The persuaders summary by Dustin

Today different media outlets are being used to directly contact our society on an individual basis to reveal our wants and needs. These complicated techniques of advertising are being studied and perfected by market researchers and advertising agencies. In the video “The Persuaders” (directed by Douglas Rush, Rachel Dretzin and John Maggio) experts are brought into light and asked to come clean on just what it is advertising agencies and marketing experts are studying and the purposes behind it. These professionals aren’t just studying what people want and when they want it, but key words that make people feel safe and comfortable with products. They have also understood that Americans are tired of seeing advertisements and often go out of their way to avoid the every-day commercial on TV. The marketing professionals noticed this trend and came up with a scheme to accurately place products in the right situations in our favorite shows and movies. Another way of connecting with Americans is a system of computers at Acxiom Corp. Acxiom is a company that has a system of computers that collects and stores data about society. Data that groups Americans into seventy different demographic groups, which are then broken down into smaller sub categories. This tool is used to promote the right product to the right people at the right time. It is also used in political races by targeting groups of people that need to hear certain messages to swing their vote in that political parties favor. There are multiple professionals and tactics that are revealed in this documentary that are eye opening and horrifying, but it is the truth that people are paid millions of dollars to find out exactly what Americans want and crave.