Paper On Persuasion In The Media

Senior Thesis

Persuasion in the Media

Samuel Moore

4/15/2016

Researching and incorporating persuasion techniques for Bemidji State University Mass Communication Department videos.

Persuasion in the media world can be accomplished in many different ways. Whether you are creating a TV commercial or a billboard advertisement, there are many different things to consider when trying to change someone’s views through media. Although, it is something the average consumer thinks about, there are many different aspects to consider when producing a promotional piece. Being able to fallow a formula of finding the target audience, deciding what the audience’s values are, figuring out what their beliefs are, and through visual persuasion, change your

“Finding your target audience consists of 100% consensus thinking and discovering the values represents the basic truths, about physical reality, social reality, and the nature of self.” (Rokeach 2) When a media is being planned, perhaps the most important question the producers consider is "do you know who the target audience is?" If the answer to this is 'no', then there is no point in going any further in the production process until it is figured out. If no one is going to watch, read, play, buy the content, the producer isn’t going to be able to convey the call to action they want. Audience research is a major part of any media company's work. They use questionnaires, focus groups, and comparisons to existing media texts, and spend a great deal of time and money finding out if there is anyone out there who might be interested in their idea. Focus groups are a method of market research that has been around for decades. The prominence of account planning in advertising means that campaigns now rely heavily on consumer insight; and focus groups remain one of the key means of obtaining

It is important to separate the ideology between values and beliefs. Rokeach tells us that beliefs are concepts that we hold to be true, contrary to values, which cannot be true or false but are core values each person holds on a level of importance. A person might value living in northern Minnesota, but thinking that Bemidji State can get them a great education while offering hands on experience that is a belief. This statement could be true or false depending on the person, even if both agree that living in Northern Minnesota is high on their value list. If you can identify someone’s belief on a topic, you can use media to try and change that belief. Unlike values, beliefs can be changed. Beliefs and values determine our attitudes and opinions, and when media is presented in front of the correct target audience, it can lead to persuasion. Being able to change the audience’s attitude towards a product, idea, or thought, is persuasion in its simplest form. When you can distinguish a targeted audience and find out their beliefs and values, the hardest part is done. Combining the different ideas listed above, along with smaller more detailed technical aspects can lead to persuasion though