The Persuaders Rhetorical Analysis

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Hartman Jule once said, “Advertising is only another form of statistics.” The world today is consumed by advertisements for products, politicians, and much more. It is inescapable, and yet it is difficult to truly grasp the amount of thought and effort that advertising agencies must put into their marketing approaches. That is, until one views The Persuaders. This documentary delves into the world of marketing, revealing the thoughtful planning that goes into each advertisement, from the initial research to the final result. Advertising agents begin their marketing journey by researching their target demographics in order to determine the best way to appeal to their audience. They must choose whether to appeal to the head or the heart of consumers-should they stress logic, or rather the emotional connection that people create with well-known brands? One particular advertising agency began to analyze cults to improve their marketing techniques. They determined the main reasons that people join cults: a desire to belong, to find meaning in their lives, …show more content…

For example, the Acxiom company keeps a detailed account of everyone in the country based off of census records, purchases, and numerous other factors. Their records include the likes and dislikes of people, their age, location, purchases they have made in the past, purchases that they are likely to make in the future, and much more. These characteristics are utilized to divide people into 1 of 70 ‘lifestyle segments’, which are then used to narrowcast and select for select demographics. Using such tools allows politicians to appeal to specific audiences on a more personal basis for their personal advertising, and also allows companies to determine which appeals they should make for their specific demographics. In any case, Acxiom’s information is highly effective in increasing sales from