Commercial Persuasion

Companies use many methods of attracting new potential customers. Manipulative, pushy, and creative are only some of the ways businesses try and persuade people. Companies spend millions of dollars trying to get your hard earned dollars. Some of the main approaches they use are described as testimonial, name-calling, and plain folks techniques. Persuasion techniques or propaganda as it is simply put is the method companies use to attract mainstream citizens into buying a product or taking a particular side of an issue. These efforts, although unwelcome at times, are usual ways a product or issue can be successfully advertised. We must learn as consumers to spot what the propaganda techniques are, and become aware of what the truth is The cable/internet company Comcast is a great example. In one commercial, Comcast uses many approaches in selling their lightning fast internet service. Recently, Comcast used husband and wife turtles as a decoy to insult competitors and to prove how great their service is. Using the “name-calling” approach, the two turtles that are referred to as the Slowsky’s, mock the slow speeds of their hinted competitor Verizon who sells DSL internet. Mr. Slowsky is trying his hardest to push a notebook computer while Ms. Slowsky yells, “push it to the left” in order to improve the speed of his internet connection. Frustrated, Mr. Slowsky yells, “You push it, you push it real good.” By using name-calling, Comcast manipulates audiences to believe their company’s service is the best. Also, the idea of using turtles pushing a computer results in a slow process is what Comcast is suggesting. Dell uses the “plain folks” technique. Waiting for a computer to warm up usually takes a while. Most people encounter long wait times when starting up their PC’s. Supposedly, People are tired of this problem, and in one of their commercials, have upgraded a typical middle class family’s PC with genuine Dell parts. In two ways Dell showcases the