PERSUASION TECHNIQUES
INDAH INDRIATI
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Definition and Examples of Persuasion Techniques
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1. Association.
This persuasion technique tries to link a product, service, or idea with something
already liked or desired by the target audience, such as fun, pleasure, beauty, security, intimacy,
success, wealth, etc. The media message doesn’t make explicit claims that you’ll get these things;
the association is implied. Association can be a very powerful technique. A good ad can create a
strong emotional response and then associate that feeling with a brand (family = Coke, victory =
Nike).
2. Bandwagon.
Many ads show lots of people using the product, implying that "everyone is doing
it" (or at least, "all the cool people are doing it"). No one likes to be left out or left behind, and these
ads urge us to "jump on the bandwagon.”
3. Beautiful people.
Beautiful people uses good-looking models (who may also be celebrities) to
attract our attention. This technique is extremely common in ads, which may also imply (but never
promise!) that we’ll look like the models if we use the product.
4.Bribery.
This technique tries to persuade us to buy a product by promising to give us something
else, like a discount, a rebate, a coupon, or a "free gift.” Sales, special offers, contests, and
sweepstakes are all forms of bribery. Unfortunately, we don’t really get something for free -- part of
the sales price covers the cost of the bribe.
5. Celebrities.
(A type of Testimonial – the opposite of Plain folks.) We tend to pay attention to
famous people. That’s why they’re famous! Ads often use celebrities to grab our attention. By
appearing in an ad, celebrities implicitly endorse a product; sometimes the endorsement is explicit.
6. Experts.
(A type of Testimonial.) We rely on experts to advise us about things that we don’t
know ourselves. Scientists, doctors, professors and other professionals often appear in ads and
advocacy messages, lending their credibility to the product, service, or idea being sold. Sometimes,
“plain folks” can also be experts, as when a mother endorses a brand of baby powder or a
construction worker endorses a treatment for sore muscles.
7. Explicit claims.
Something is "explicit" if it is directly, fully, and/or clearly expressed or
demonstrated. For example, some ads state the price of a product, the main ingredients, where it
was made, or the number of items in the package – these are explicit claims. So are specific,
measurable promises about quality, effectiveness, or reliability, like “Works in only five minutes!”
Explicit claims can be proven true or false through close examination or testing, and if they’re false,
the advertiser can get in trouble. It can be surprising to learn how few ads make explicit claims.
8. Fear.
This is the opposite of the Association technique. It uses something disliked or feared by
the intended audience (like bad breath, failure, high taxes or terrorism) to promote a "solution.” Ads
use fear to sell us products that claim to prevent or fix the problem. Politicians and advocacy groups
stoke our fears to get elected or to gain support.
9. Humor.
Many ads use humor because it grabs our attention and it’s a powerful persuasion
technique. When we laugh, we feel good. Advertisers make us laugh and then show us their product
or logo because they’re trying to connect that good feeling to their product.
10. Intensity.
The language of ads is full of intensifiers, including superlatives (greatest, best, most,
fastest, lowest prices), comparatives (more, better than, improved, increased, fewer calories),
hyperbole (amazing, incredible, forever), exaggeration, and many other ways to hype the product.
11. Maybe.
Unproven, exaggerated or outrageous claims are commonly preceded by "weasel
words" such as may, might, can, could, some, many, often, virtually, as many as, or up to. Watch for
these words if an offer seems too good to be true.
12. Plain folks.
(A type of Testimonial – the opposite of Celebrities.) This technique works
because we may believe a "regular person" more than an intellectual or a highly-paid celebrity. It’s
often used to sell everyday products like laundry detergent because we can more easily see
ourselves using the product, too. The Plain folks technique strengthens the down-home, "authentic"
image of products like pickup trucks and politicians. Unfortunately, most of the "plain folks" in ads are actually paid actors carefully selected because they look like "regular people.”
13. Repetition.
Advertisers use repetition in two ways: Within an ad or advocacy message, words,
sounds or images may be repeated to reinforce the main point. And the message itself (a TV
commercial, a billboard, a website banner ad) may be displayed many times.
