The Persuaders

What in "The Persuaders" surprised you (or not)? Name one new thing you learned about marketing or politics from watching the film. Name one new thing you learned about yourself from watching the film, or one thing that the film reiterated about yourself.

One thing that I was surprised about was the availability of information that an ad agency or a company can receive about their target market. I was aware of much of the market research that takes place, but I was not aware how much information on habits and media intake is available. I believe that this can be helpful for researchers and ad agencies in terms of business. However, it also seems invasive to look through internet records or credit card receipts that stores keep on record. This tied into what I learned about myself while watching the film. Because companies can submit this information to ad agencies that pay them, it is easier for a campaign to specifically target me. Even if I never participate in any research or polls, there can still be a record of what I am buying and what target market I would fit into.



"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?

Although there is no denying that there has been an influx of advertising in recent years, I believe that It depends on location as to how a person encounters it in daily life. Most people will experience it through television commercials, radio commercials, or print ads. However, if one lives In the city they are subjected to an extremely large amount of advertising simply when walking down the streets. However, I don’t think that this should be considered to be too much advertising. It doesn’t affect the people who see it in a bad way, instead, as the movie suggests, it just makes it more difficult for campaigns to break through the clutter. Therefore, I think that people have generally become more accustomed to the amount of advertising that is now in life. So, ads must compete against other ads and the fact that people tend to tune them out now.

myth of photographic truth

Cropped Image

Full Image

The cropped image appears to be nothing more than a gathering of people. It is presumed to be enjoyable by the man in the center that is smiling. However, when the full image is revealed one can see that it is actually a graphic scene of a lynching. This shows that any alteration of a photograph can change its context meaning. Without seeing this particular photo in its entirety one would not know it's disturbing nature. So, just a portion of a photograph or even an entire photograph can not always accurately display an entire happening or situation.

2nd Collage

Questions: How can I make the collage more pleasing to the eye and try to using a feature or tool of Photoshop?

Photoshop as the Medium

In terms of of McLuhan's idea that "the medium is the message", if Adobe Photoshop were the medium the content would include several aspects of the program. Examples of the content are the photos stored in the program and the tools that can be used, such as the Eyedropper Tool, the the Crop Tool, and the Hand Tool. I believe that the message associated with this medium is that technology can be used as an art form. Because the program allows people to alter images, create collages, and do design work, it gives users creative freedom. Therefore, it allows one to produce aesthetically pleasing products on a computer, rather than traditional methods of art.

Medium Collage

The medium I chose is PostSecret.com, which a website used to display secrets people write on postcards and send in to a moderator. The site is run by just one man and features new postcards every Sunday. The content of this medium includes pictures of the postcards, as shown in the collage. There is also text, links, and videos on the site. The message is that it allows people to share information or secrets with each other and can bring people of all different backgrounds and interests together through the use of technology. The site allows people to feel a connection with those that wrote the secret, even if they do not know who they are or anything about them.

Medium Examples

iPod Touch

GarageBand



PostSecret.com