Persuasion in Commercialism

Persuasion in Commercialism By Damian Light COMS 554 Liberty University Persuasion in Commercialism 2 Abstract Advertising and Commercialism revolve around the ideology of persuasion; the act of convincing your customers to partake in your brand products and services venue. Those who recite a message through advertising often come into theories and regulations founded by society from the inspirations of Aristotle, an ancient philosopher who taught values in communication and theories of philosophy. The study and ethics of proper advertising and persuasion techniques in hopes of deriving a broader perspective concerning the purpose of ethical advertising and how it merges with the perception of ethical business practices by advertising brands. Companies like McDonald’s employ advertising methods used and encouraged by scholars and ad agencies today, but how many values are interpreted through McDonald’s merchandise and products and services? There is a brief conception that fast food restaurants are becoming more ethically accountable for their own corporation’s activities. Different companies are proving their worth in regards to holding up to certain ethical standards but are lacking in others, which causes dissension from the brand, on behalf of consumers, due to lack of trust. Each company is operating its own set of values but is forced to comply with a regulated human resources department, which regulates internal conflicts and issues that may be occurring in the work place. The HR has a set of procedures and regulations for handling conflicts of interest, and they are meant to keep everyone out of court. By having a functional HR department, the company improves and regulates its reputation, earing trust and support due to its supportive methods of dealing with internal issues and conflicts. This helps people decide when they are choosing their brand, despite advertising. Advertising to children is also regulated by government rules and standards. Different government regulations protect consumers from advertisers who may be trying to pull the wool over their eyes. Ad campaigns revolve around ethics for several reasons. Although a company has a certain value or practices certain principles, they can be dysfunctional in other areas, and social media and electronic reporting are some of the ways in which people can communicate their experiences with a certain business. Government regulation supersedes unethical business and advert practices. Persuasion in Commercialism 3 Persuasion in Commercialism Many times, those who resort to creative advertising know little about the techniques advertisers use in order to persuade audiences and thus, potential consumers. Modes of advertisement and commercial persuasion are based in large part, on theories conceived and practiced hundreds of years ago, by Aristotle. His thoughts on audience captivity and persuasion are still alive today (Boykin, n.d.). Commercials and advertising strategies are often hinged on communication techniques. A large part of persuading people is appealing and learning to appeal, to audiences (Boykin). Lots of advertisers often partake in the study of psychology and sociology, but more often they study philosophies of people and of communication. To persuade an audience, you may have to motivate your audience into action. This develops a proper copy strategy. People see the influence of your services or advertisements and they feel that they are motivated to act, to do and to perform for others, for their families or for society. Lots of times, people lose faith in their favorite fast food restaurants because the picture of the food is different looking than the actual food that they are eating (Meadows, D., 1989) . This kind of advertising method promotes dissension amongst clientele, and helps to eliminate trust amongst customers and clientele. A major factor in gaining audience appreciation, is developing a strategy whereas the products and services you are offering are not only useful, but they are believable (Boykin). Nobody believes that their food at McDonald’s will look exactly like the photo, so more and more people are avoiding traditional fast food restaurants and establishments in favor of other companies that provide what they are advertising, such as ¼ lb. burgers or triple stacks. That belief, is what keeps audiences protected from being taken advantage of, and it is what keeps companies protected that they are delivering a quality product. Rather than base their consumerism on disappointment, McDonald’s consumers now shop elsewhere, as the fast food giant loses profits for the last sever Persuasion in Commercialism 4 individual customer than previously (Gardus.E., 2016). Companies such as McDonald’s while pulling growth, the actual growth in itself is marginally less than they originally had projected to investors. McDonald’s has recently changed its marketing and ad campaigns through this use of trust. The company has provided new menu options including burgers that have more actual beef ingredients and Chicken McNuggets that are now made without preservatives (Gurdus, 2016). However, the company has been pulling more trustworthy marketing efforts in a hope to reestablish the billionaire brand, through a host of refranchising efforts, in hopes of attracting older generations that have walked out on the company due to health concerns and lack of trust, and younger generations who may be experimenting with the brand to see if it is a comfortable fit with their lifestyles. Mind you, that more beef based and beef ingredients added to a burger along with preservatives is different than a hamburger you might find in a good steak house or saloon, or even the supermarket for that matter. However, the company does