Understanding "The Persuaders"

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/persuaders/
I’ve always believed that successful advertising is an extremely difficult challenge that requires marketers to submerge themselves completely into the minds of the consumer. A good ad agency has to understand the desires of people and effectively connect with them on a deeper level to enable them to not only remember an advertisement, but want to buy that specific product. After watching the PBS special, The Persuaders, I learned that people no longer respond to ads that claim their product is better or brighter than another one, but instead care about the overall idea of a company. Brands and products not only have to do what they claim they can do, but they also have to make an emotional connection with people to pull in new customers. They tug on our emotional heartstrings by showing us loveable images while using specific language that captivates us to buy. Some companies have done such an amazing job at affecting consumers that people have responded with extreme loyalty. Apple, Nike, and Coca-cola are a few of the companies that have this strong following, and by achieving this, these people don’t even consider another product for computers, shoes, or sodas. The “Super Brands” have love and loyalty from their consumers beyond reasoning, and they create a following from making a unique experience for customers instead of just selling a product to temporarily enjoy.

Although some brands have become hugely successful, a lot of brands can’t keep up with the competitive nature of the business and fall by the wayside. Advertisements today face an uphill battle in reaching the consumer because our culture is so inundated with ads that we have become immune to the constant clutter of products that bombard us every day. It is so easy for me to tune out a commercial or ignore that banner flashing on the sides of the webpage, that in order for an ad to get noticed it has to standout among the constant noise of persuasion. Contemporary ad agencies have to work twice as hard to get our attention because they have weaved messages and products into the threads of our daily lives, while we are gaining better ways to avoid them altogether. With TiVo and DVR recorders, I can fast forward through television commercials and totally bypass the messages that companies pay so much for me to see. People today want to be entertained, not be told what to buy to be trendy or what that new “must have” product is that will make you cool. As more companies are realizing this, they are joining forces with films and television shows to marry ads with entertainment by using product placement. Whether it’s Simon Cowell drinking from a big, red Coke cup during American Idol, or Tony Stark in Iron Man yearning for a Burger King cheeseburger, its undeniable that advertisements are seeping into the actual programs we are watching. If this is done seamlessly, consumers can have an inexplicable desire for whatever their favorite celebrity just advocated without even realizing it. However, the one question that consumer have to keep in mind is when does advertising go too far?

The scary trend for companies to successfully advertise to consumers is to learn nearly everything they can about who you are today, and who you’ll be tomorrow. With the Acxiom corporation, that’s exactly the information companies can and do buy about people. Acxiom provides advertisers with the solution to all the clutter by specifically targeting distinct groups of people based on their buying trends and their lifestyle choices. Buying this information about potential consumers, gives companies the ability to learn when you buy, how you buy, and ways to influence you to buy. This ethical concern allows ad agencies to create messages for the people they want to reach by dividing everyone into demographics and reeling people in by saying exactly what that specific group wants to hear. It’s troubling that Acxiom collects and sells all this personal data about people, and consumers must realize that they are not deciding what to buy, but instead are being convinced what they should buy. The bottom line for the consumer is, be aware and shop wisely.