Reading Handbook Section 5.2 Page R22

Advertisers, salespeople, politicians, and others typically rely on more than just logic to be convincing. They also depend on persuasive techniques that appeal to your emotions to sway you to adopt a position or take an action. While these techniques can enhance strong arguments, they can also mask the flaws in weak ones because they are intended to make us accept or approve something without looking closely at the evidence. That’s why it’s important for you to recognize these techniques for what they are.

Reasons for studying persuasive techniques:

Save money Assist you in making better political decisions Help you distinguish between fact and opinion Aid you in persuading others

Appeals by Association

1. Bandwagon appeal suggests that a person should believe or do something because “everyone else” is doing it.

Examples:

See the movie that everyone is talking about!

Don’t be the last on your block to buy this amazing lawn mower.

2. Testimonial appeal relies on endorsements from well-known people or satisfied customers.

Example: Links Lorimar, winner of the Wide World Open, uses Gofar golf balls. Shouldn’t you?

3. Snob appeal taps into people’s desire to be special or part of an elite group.

Example: Dine at the elite Plaza Inn, where you will be treated like royalty.

4. Transfer connects a product, candidate, or cause with a positive emotion or idea. Symbols, such as the American flag and Uncle Sam, are frequently used in transfer.

To recognize transfer, pay attention to the background of the ad or to the story of the commercial. You transfer the good feelings shown in the ad to the product itself. These good feelings then transfer to you when you buy the product. For example, a commercial that shows a group of people having a lot of fun while drinking a certain brand of soft drink wants you to believe that you will be a part of fun groups if you buy the brand of soft drink, too.

Examples:

On TV commercials, actors in white lab coats tell us that Brand X cold medicine is better that Brand Y. The lab coats are intended to make the viewer think of doctors, so the authority of a doctor is transferred to the product.

Presidential candidates use the American flag in their ad campaigns.

5. Appeal to loyalty relies on people’s affiliation with a particular group.

Examples:

Show your support for the Ponder Tigers by wearing the new Win-Team windbreaker.

Eat at Joe’s Hamburger Shack tonight, and a portion of your check will be donated to your school.

6. “Plain Folks” appeal implies that ordinary people are on “our side” or that a candidate is like a regular person.

Emotional Appeals

Appeal to Pity, Fear, or Vanity

These appeals use strong feelings, rather than facts or evidence, to persuade.

The appeal to pity taps into people’s compassion for others.

The appeal to fear preys upon people’s fear for their safety or the safety of family.

The appeal to vanity uses flattery or the desire to feel good about oneself to win people over.

Appeal to Values

Ethical appeal taps into people’s values or moral standards.

Word Choice

1. Glittering generality makes a generalization that includes a word or phrase with positive connotations, such as freedom and honor, to promote a product or idea.

These generalities ask for approval without examination of the reason. Though the words and phrases are vague and suggest different things to different people, their connotation is always favorable.

These words glitter and sparkle, but they just LOOK good; they don’t give us specific logic. They are used for their emotional value, not for their logical value.

Examples:

New and improved GloWash Detergent contains a miracle ingredient.

(How is the detergent new and improved? What is the miracle ingredient?)

Now Oreos come in a low-fat version. (However, they are just as high in calories as the regular version.)

Snacky Doodles are now better tasting. (Better tasting than what?)

George W. Bush called himself a compassionate conservative, instead of using the more negative reference to the conservative right.

“Miracle Diet Tea! Lose weight just by drinking tea! Our Miracle Diet Tea helps you to lose weight by absorbing most of the fat you eat before it is digested. Studies have shown that Miracle Diet Tea has helped millions of Americans! Thousands of doctors attest to the effectiveness of Miracle Diet Tea!”

1. What does it mean by “absorbing most of the fat?”

2. How much tea do you have to drink to lose weight?

3. What studies? How were the studies conducted?

4. HOW has Miracle Diet Tea helped millions of Americans?

(It didn’t claim they lost weight.)

5. How did these doctors attest to the effectiveness of Miracle Diet Tea?

(Maybe Miracle Diet Tea Company sent letters to a thousand doctors saying: “If you DON’T think our product helps people lose weight, send us a ten-page letter saying

why. When the doctors didn’t respond, by default they attested to the effectiveness of Miracle Diet Tea.)

2. Loaded language uses words with positive or negative connotations to stir people’s emotions.

Examples:

Vote for Alex Sinclair, the proven candidate who has the trust and voice of the American people.

During the 2014 race for lieutenant governor of Texas, the opposing candidate’s ads stated, “Dan Patrick got caught knowingly employing illegal aliens.”