choose to rectify its duty to the eco- system, by appealing to advocates and groups of individuals, such as environmental and community activists. The company has begun to try and appeal to yet another market, after including an all- day breakfast menu in order to include its competitive edge on other fast food restaurants that were raking in profits from a similar menu ideal. Now the company has begun to utilize different methods in reducing waste (Meadows, D., 1989), however not all of the methods include strategies that are appealing to all audiences and critics. This puts the company yet again, under scrutiny. People that are displeased by McDonald’s efforts at transformation, nutrition and advertising have demonstrated their displeasure by acquainting other fast food restaurants or by boycotting fast food altogether. Other, more adept to luring in eater’s competitors of McDonald’s such as Steak N Shake, a popular southern hamburger restaurant chain, offer gimmicks like Four Dollar meals and Triple stacked cheeseburgers, even a seven stack, so that when they are photographed, the sandwich looks much like the advertisement. However, an attractive looking menu does also displease people if the product is invaluable or worthless. Although Steak N Shake offers bigger looking portions, a triple stacked cheeseburger and medium fries contains well over 950 calories, more Persuasion in Commercialism 5 than half or three quarters of the recommended daily allowances provided by the FDA. When an advertiser or a company does this form of technique advertising, hiding nutritional information from the public or endorsing it as a healthy eating option, as Steak N Shake does. Although McDonald’s is focusing on efforts that appeal to audiences in order to gain satisfaction from influential critics, some of the methods of experimental refranchising, are under scrutiny by bloggers and authors around the world. For example, some McDonald’s restaurants incinerate garbage in order to reduce wastes being taken to local dumps. Other programs it has are restaurants partaking in a recycling effort, which will turn new plastic burger boxes and drink cups into plant vases to be used and sold by the company. Incineration brings criticism from environmental critics who state that they are wallowing in a stream of pollution caused by McDonald’s (Meadows, 1989). Advertising efforts appeal to certain demographic residents, but usually do not appeal to all in the world. That is why the company is mentioned in most articles relating to commercial advertisement and persuasion of children. The company boasts of combining unique advertising efforts utilized specifically in academic journals when trying to persuade youngsters to take an interest in your product. McDonald’s ropes in buyers and consumers through the use of movie characters and celebrities, partnership with toy companies in the distribution of their Happy Meals. By including movie special characters and celebrity endorsements through movie partnerships, to appeal to not only children, but to their parents, in order to persuade them in eating McDonald’s Happy Meals. The company uses the toys in order to appeal to children, with commercials depicting family and friend oriented activities with the characters and the toys. These advertising methods also comply to the truth in standard that has been created by the FTC in order to protect children and their parents from false advertisement of unhealthy and unsuitable products (ftc.gov). McDonald’s includes a single hamburger or cheeseburger in the Happy Meal and this is often truthfully depicted, as it is a unique looking treat for kids. The lack of nutritional value in the food has the company forced to comply with standards of advertisement and persuasion strategy that go along with FTC regulations. Some of these regulations include advertising strategies that Persuasion in Commercialism 6 force ad campaigns to appeal to one and all children, and there cannot be an ad campaign steered towards pre-school aged and younger children. The ads must include content that would potentially be appealing to children of any age (Reed, n.d.). The FTC safeguards these regulations, along with international groups and organizations that produce proclivity towards keeping younger consumers safe from predatory organizational tactics. Such advertising efforts also aim at curbing obesity and unhealthy nutritional practices for children set up by their families and organizations that advertise food to kids (ftc.gov, 2017). Through the gaining of trust, an advertiser can profit off of people’s beliefs in their system and products (Boykin, n.d.). Methods to gain trust from audiences and consumers often times are gained from endorsements, if not from celebrities, then from organizations and groups or advocates that people rely on and consider as worthy of their dollars. When the American Dental Association endorses a tooth brush or new toothpaste, people feel confident in the fact that they are taking part in products and services that have a trusted endorsement (Ethical Marketing, n.d.). Trust is one of the first rules in advertising and persuasion advertising in hopes of turning profits and providing beneficial campaigns that people will remember and then choose to take part in. Social media branding is another way in which campaigns utilize endorsement methods in order to attract new clients and consumers (Boykin, n.d.). In order to establish trust and believability, advertisers and marketers will use data and hard figures in order to gain compassion from the consumer and potential customer. With hard data and numbers there is limited room for plausible deniability. Stats and data will tune in anyone who is looking to compare such figures in order to make a