task 2

Task 2: Type of persuasive technique	Link to an advert which uses this technique
The anecdote: Personal experience or story which is sold to us as proof.	Colgate total toothpaste advert (2012) has an anecdote of a woman who is a nurse. She says ‘as a nurse I keep people healthy by fighting bacteria, so I was shocked when my dentist showed me all the bacteria in my mouth’ This explains her story. Almost convincing the audience that she is the same as them making them more likely to listen to what she has to say. She later goes onto say ‘I switched to Colgate total and WOW the bacteria was practically gone’. This makes the audience watching think that what she is saying is true because she has already made them feel comfortable listening to her by making her problems feel familiar. This is also very effective because she said ‘practically’ gone which takes out any chance of Colgate being able to be taken to court for false advertisement because she did not say it was all gone.
Adjectives: Crisp, fresh, healthy, nutritious, etc	Innocent juice advert (2013) uses the word ‘juicy’ and ‘delicious’. Not only does the juice come across as being healthy but it also comes across as being very tasty as well. By saying juicy the advert is making people think it has lots of flavor and is made form ripe juicy oranges. They also have a funny sounding voice over to make the words ‘juicy’ and ‘delicious’ stand out even more. In a lot of adverts adjectives will be used because companies want their product to sound exciting, new, fun or tasty. They want their product to be bought and they want people to think the product they are going to buy is going to be worth their time.
Repetition: Key points, positives about the product, themes etc	Cillit Bang advert (2007) repeats the word ‘BANG’ through out the advert. This is to keep reminding people that the product cleans very well. The whole sentence is ‘BANG and the dirt is gone’ once this has been said the word bang then becomes very effective through out the whole advert. Companies would use repletion in their advert to make sure they were getting a specific point across to the audience or to make sure the audience remembered their product. If you hear something over and over again then you are likely to get that word stuck in your head. It means after people have watched the advert they are still thinking about the product anyway and subconsciously.
Statistics: Often presented as factually accurate but sometimes they are a bit dubious.	Palmolive shampoo advert (2006) uses statistics. The voice over says ‘new nourishing power with 100% natural extracts. Completely redesigned to give your hair new life’ This technique is used to make people believe the product they are using does what the company says it does. By putting loads of numbers and figures the audience is more likely to be convinced that the product is good and worth buying. Another example of when statistics is used is when adverts have surveys in them to show ‘how many people said this product worked in just only 2 weeks’. The company could have only asked 10 people that said the product was good. They can then legally say 100% of people said this product works in 2 weeks. Because in the small survey they did it was true.
Fact: A statement that is true and can be proven	Axiron medical advert (2013) uses facts to back up the product they are trying to sell. Because this is a medical product there needs to be facts that are true so that people are aware of what they are using and know exactly what the side effects are. In this advert the man talking says ‘women that are pregnant should avoid contact when Axiron is applied it increase acne in women. Before using tell your doctor about all medication you may be taking’. These are important facts to include in your advert when selling something that could harm you if used in the wrong way. Fact is usually used to reassure people that the product they are buying works and will be effective when used. No one wants to think they are going to waste their money so by adding in facts it means you are letting your audience know that your products is worth the money.