The Persuaders

"The Persuaders" begins by questioning the increase in the amount of advertising we typically encounter in our daily lives. How would you assess the amount of advertising you see? Too much? Too little? Just right? In your view, what difference does it make to know that people today see much more advertising in their daily lives than people 20 or 30 years ago?

In my opinion, the amount of advertising we see is excessive. Wherever you go, whether it be a baseball game, a movie, or even a park, there are advertisements everywhere. Billboards, flyers, commercials, and even ads on the internet consume so many aspects of our every day lives. One reason we see more advertising in our daily lives than people 20 or 30 years ago is because we have so many advances in technology that allow us to skip over advertisements, and companies feel they need to make up for the loss. One example presented in the video was Tivo, which gives customers the ability to fast forward through commercials. This technology completely erases the effectiveness of television advertisements.

Where are things headed in the future? What are some possible scenarios that could play out as far as the direction that future persuaders may take their marketing techniques.

In the future, I think advertising companies will be forced to come up with new, effective ways to promote their product. Future persuaders may take their marketing techniques further into product placement. This is the only sure way for the company to have its product seen, no matter what. The video shows some product placement that is being used now, in shows such as "Queer Eye for the Straight Guy," "Sex and the City," and the movie "Castaway." Although companies have recognized that product placement is effective, they have not yet fully grasped the current ineffectiveness of commercials and therefore do not use product placement enough.