decision (ReadWriteThink.com, 2017). According to the Education Advertising Agency people are hit with more than 3000 advertising messages a day (Ethical Marketing, n.d.). They will tend to filter out 98% of their advertising, but will often times cling to an ad that has hard data or an emotional connection of some sort. Through the use of logical persuasion, the utilization of data and crunched numbers in order to provide appeal to a campaign or an ad, couples next to emotional persuasion. Persuasion in Commercialism 7 Many times, advertisers will resort to emotional persuasion, the use of an emotion on the long list of nervous system based emotions that Aristotle comprised. Lots of times, ads will combine two of the emotions to make an appeal to memory for potential buyers. Insurance ads often depict farfetched and fantasy elements, celebrity endorsements and the combination of funny and shocking or surprising punch lines to make way for future filters from possible benefactors and customers. The emotional appeal, like the logical persuasion technique, forces the viewer to place the ad in a certain place of Persuasion in Commercialism 8 regulations active in regards to keeping kids from indulging in their own potential buying power. Lots of times commercials are aimed at families of children and children of more than one age group, so as to not make the child feel as if he or she is being catered to one on one by the company and advertisers. One of the best ways that a person can place an assessment on their reactions to advertising is to place their logical or emotional responses in comparison with their ethical standards. Ethos, the third element of audience appeal technique stands for the ethical placement each individual place, in regards to company value and practice and consumer standard practices. How and Why people buy what they buy, where they buy it and for what reasons, is nominal in placing a reassessment upon certain companies and brand marketing strategies. If a company makes an ethical appeal to consumers, placing importance on their ethical values and practices, then people can more cleverly place their own actions be they, logical or emotional because the reactions and feelings represent the ethical and moral standard issued by the brand itself, through word of mouth or advertising. Actions speak louder than words, so when people see a company that practices ethics that they value, they begin to put together their network of support, their own calendar as to when they will choose to partake in the brand services being offered. The ethical appeal may contribute to support networks that begin evolve after people realize they are sharing values. The ethical appeal is one method companies and brands utilize in order to stay afloat and gain profits that will in turn lead to the growth and expansion of the company. Lots of times people may feel insecure due to the emotional reaction or logically based thought processes that endorsed the persuasion to happen in the first place. Ethical and Ethos based brands and marketing help us feel confident in our ability to bond with a brand or marketing strategy of a company. Often times, if we allow a commercial to appeal to our senses and then to our memories, we become fonder of the brand itself, and have to live on faith that the company is not practicing unethical values behind our back. If the company openly demonstrates what we consider to be ethical practices we can let our guard down, and allow the company to affect our reputations. If a consumer or employee steady believes in and values their chosen company, that company becomes a representation of who they are, and Persuasion in Commercialism 9 vice versa. If employees are knowledgeable, proficient in their area of expertise and somewhat friendly and personable, we begin to appreciate the services that are being offered. We begin to feel that the company is well represented by its employees and that the employee and the brand are interchangeable. We also feel this way if the service is less than exceptional or if practices by a company prove unethical and inappropriate. Can people and consumers trust a company that practices unethical values and standards behind closed doors? Many times, trust is associated with ethics. Although most people have their own definition of what is right and what is wrong, society has standards that it expects everyone to follow; These standards of practice are often called regulations, rules and laws that come into effect, in order to enforce a sociological version of moral duty and ethical standard. Lots of people enjoy eating at Steak N Shake, especially after a late night of partying or for a quick bite after class. The milk shakes advertised at the restaurant through humorous commercials of masters and adepts enjoying the fruits of enlightenment through practicing ancient kung fu while eating Steak N Shake. The commercials depict fresh milkshakes that are made with fun toppings and are considered hand-made milkshakes. The reality is that Steak N Shake milkshakes are not made with ice cream but with frozen gelatin product and a regular sized milkshake out does the calorie count of the double cheeseburger with a whopping 740 to 930 calories per serving (Nutritional Data, 2017). The company also has been accused of selling illegal passports to illegal immigrants released from prison in the United States without identification. Managers at the Winter Park, Florida location have in fact been investigated and followed by members of the State Department and Department of Homeland Security for selling illegal social security cards and passports to illegal hires, who were offered positions at locations across the Atlantic in Spain, Kuwait, France and Saudi Arabia, respectively, the