5.2 Persuasive Techniques

Learning Targets

By the end of this lesson, you should be able to say YES to the following questions.

Can you understand the definition of the different persuasive techniques and how they can make writing more persuasive?

Can you identify persuasive writing techniques on the page and in your environment?

Persuasive Techniques

Pssst! Hey, you! Yes, you!  Read on to find out about some of the many techniques used to persuade people.

Think about when you watch TV or listen to the radio. You will notice a number of commercials where the people seem to be talking directly to you.

That's what they are hoping for! They want to feel up close and personal with YOU. They want to create a connection to you...and all the other millions of people tuning in. 

So they use the second person point of view.

E.g. Are you feeling tired? You need to visit the Winning Spa.

E.g. You need to come down now before this amazing sale ends!

"You" grabs your attention and feels more personal.

Read over the next pages to find out about common techniques that are used on purpose to persuade you in advertising.

Watch This!

Watch this video to get an overview of some of the techniques used to persuade you.

Negative & Positive

Negativity and positivity in ads often go together. They say how the other product is bad, and highlight how their product is good.

Negativity

This is when bad things are said about the competition. Often there is no or limited evidence.

E.g. Tired of eating Gooey gum that goes flat in a seconds? (Where is the evidence that the gum goes flat?)

Positivity

This is when good things are said about a product. Often there is no proof to back up the claims.

E.g. You need to chew Tasty gum because it's the best!

(Is it a fact that it is best? Maybe. Maybe not. This is just the company's opinion.)

Plain Folks & Snob Appeal

Plain Folks

This is when the people used in ads (usually actors) look like everyday people. The idea is to show that this product is something that everyone would use.

E.g.  A plain oat cereal ad has a commercial where the whole family is eating breakfast together. It's something the viewer can relate to.

Snob Appeal

This is when people in the ads are made to look like they have a lot of money. They look beautiful and bold. The idea is to portray the people using the product as being part of an elite group.

Look at the video below. Are they using a snob appeal or plain folks technique?

Here you will find the: Answer Snob appeal

Facts & Repetition

Facts and Statistics

This is when the company offers statistics and facts. You have to be careful about information in commercials. Sometimes the expert is paid to be in the commercial, and other times it is just an actor dressed up as a doctor or dentist. Also, the statistics can be misleading.

For example, some toothpaste companies will claim three out of four dentists approve of their product. But what do they approve of? That it works to brush teeth? It does not mean it is the best. More details are needed about the actual "research" process as well.

Repetition

Another technique is repeating a slogan or phrase over and over again.

E.g. It's fast! It's fun! It's free!

Our brains like patterns and patterns make an ad more memorable. (Notice how I threw in some alliteration to make it even more effective - fast, fun, free / make, more memorable!)

Watch this video for an example of repetition. Hint, they use rhyme.

What other add technique is also being used here?

Answer Plain folks. The actors all look like average every day people.

Bandwagon & Testimonials

Bandwagon

This is when an ad gives the impression that everybody is doing or using something. These ads imply you would feel "behind the times" if you were not doing or using that something, too. The product is shown as the "in thing" and what all the "cool" people have.

E.g. Everybody has the new Swirly-Twirly! If you haven't got one, you better come down before they're sold out. You don't want to be left out. 

Testimonial

This is when a celebrity or a trusted person is supporting a product or company. Sometimes it is their own company or sometimes they are being paid to be in the commercial.

Below is an example of both techniques. The mother is played by the actress Julia Louis-Dreyfus who starred in Seinfeld. The boy is feeling left out because he is not wearing the same clothes like all the other children at school, so it is also the bandwagon technique.

Your Turn!

You will be looking at magazines and newspapers to find examples of three different persuasive ads. Cut them out and attach/glue them to the Learning Guide sheets or you can take photos of them.

For each one of the ads you choose, in your Learning Guide, explain what technique (or techniques) is being used. Explain how the images, people, and text are being used to make this technique work. 

You also need to explain how you feel each ad influenced you.

In your Learning Guide, complete Persuasive Techniques.

After this lesson, you will complete a Persuasive Techniques Quiz. You will watch five commercials and you will have to choose which persuasive technique is being used. Be sure you study for this quiz. You need to know all of the technique names and definitions.