14. Testimonials.
Media messages often show people testifying about the value or quality of a product, or endorsing an idea. They can be experts, celebrities, or plain folks. We tend to believe them because they appear to be a neutral third party (a pop star, for example, not the lipstick maker, or a community member instead of the politician running for office.) This technique works best when it seems like the person “testifying” is doing so because they genuinely like the product or agree with the idea.
15. Warm & fuzzy.
This technique uses sentimental images (especially of families, kids and
animals) to stimulate feelings of pleasure, comfort, and delight. It may also include the use of
soothing music, pleasant voices, and evocative words like "cozy" or "cuddly.” The Warm & fuzzy technique is another form of Association. It works well with some audiences, but not with others, who may find it too corny.
16. The Big Lie.
According to Adolf Hitler, one of the 20th century’s most dangerous
propagandists, people are more suspicious of a small lie than a big one. The Big Lie is more than
exaggeration or hype; it’s telling a complete falsehood with such confidence and charisma that people
believe it. Recognizing The Big Lie requires "thinking outside the box" of conventional wisdom and
asking the questions other people don’t ask.
16. The Big Lie.
According to Adolf Hitler, one of the 20th century’s most dangerous
propagandists, people are more suspicious of a small lie than a big one. The Big Lie is more than
exaggeration or hype; it’s telling a complete falsehood with such confidence and charisma that people
believe it. Recognizing The Big Lie requires "thinking outside the box" of conventional wisdom and
asking the questions other people don’t ask.
17. Charisma.
Sometimes, persuaders can be effective simply by appearing firm, bold, strong, and
confident. This is particularly true in political and advocacy messages. People often follow charismatic leaders even when they disagree with their positions on issues that affect them.
18. Euphemism.
While the Glittering generalities and Name-calling techniques arouse audiences
with vivid, emotionally suggestive words, Euphemism tries to pacify audiences in order to make an
unpleasant reality more palatable. Bland or abstract terms are used instead of clearer, more graphic
words. Thus, we hear about corporate "downsizing" instead of "layoffs," or "enhanced interrogation
techniques" instead of "torture.”
19. Extrapolation.
Persuaders sometimes draw huge conclusions on the basis of a few small
facts. Extrapolation works by ignoring complexity. It’s most persuasive when it predicts something we hope can or will be true.
20. Flattery.
Persuaders love to flatter us. Politicians and advertisers sometimes speak directly to
us: "You know a good deal when you see one." "You expect quality." "You work hard for a living."
"You deserve it." Sometimes ads flatter us by showing people doing stupid things, so that we’ll feel
smarter or superior. Flattery works because we like to be praised and we tend to believe people we
like. (We’re sure that someone as brilliant as you will easily understand this technique!)
21. Glittering generalities.
This is the use of so-called "virtue words" such as civilization,
democracy, freedom, patriotism, motherhood, fatherhood, science, health, beauty, and love.
Persuaders use these words in the hope that we will approve and accept their statements without
examining the evidence.
22. Name-calling.
This technique links a person or idea to a negative symbol (liar, creep, gossip,
etc.). It’s the opposite of Glittering generalities. Persuaders use Name-calling to make us reject the
person or the idea on the basis of the negative symbol, instead of looking at the available evidence. A
subtler version of this technique is to use adjectives with negative connotations (extreme, passive,
lazy, pushy, etc.)
23. New.
We love new things and new ideas, because we tend to believe they’re better than old
things and old ideas. That’s because the dominant culture in the United States (and many other
countries) places great faith in technology and progress. But sometimes, new products and new ideas
lead to new and more difficult problems.
24. Nostalgia.
This is the opposite of the New technique. Many advertisers invoke a time when life
was simpler and quality was supposedly better ("like Mom used to make"). Politicians promise to
bring back the "good old days" and restore "tradition." But whose traditions are being restored? Who
did they benefit, and who did they harm? This technique works because people tend to forget the bad
parts of the past, and remember the good.
25. Rhetorical questions.
These are questions designed to get us to agree with the speaker. They are set up so that the “correct” answer is obvious. ("Do you want to get out of debt?" "Do you want quick relief from headache pain?" and "Should we leave our nation vulnerable to terrorist attacks?" are all rhetorical questions.) Rhetorical questions are used to build trust and alignment before the sales pitch.