only other countries where Steak N Shake has restaurants world-wide. Many people would bark at the ethical standard held in place by Steak N Shake managers and corporate employees (C.A., 2015). Persuasion in Commercialism 10 Moreover, the company known as Steak N Shake remains as the subject of many online rumors and complaints, some of them held in status as investigations and court cases regarding circumstances of racial and sexual discrimination on behalf of managers who assault workers for being either of lighter or darker persuasion, or of different sexual orientation (C.A., 2015). These unethical values dehumanize the experience of eating off the menu of a truer looking advertisement. Now, it seems that while the company values the truth element of serving a larger looking hamburger consisting of three or seven patties to a value seeking consumer, the brand sneaks away with profits each day, withholding information from the public about its practices of sexually humiliating and assaulting workers on a large scale, and selling illegal documents to prisoners released without identification and who are themselves considered aliens. Do ethics deserve a consideration when playing a part in assessing the values of where you choose to consume your daily intake of nutrition? If the truth about Steak N Shake were revealed through the news media or to the American Public, most people would probably boycott the restaurant, knowing that eating there dehumanized others and was against their ethics and moral values. If the media were to release the information about the restaurant, there would more than likely be an outbreak of riots and boycotts against the company, so much, that it might become necessary to suppress the crowds gathered with riot gear and police along with tear gas, rubber bullets and dogs; for there would be sudden outrage at the all American southern based mid-western company, that endorses Wisconsin and Illinois based food culture of foot long dogs, chili macs and cheeseburgers. The question then arises, would the riot and boycott in opposition of Steak N Shake Corporation be more unethical then the unethical practices being endorsed by the company? Most people will not buy a hamburger from someone they know is selling illegal passports to illegal immigrants, but there would be a percentage of those that still endorsed the company or started to, because of their unethical practices. Do these people still have a right to eat? The ethical value of either the government or someone living in the United States, might grant them that right, but only in prison. Others would say they have the right to feel the way they do because this is America and it is a democracy. Still, others would be on the fence and they would choose to either support the Persuasion in Commercialism 11 company due to the emotional connection they have with its food, the logical connection they have to loving the taste of the menu, but most people would probably make a decision based on the ethical value they hold as a standard. The advertising methods of the company appeal to the humorous side of the consumer, but is it a plot, using Chinese narrative and symbol in a satirical way to endorse a communist belief system through the fast food menu, all the while the commercials and their humor hide the actual practices of corruption and unamerican values portrayed and revealed to employees behind closed doors? Do people think the humor rested on the racial satire of Steak N Shake (portraying supposed kung-fu practices of those wearing ancient Asian attire and who are notably White Americans) in the ad suitable enough to keep the brand holding onto its franchise empire in the democracy we know as the United States? Based on most people’s ethical values, if the company practices were revealed to the American public, the owners would go to prison and the company would either be shut down or bought by new owners, hoping to sharpen the image of the fast food giant. The company exposure to the media would potentially place lots of employees under guaranteed federal investigation for crimes such as assault, battery, rape, murder, manslaughter, drug possession, drug distribution, people trafficking and the sale of illegal papers to undocumented workers throughout the south eastern United States. It is possible to make an ethical appeal to others even though people have their own interpretations of what is right and what is wrong. A celebrity may endorse a company that sponsors solar panel research and free conversions to solar energy from gas and electrical sources, as well as a promise to not pose an increase on customers who switch from their current power plans. The ethical and moral value may be enough to convince me that the solar energy company in particular is worthy of my devotion and intrigue, also my support and even my money. If I see a commercial advertising the conversion I may be more prompted to subscribe to the services. A clincher might take place if a local town hero or very well-known celebrity endorses the conversion. I may then just have to make it a point to become a customer, so I can team up with my favorite legends and save energy and resources. This Persuasion in Commercialism 12 might prove to be a positive relationship or endeavor, at least a step forward between me and the company, and they know it is because of their exclusive marketing efforts. The practices of persuasion enable someone to volunteer to be wooed by a salesman or company or brand, in order that they may experience the life and livelihood behind the products and services. When a person is persuaded, they become convinced that they should partake in the services or products. Upon becoming convinced they may never be the same if they don’t continue the practice, they may become addicted to the service or products or find that they have an invaluable purpose. One way to be sure that the services and products being advertised is to make sure the advertisement is repeated to them over and over, so that they may notice it. Even if people find the ad annoying, they may partake in consuming from the brand, so as to eliminate the possibility that the ad was giving them something they should not refuse. A good example of this is Crazy Eddie. Crazy Eddie was a New Jersey and NYC based electronics store chain that endorsed their sales through the loud antics of an announcer who screamed at the top of his lungs for 30 seconds about how ‘prices were insane.’ Most people found Crazy Eddie commercials to be very annoying, but every kid in elementary school in NYC wanted to go shopping there to see if they sold music cassettes, vinyl’s and cd’s. Although most people did not shop at Crazy Eddie, most people in that populated area thought about shopping there and due to logical, emotional and ethical concerns, they did not do it. Crazy Eddie eventually went out of business in the recession due to stock evasion on behalf of its owners and his family. Royalty percentage topics dominated opposition movements to record companies who depend, for the large part, on retail music sales to raise new artists and stay afloat. Prior to the 2008 recession, record labels fronted new artists designed to communicate with label reps, managers, tv crews, media, crowds and stadiums filled with patrons, for the creation of new albums and performance royalties. However, the consistency of creating new artists for a label is determinant by the product output and the outcome of growth in quarterly revenue at brick and mortar retail outlets. Although record stores like Persuasion in Commercialism 13 Tower Records issued warnings to artists, fans and employees that the impending take-over of digital market place and the download capability of the mp3 file and the mp3 player, foretelling of the impending doom to take place within the accounting board rooms of the record giant. Although digital downloading was on the rise in a compartmentalized market, Compact Discs, Cassettes and Record Lp’s sales were at an all-time high, during the turn of the twenty first century. Now that brick and mortar stores are basically obsolete as of 2009, commercial advertising in the music industry is at a minimum and record and albums sales continue to plummet at an all-time low. Without a marketplace for people to walk into and buy records and music, they will resort to downloading for free and for pirating at home and on their phones. The revenue for a music artist now is predominately a lot less than it was twenty years ago, save if you are on the Billboard Top 100 or you have developed a method of raising revenue for a label produced LP, single and album. Trouble is, now less and less artists can make a profit, although free distribution has taken the place of record distribution. The outlet is great for the beginner and demo writing artist that wants to sell a record and make a couple of sales. However, the internet as a commercially viable market to turn a profit becomes either more and more probable as days continue or less and less probable, as album sales stay stagnant in single digits. Record labels will not invest in a new artist that they have not come into contact before without an okay for release from both radio stations and retail outlets. An artist who succeeds in giving a ‘Wow’ impression to label executives may be able to pick up listeners on the radio, but not make sales, or may be able to get a crowd to dance at a festival but every time a song comes on the radio, the audience changes to something else. There are more factors in producing a new artist than is let on to audiences. For a company to divulge money into a new contract and artist, they must have confidence and trust and endorsements from listeners of the artist. A label also feels that it will not make money off an artist if they feel that people are ethically offended by their behavior. Money film and music and advertising companies such as sponsors have cut off an endorsement by a major artist or celebrity due to exposure in the media of their criminal behavior Persuasion in Commercialism 14 and outlandish activities. Another celebrity, who has the media paid off, and does not have arrests or scandals in the public circuit is better off than a celebrity who does not have a paid off media outlet filled with reporters when the going gets tough. If a celebrity has their drunken outburst plastered in the news, they will probably lose endorsements, which means a loss of funds and revenue; and it means being reprimanded by disappointed associates, fans and media agencies. These people get to judge the behavior of a celebrity and ad agencies and brands will drop that celebrity due to a fear of consumers feeling as if their ethics were compromised due to the actions of the celebrity who was plastered for weeks in the media. Good examples of this are Tiger Woods at having an affair on his beautiful wife, and losing endorsements and gaining recognition of editors, reporters, comedians and bloggers everywhere. He was dropped from Nike and banished for a time from playing his game of choice without humiliation or public outcry. People were embarrassed to know him and he walked around with a sweater over his head. Nike was afraid of the public outcry that would surround his endorsements and the criticism from social media outlets and fans would overwhelm the company. The same goes for football players who get caught up in legal scandals, such as assault, threats, brutality, murder, extortion, drug dealing, shoplifting, posing as vagrants and fighting. These