham & Sheeran 2003, p. 496). Controversy which is associated with advertisements comes from their outright attempt to pose a challenge to the conventions of advertising, and, therefore, bringing about ambiguity into the discourse of advertising. A close study shows that shock advertisements go against established principles and norms of advertising via three sets of paradoxes which comprise of interpretive, ideological, and representational. Sandikci (2004) goes on to discuss these three types of paradoxes. In ideological paradoxes, the language of advertising used is identified by indifference towards apolitical stance and social problems. Advertising is viewed as demonstrating a personal world of consumption that is removed from political and social problems. Development advertising is highly linked to the development of consumer society in the modern times. This perspective holds that advertising is a form of domination which increases capitalist hegemony; and occurs as a privatized and non-domestic type of discourse. Effects of shock advertisement are explored in detail by Sandikci. The author explains that understanding consumerism and citizenship is challenging although it both terms are used widely in social forums. Consumption comprises of a complex subjectivity (Kraidy & Goeddertz 2003, p. 149). Moreover, consumption goes beyond the exchange relations domain of daily life where identifications, sociality, and emotions are enacted, constructed, and adequately regulated. Communicative actions ignited by advertising do not basically restrict the individual’s relations, or political imagination to culture communities that are found in multiples (Sandikci 2004, p. 48). In as much as Sandikci explores persuasion and advertising, he does not venture into modern technologies as the internet. Besides, the images in advertising have a significant role in the persuasion act. People tend to pay more attention to affective advertising. Affect seem to play a large part in models of perception and attention. Advertisers exploit the human receptor of vision to do their own advertising. The internet is the modern day bourgeois public sphere. It is a communication space that provides ordinary people with a chance to share and express opinions, information, and news. It has never occurred before for people to have an open forum and gain access to previously unavailable information, share news and opinions in a rapid manner, and go ahead and challenge authority in a way that is very open (Cova 1997, p. 298). Critics of the internet-potential look at its growing expansion and commercialization. They view the internet as not setting people free. It is greatly being integrated into the prevalent commercial media and system of communication which are operated by media giants who are looking for ways of colonizing the internet. Apart from the public sphere not serving to form public opinion, it also provides an ideal in the manner in which opinion ought to be founded (Willmott 2001). It sets as its objective a sphere which is available to all citizens, whereby information is not restricted and where critical and free discussion goes on. Persuasion that is applied in the mass communication can lead to distortion of information. Buyers are not fully informed about the pros and cons of the products before making a decision to purchase. Cran and Prisli (2006) explain that the study of persuasion and attitudes remains a vital characteristic of contemporary social psychology. Attitudes are indispensable and distinctive concept that has been persistent for over seventy years. Development in technology comprising of computer aided persuasion and the application of virtual reality as a means of study have increased heat on a boiling issue (Cran & Prisli 2006, p. 346). Formation of attitude can happen in various ways, but the only distinction among them; which is the degree to which people consciously reject or embrace an attitude object. Implicit learning paradigm holds that preferences can be adapted below conscious awareness. Many studies have embraced this view. Factors that do influence change have been a staple of social psychology since its infant days. Marketers use the public sphere as a forum where they target to change attitudes of buyers or consumers towards their products (Cran & Prisli 2006, p. 346). Cran and Prisli (2006) looks at attitudes, and how they affect persuasion especially in the social media. The wider sphere of socil media communication targets to overcome attitudes of consumers so that they buy products which are produced by their companies. Persuasions affect the manner in which information is represented to potential buyers with the intention of persuading them to buy. Conclusion Whereas some information presented by professional advertising targets to convince the consumer to buy, the manner in which the information or knowledge is represented, is very important. Customers or consumers have to be aware of distortion of information in order to over formed attitudes to towards certain products. In the long run, the marketer targets to sell his products and is not necessarily concerned by the welfare of the consumer. Target audience has to be keep of any misrepresentation of information. Advertisements have to be long enough to inform the target audience. Bibliography Abraham, C & Sheeran, P 2003, Acting on intentions: the role of anticipated regret. Br. J. Soc.Psychol. 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