26. Scientific evidence.
This is a particular application of the Expert technique. It uses the
paraphernalia of science (charts, graphs, statistics, lab coats, etc.) to "prove" something. It often
works because many people trust science and scientists. It’s important to look closely at the
"evidence," however, because it can be misleading.
27. Simple solution.
Life is complicated. People are complex. Problems often have many
causes, and they’re not easy to solve. These realities create anxiety for many of us. Persuaders offer
relief by ignoring complexity and proposing a Simple solution. Politicians claim one policy change
(lower taxes, a new law, a government program) will solve big social problems. Advertisers take this
strategy even further, suggesting that a deodorant, a car, or a brand of beer will make you beautiful,
popular and successful.
28. Slippery slope.
This technique combines Extrapolation and Fear. Instead of predicting a
positive future, it warns against a negative outcome. It argues against an idea by claiming it’s just the
first step down a “slippery slope” toward something the target audience opposes. ("If we let them ban
smoking in restaurants because it’s unhealthy, eventually they’ll ban fast food, too." This argument
ignores the merits of banning smoking in restaurants.) The Slippery slope technique is commonly
used in political debate, because it’s easy to claim that a small step will lead to a result most people
won’t like, even though small steps can lead in many directions.
29. Symbols.
Symbols are words or images that bring to mind some larger concept, usually one
with strong emotional content, such as home, family, nation, religion, gender, or lifestyle. Persuaders
use the power and intensity of symbols to make their case. But symbols can have different meanings
for different people. Hummer SUVs are status symbols for some people, while to others they are
symbols of environmental irresponsibility.
30. Ad hominem.
Latin for "against the man," the ad hominem technique responds to an
argument by attacking the opponent instead of addressing the argument itself. It’s also called
"attacking the messenger.” It works on the belief that if there’s something wrong or objectionable
about the messenger, the message must also be wrong.
31. Analogy.
An analogy compares one situation with another. A good analogy, where the
situations are reasonably similar, can aid decision-making. A weak analogy may not be persuasive,
unless it uses emotionally-charged images that obscure the illogical or unfair comparison.
32. Card stacking.
No one can tell the whole story; we all tell part of the story. Card stacking,
however, deliberately provides a false context to give a misleading impression. It "stacks the deck,"
selecting only favorable evidence to lead the audience to the desired conclusion.
33. Cause vs. Correlation.
While understanding true causes and true effects is important, persuaders can fool us by intentionally confusing correlation with cause. For example: Babies drinkmilk. Babies cry. Therefore, drinking milk makes babies cry.
34. Denial.
This technique is used to escape responsibility for something that is unpopular or
controversial. It can be either direct or indirect. A politician who says, "I won’t bring up my opponent’s marital problems," has just brought up the issue without sounding mean.
35. Diversion.
This technique diverts our attention from a problem or issue by raising a separate
issue, usually one where the persuader has a better chance of convincing us. Diversion is often used
to hide the part of the story not being told. It is also known as a “red herring.”
36. Group dynamics.
We are greatly influenced by what other people think and do. We can get
carried away by the potent atmosphere of live audiences, rallies, or other gatherings. Group dynamics
is a more intense version of the Majority belief and Bandwagon techniques.
37. Majority belief.
This technique is similar to the Bandwagon technique. It works on the
assumption that if most people believe something, it must be true. That’s why polls and survey results
are so often used to back up an argument, even though pollsters will admit that responses vary
widely depending on how one asks the question.
38. Scapegoating.
Extremely powerful and very common in political speech, Scapegoating
blames a problem on one person, group, race, religion, etc. Some people, for example, claim that
undocumented (“illegal”) immigrants are the main cause of unemployment in the United States, even
though unemployment is a complex problem with many causes. Scapegoating is a particularly
dangerous form of the Simple solution technique.
39. Straw man.
This technique builds up an illogical or deliberately damaged idea and presents it
as something that one’s opponent supports or represents. Knocking down the "straw man" is easier
than confronting the opponent directly.
40. Timing.
Sometimes a media message is persuasive not because of what it says, but because
of when it’s delivered. This can be as simple as placing ads for flowers and candy just before
Valentine’s Day, or delivering a political speech right after a major news event. Sophisticated ad
campaigns commonly roll out carefully-timed phases to grab our attention, stimulate desire, and
generate a response.
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