actions, as well as the exposure of using steroids or being addicted to drugs, will enable a brand to respectfully drop a celebrity from giving endorsements and this will in turn save not only their face but the amount of money that was due to the star for endorsing their products. When Starbucks was accused of hiring slaves in Indonesia to pick its beans for Americans and Europeans to purchase Four Dollar Coffees, there was an outcry and a response with rebellion near the Seattle offices of the company, when rioters threw rocks and looted Starbucks locations in Seattle during the WTO riots. Rebels also looted the Nike outlets there, informing World Trade Organizers that greed and intolerance would not be tolerated peacefully even though we are a democratic and capitalistic society. Companies did not have the right to exploit minority and under-privileged workers even though they existed outside of the United States. Persuasion in Commercialism 15 The demonstration of people and protest due to their ethical standards being violated is a constitutional freedom that attracts both advocates and protesters to a central forum where all opinions are debated upon and heard. Lots of times, gatherings and protests begin due to people expressing their disheartened interest in organizational decisions and activities which affect society at large. The fact that people choose to gather and protest convinces brands and governments to not step over the line drawn by the majority or the under-represented who are voicing their concerns to policies and activities they found ethically threatening. Most companies try to prevent the down fall of their own enterprise by enforcing behavior that is locally and politically correct and endorse employee incentives, to keep customer service and logistical operations personnel delivering better service. Companies will also employ a Human Resources department which will serve as a liaison between the company and the customers and the company management and the personnel. Most companies have the liaison there to deflect potential conflicts of interest and lawsuits that may affect the decision making of consumers and critics. The human resources department is supposed to handle any and all complaints in regards to the behavior of company employees and management. A company with a dysfunctional human resources development may experience shut down or fines. Human resources is designed to keep the company afloat from impending slander and rumors, ensuring that the company’s actions remain hospitable for all parties involved. A fully functional resource, that people feel they can rely on is the same as having a fully functional product or service that people feel they deserve to utilize. When people indulge in a company, they tend to lean towards doing more business with them or discontinuing agreements, activities and services with them. Lots of times, other patrons will serve as beacons of wisdom and intelligence towards an investor or consumer thinking of spending time, effort and finances on a company and its service or product merchandise. Websites, such as Yelp and Travelocity, allow visitors to post their reviews of businesses and products and merchandise to facilitate a communication process about the company who is servicing patrons. These reviews create the site into an interactive blog, where people can state their honest opinion Persuasion in Commercialism 16 about services, businesses and marketplaces. These websites serve as a social media platform and are considered a method of commercial advertising and persuasion to audiences and groups or individuals who would consider rendering a business relationship with the brand. If too many people post negative reviews, companies get bypassed by new patrons. If there is one positive review and lots of negative ones, people also regard this as a paid form of advertisement and have been cautioned as unethical businesses who pay for positive reviews in order to gain social acceptance in hopes of turning profits, based on the opinions falsely painted by organizers to make the business seem ethically viable towards potential customers. Human resources cover internal operations and interrelations of the company, but there are factors that keep a brand memorable and enable it to become powerfully persuasive. Something that takes all of Aristotle’s characteristics, compiled to exercise the brand in its climb through social spheres. There is the logo of the brand itself, which embraces emotional and logical appeals as well as ethical standards that foster the identity of the brand. There is the further emphasis on the brand’s identity and mission statement that comes through to the public level via its slogans. A slogan is a catchy phrase that helps convince parties to purchase or experience your products. “A diamond is forever”, is an example of a slogan. Like a slogan, companies sometimes create something called a bandwagon (Ethical Marketing, n.d.). A bandwagon is similar to a slogan, in that they are both catchy terms and phrases that surround the brand logo. A bandwagon, may include a call to action to support the brand. A bandwagon suggests that others are using the product and you should do the same. ‘Just Do It’ is an example of a slogan bandwagon. Sometimes, a company or brand will create a separate brand in hopes of reaching a new niche target market. This new line of products, may come with a celebrity endorsement or the expert opinion of some public figure. Nike created the Michael Jordon shoe line back in 1988 and Jordan became a brand unto itself, and he advertises for Nike, as the company stated in 1990 that Michael Jordan was the best emulation of what the shoe slogan was talking about hands down. Jordon was given a multi- Persuasion