Bandwagon

Peer Pressure

Repetition

Testimonial

Transfer

Loaded Words

Appeal to Logic

Think of the last time you flipped through a magazine, went on Facebook, or watched T.V…

Discuss: What did you see?

Advertisements!!!!

Did you know that companies spend

billions of dollars a year advertising to

kids and teens like you? They want you to

think like they think and buy what they want you to buy, but how do they communicate that to you? They use subtle

persuasive techniques to sway your opinion.

Bandwagon is the idea that you should believe something or buy something

because everyone else believes or wants something.

Saying that it’s the #1 Movie in America is

supposed to make you feel like

EVERYONE has seen it, and you

should too!

Peer Pressure tries to persuade you to do, believe, or buy something because

it will make you cool and will make your peers accept you.

The stylish looking

background and cool models are

supposed to make you feel like wearing

Sketchers will make you cool!

Repetition tries to persuade you by repeating certain words or ideas so that

they get stuck in your head and you think of them often.

The repetitive jingle is supposed to get in

your head so that when you’re hungry, you think of 5 Dollar

Footlongs!

Testimonial tries to persuade you by using someone’s personal success story with the product. They tell you that the product worked for them, so it will work

for you, too! There are two kinds of testimonial – Plain Folks, in which a

normal person gives his/her testimony and Celebrity Endorsement, in which a celebrity tells his/her testimony.

Dwane Wade’s celebrity endorsement testimonial

is supposed to make you feel that if you drink

Gatorade, you’ll be a great athlete, like him.

Transfer tries to persuade you by getting you to associate positive feelings with something that is familiar to you with an unfamiliar product or idea by linking them together creatively, thus creating the

message, “If you like __________, you’ll LOVE ____________!”

The picture of the tropical beach is supposed to bring up positive

emotions, implying that if you like tropical vacations, you’ll love

febreze fabric spray!

Loaded Words tries to persuade you by using words with a very strong

positive or negative connotation so that you begin to associate those words with the product or idea. They are very popular in political speeches and are sometimes referred to as “glittering generalities.”

Words like these are supposed to make you feel strong positive or

negative emotions.

Appeal to Logic tries to persuade you by using facts, statistics, or other

logical arguments to believe or buy something.

Comparative statistics are

supposed to make AT&T seem like

the logical choice.

Rhetorical QuestionA question to which no answer is expected

because the answer is obvious.

AllusionA reference to a person or character from a well

known historical event or from literature

Think of it as an “inside joke” that the author uses. Not everyone will get it.

Five Basic Sources of Allusions

BIBLICAL– Often reflecting the heroes of the Old Testament and the parables of the new.

MYTHOLOGICAL – Greek, primarily, but Roman, Viking, and Native American.

HISTORICAL – events, people, scandals, triumphs

Five basic sources of ALLUSIONS

LITERAL (from literature) – references to famous works through either dialogue or characterization.

COMMERCIAL (strictly a contemporary source – thanks to our video-driven world) This includes references from films, television shows (including cartoons), and commercial ads

*NOTE: video games that incorporate elements from any of the above are another outlet for allusions.

BIBLICAL MYTHICAL HISTORICAL LITERAL COMMERCIAL

Little guy vs big guy – little guy wins (David and Goliath) caught by terms like Goliath, Philistines, slingshot, or giants.

Flying too close to the fire \ sun (foolish behavior) Icarus

One if by land (the enemy is coming \ be vigilant) Paul Revere's signal when “the British (are) were coming”

When “Nurse Rachet” takes care of someone, she is brutal (from One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest – a psychotic and none too gentle nurse)

Person of Interest, Det. Fusco nicknamed an evil hacker “Cocoa Puffs” because he thinks she’s “Cuckoo for Cocoa Puffs” (crazy)

Any reference to apple, garden, serpent, wearing a fig leaf to imply point of origin, nakedness,

temptation (taken from first book of the Bible, regarding Adam and

Eve’s sin of eating from the forbidden fruit and their first “clothing”)

“Don’t look at her, or you’ll turn to stone!” (This is a

throwback to what happened to anyone who looked upon the face of

Medusa (she was an ugly sight with writhing snakes for hair - and a controlling

woman)

Whenever someone says something is infallible, they

are reminded of how “unsinkable” the Titanic was advertised to be, too

(meaning either extremely strong or ANYTHING can

fail)

When someone is accused of being a “Scrooge,” it is

saying that they are selfish with their money (like the protagonist in A Christmas

Carol)

“That’s no moon, that’s a space station!” is

taken from Star Wars IV, in which something that was expected to be one size was actually much more (intimidating, invincible,

etc)

“Don’t look back” is a reference to Lot’s wife, who, in fleeing Sodom, looked back and was turned to a pillar of salt because she did what she was warned not to do.

“…more than a man, but less than a god,” usually refers to someone who is held in awe for skills or prowess (similar to Hercules)

“I am not a crook!” is a famous line Richard Nixon through out during the Watergate Hotel scandal. Essentially, even though he claimed it, he was still impeached for his role in the conspiracy to keep it quiet.

“just click your heels,” “I don’t think we’re in Kansas anymore,” “Toto,” “Flying monkeys” or any reference to landing a building on a witch are all from The Wizard of Oz.

“Double your pleasure,” (double your fun) is a corporate slogan for Wrigley’s gum, in which they use twins to promote the gum, but it now refers to twice as much as something for more satisfaction.

“…like manna from heaven” refers to the miracle food that fell from the sky daily to

feed the Jews as Moses led them from Egypt and they wandered through the desert for 40 years.

Venus, Roman god of love, is often referred to when it comes to either romance or extremely beautiful women who make men fall in love

with them.

“I’ll be back,” was an exit line of General MacArthur, when he had to leave one battlefront for another one more urgent. This line was

then alluded to in Terminator, in which the

robot DID come back – and destroyed everything in its

path.

Anyone who is referred to as “Sherlock” means

(either seriously or sarcastically) that person has discovered something

the famous detective would have seen. Through sarcasm, it means

someone “discovered” something fairly obvious.

“Where’s the beef?” was a Wendy’s ad that ran in the 80’s that has come to mean that the greedy corporations have been

selling us an ideal product, but when we look closely,

it is sadly lacking.