Persuasive Techniques

        "The FSU Seminoles are the #1 football team right now! Everyone else loves the seminoles, nobody likes the gators anymore! You should make the switch too, become a nole, not a gator!" This technique right here is called a bandwagon. A bandwagon is when someone tries to persuade people by making people want to do the same thing others do, which urges people to go along with others. Over the past few weeks, we have been learning about persuasive techniques. Our teacher has now assigned our class to write a blog post about 3 different persuasive techniques with ads or commercials.
          To begin with, a testimonial is another example of a persuasive technique. In this ad, http://englishadvertisingandanalysis.files.wordpress.com/2013/03/teen-ad.png , Justin Bieber is used to promote acne cream, proactiv. This is an example of testimonial because a testimonial is something that tells you to bases your opinion on what someone else thinks - usually a celebrity. In this case, Justin Bieber is the celebrity and is trying to tell people to use proactiv because is works for him. There are also many other celebrities that have been used in testimonial ads, celebrities such as Jessica Simspon, Katy Perry, Avril Lavinge, Elle McPhearson, and many more have been used for proactiv commercials or ads.
           Moving on, another type of persuasive technique is appeals to pity. Appeals to pity is when someone or something persuades people by tapping into people's emotions. In this ad, http://files.coloribus.com/files/adsarchive/part_1352/13526905/file/charity-baby-small-68060.jpg , there is a baby boy who is sick and has wires and tubes attached to try to save his life. It also says "his parents would give their lives to save his. That's why it matters." This is for the sunny brook charity. Appeals to pity can also be shown in ads like animal abuse, sick children, people with disabilities, and much more. Whatever can tap into people's emotions and make them feel a certain way about something is appeals to pity.
            Ultimately, people should be able to point out persuasive techniques everywhere they go. Whether you know it or not, persuasive techniques are all around you. Billboards, tv commercials, people talking, posters, anything can be shown as a persuasive technique. Anyone can make up their own persuasive techniques too. Persuasive techniques are everywhere and are very important so hopefully you notice them more often and realize what their trying to get you to do.