in Commercialism 17 million-dollar deal that has turned Air Jordan into the biggest selling shoe in the world. Air Jordan is a subdivision brand within Nike, that has celebrity endorsements, expert opinions of other players who wear the shoes and use of the slogan bandwagon, “Just Do It.” Instead of thinking about doing something and deliberating and contemplating, you should in fact, just do it. Nike, used what were known as appropriate techniques when comprising of the initial ad campaign surrounding the Mike Jordan sneaker. The ad simply stated, that if you wanted to accomplish anything, and you could do so, you had to do it, and not deliberate. Then they would show film images and flashbacks of Mike Jordan making slam dunks, sometimes from across the court, him flying through the air with his signature tongue hanging out, slamming his on his opponent for another 80 points per game, making him the league MVP and a Superstar year after year. Then Nike compiled video clips of him and put them into the commercial. If someone had a dream, they should just do it. If someone needed to win, they should just do it. If someone needed to accomplish and finish, they should just do it. Everyone should just do it and where Michael Jordon shoes. The ad campaign appealed to kids who worshiped and looked up to Jordan. In that sense, lots of kids became Chicago Bulls fans and the commercials were dramatic about business and sports and accomplishment, very creative and that created an emotional appeal. A very distinct method of advertising, very key to gaining new clientele, with or without logical and ethical standards to apply. The emotional appeal causes people to share themselves at a vulnerable and compassionate moment, thus forces them to look for answers with the solution residing in the brand and model. Only our product can help you with this emotional appeal. Or the ad will strike a cord and force enthusiasts to comply, as is the case with Nike. Most athletes have experienced at least experimenting or trying a Nike shoe. The commercials strike an emotional chord with those who are into motivation and competition. Sometimes, a celebrity might not find it suitable, politically or ethically viable to endorse your company or cause publicly. This then causes ad campaigns to initiate special or even licensed characters to aid in the sales and advertisement of products. The characters make people feel comfortable with the Persuasion in Commercialism 18 product. Tony the Tiger for Frosted Flakes is a good example. While it is hard for a celebrity to stand there and endorse a cereal that is loaded with sugar and rots teeth, causes obesity and is generally a bit unhealthy, the brand makes the grade advertising the cereal through the employing of Tony the Tiger, a cartoon who was designed to advertise Frosted Flakes by his brand company, Kellogg’s. Ronald McDonald and the Ham-burglar are two examples of special characters who advertise the Happy Meal on commercials. This keeps kids involved in wanting a happy meal, they always think they will meet Ronald McDonald when they go get their Happy Meal, but he is rarely there. Yet, it remains a clear incentive for a kid who wants a Happy Meal. He or she will go to get the meal with their parents, simply so they can try to meet Ronald McDonald, a fictional character created by his company brand (Boykin, n.d.). Sometimes, the characters are licensed by other companies and brands and it is necessary to gain a partnership with the other company to use their characters in advertisement. Happy Meal again serves as an example, where characters from a movie will maybe advertise in a commercial for McDonald’s if the gift found inside the Happy Meal correlates with a certain movie or show that has copyrighted and branded characters attached to it. This takes a contracted agreement and a partnership between the two companies. The use of licensed characters is granted to the copyright owners. The unauthorized advertisement and use of such licensed characters is punishable under civil law. When people use advertising, they must be as convincing as possible and this often uses characters in a persuasive and even reputable way, so as to gain and attract support through the endorsement and purpose of the brand. The character should be more than a mascot, it should speak the brand identity and be a non-silent advocate of the brand and its services or products. Bombarded with advertising, most people will look at up to 24,000 commercials a year (Persuasive Techniques in Advertising, n.d.). This costs money, and cash is the reason that people create the commercials in the first place. The products need buyers, so the company invests in the brand and purchases commercial productions and advertisement, through ad agencies and production companies, there are costs and investments, people need to get paid. They earn for the company and so the brand Persuasion in Commercialism 19 must look out. People have to earn something, even if the production crews volunteer to make the commercial for free, there is a moral obligation to keep the crew fed and filled with snacks and coffee. It is just how movie and film sets work. There always has to be a line of food or water and beverages, so that people do not become ill, faint or even sick. The bottom line, even if people are working for free in advertising, there is always going to be costs. It costs money to make money and that is why companies brand through commercialism. They need to convince people that they have a worthwhile product. 