How does the media convince us of things? Media Strategies How does the media convince us of things?

1. Bandwagon Bandwagon is an appeal to the subject to follow the crowd, to join in because others are doing so as well. “Everyone else is doing it…”

2. Cartoons or cute characters Why does this strategy work? What other strategies are evident on this box of cereal?

3. Celebrity endorsement

Celebrity Endorsement

4. Emotional Appeal And of course… THIS ad

5. Facts and Figures The media use facts and figures in order to show credibility. They convince you of something by showing you data, however, this data can be misleading or can exclude important information.

6. Gender or Sex Appeal Why does this appeal to people? How does it appeal to men? To women? Are there differences in how both genders react to advertisements?

7. Name calling Usually found in political ads, name calling is tended to discredit an opponent. In this ad, Michael Ignatieff is called reckless and an opportunist.

8. Plain folks Why would people want to be considered “simple folk”?

9. Shock Appeal Advertisements with shock appeal deliberately startle and offend its audience by violating norms for social values and personal ideals. Shock advertising is designed to break through the advertising “clutter” to capture attention and create buzz.

10. Snob Appeal Some companies brand themselves as only being for rich people. Why do you think this is?

Snob Appeal (continued)

11. Testimonials Testimonials are statements written or spoken by consumers of products. They back up companies’ claims that their products work or are of high quality. Think infomercials or exercise programs