200 Billion dollars a year is spent on advertising, but profits are greater than the expenditures of creating a commercial ad. Jingles will also accompany a brand ad campaign, to ensure that people will recognize the brand by its sound. People will sing or dance and laugh about the jingle, even if they can’t stand it. The jingle appropriates the advertisement when there is not someone speaking, it becomes a necessary additive to an ad on TV or on the radio, in order to eliminate silence and preoccupied proclivity, in order to gain a basic influence to someone who is not even paying attention. Someone listening with half an ear to the TV or radio will recognize the jingle for a product or service they might not even need, but if they ever do, they will remember the jingle about the service and contemplate spending valuable money on merchandise and services offered by the advertising brands. With the offers of technology and services on the rise, people find an important reasoning to go along with the notion of ethical marketing (Servello, 2011). The false advertising scandals of companies is many times too much for people to withstand; if they are lied to by a company, they will feel emotional discomforts and they will lose faith in their market and the economy is a whole, be it locally or with a world- wide company brand. Truth disclosures are often debated. In the early days of Coca – Cola, the product was made with cocaine which became declared a narcotic a little later on in history. If coke were to still use cocaine, they would have an obligation by law to disclose that fact. Any company making product for consumption is required to put nutrition information and ingredients on their packaging, by law, so as to eliminate any confusion regarding individual limitations and allergies to specific ingredients. Persuasion in Commercialism 20 If Coke chose not to disclose the information, it could come into conflict with Congress, the FTC and the DEA (Hamblin, 2013). Government regulation and civil laws are tantamount to keep people from owning monopolies and taking advantage of consumers. In these ways, ethical marketing can come in useful, as it is necessary if you are going to make the emotional appeal, and keep people interested in your products. To have one of the traits defined by Aristotle under his communication guidelines of pathos, egos and logos, is necessary to gain an audience, however if you want avid followers of your brand and buyers of your products, you will more than likely must appeal to people in an ethical way (Servello, D. 2011). It would be a lie to say that people who practice unethical values don’t gain profits, it is more accurate to say that they have a problem with avoiding ethical regulation and are more likely to be confronted and investigated by authorities or enforcement agencies, audited or placed under prolonged investigation by such agencies that enforce regulation. A chain corporation who practices unethical standard value through a local branch or office or location must answer to the human resources department and then is forced to make changes according to the company policy as to what is regulation. If the changes are not made and the unethical or dishonest behavior does not discontinue, then proper authorities or civil measures can be taken. Lots of times, police agencies will regard a conflict that is not based on payroll, with a business as a civil matter. Without direction from a federal agency or a court order there is little the police can do to unethical business practices (ftc.gov). Ethics revolve around thin lined boundaries that move and interchange and are seemingly a bit different for everyone, based on their ideals and their standards (Servello, D., 2011). A company may be honest with some clients and dishonest with others or it may behave unethically in some arenas but remain true to their advertising. In cases where the company seems to pick and choose when it is ethically stable, they can choose to remain with a good guy image, by endorsing the true factor or their true ideal through announcing what known as the fundamental feature of the ad or product. A company that boasts of strong cologne that is good for backpackers, fits very small and only needs a drop to be effective may Persuasion in Commercialism 21 have a very ethical ad campaign and product. The company might also embezzle or launder money, citing some of its practices as unethical. Unethical advertising practices, often cause humiliation to a brand. When people find out the truth of a brand’s misinformation or dishonest business practices or holding itself to an unethical value they become convinced or persuaded to not use a brand, at least for a while or for a time. Some examples of dishonest advertising methods are known as Exaggeration, Puffery, Unverified Claims and subliminal or Surrogate Advertising. Other forms of unethical ad campaign practices include False Brand Comparisons, Stereotyping Women, and Exploitation and Children in Advertising. Companies will often employ ethical marketing practices to restore their reputations, in hopes of persuading buyers to come back to their company. If a peer resents a brand and repeats it over and over, you will probably avoid that brand from then on, until there is justification for you to participate in its services and products, so you can try them for yourself, but with great reserve (ReadWriteThink.com). Ethical marketing practices could even reduce profits, so that is why brands like insurance agencies employ licensed and special characters, satire and humor into their professional calling card. A straight forward reminder that you could get into a severe wreck, or that someone could die in a fire somewhere would force people to hate insurance companies and to loathe their supposedly ethical marketing practices. It would drive people insane with fear and with anger and anguish the memory of a straight forward insurance ad, if the tactic was permanently employed. So, with an insu