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Simple Techniques II


Intensity

Remember the old Batman comic books? When Batman would hit a villain, words like "Pow!", "Bam!", and similar were used to insinuate a level of intensity. The ads that we see today are similar; they simply use different words and phrases. Words such as "amazing," "astounding," "unbelievable," "automatically," "forever," "incredible," and so forth, indicate a level of intensity about the product or idea. Other superlatives such as best, fastest, most, greatest, and so on are also intensifiers designed to be impressive, get your attention, and give you a sense of importance about what you are seeing or hearing.

Possibilities

Ironically, possibility words are actually the opposite of intensity terms yet they are often used together. Possibility words are modifiers and undermine claims in an attempt for a product, person, or idea to achieve certain goals. Terms such as many, maybe, most likely, less likely, can, some, virtually, often, and so on usually indicate that there are some excellent reasons for the company or person to be so guarded in their claims. Especially when these terms are combined with the intense words, you can assume that what you are hearing is solely designed to manipulate you and is based on little to no reality.

Repetition



Possibly the simplest persuasive technique available, repetition can also be very successful and can be utilized by virtually anyone. Even an unlikely claim or an off-putting commercial can sink into your subconscious if you see it enough. Likewise, if an ad shows one picture over and over again, you are likely to associate whatever is in that image with the product even enough the two are completely unrelated. Repetition is an important skill to use, especially in situations such as parenting. Nevertheless, be very aware of when people are using repetition as a technique against you as it may be more powerful than you initially imagine.

Testimonials

Testimonials are among the most commonly used and easiest persuasive techniques there are. Simply, testimonials involve a statement that is made by someone who has supposedly benefited from the belief, idea, or product that they are trying to sell (or can attest that others will benefit from it). There are many ways that testimonials can be done and their likelihood of being successful depends largely on matching the type of testimonial to the correct product or idea and to the targeted individual or group.

Similar to the use of beautiful people and celebrities, some celebrity involvement actually is a type of testimonial. Usually, this is most effectively used when the celebrity has a particular level of sway over the targeted audience or when the celebrity has a particular association with the type of product or issue. Consider a professional athlete selling a tennis shoe. Even without necessarily stating that they use the shoe, this ad could be considered a testimonial because of the implication that the celebrity athlete is making claims that the shoe will help someone be a better athlete. A testimonial of this nature is likely to be more effective because the person making the testimonial is an athlete, which is directly related to the product (a tennis shoe).

Expert testimonials can also be very effective, given the right topic and the right expert. While a scientific expert speaking about global warming is an obvious example of a good way to use expert testimonial, it is important to remember that not all experts are scientists. In fact, experts do not necessarily need a certain level of education as long as they are considered an expert by the target audience. A nationally known preacher, for example, may garner just as much (if not more) influence over something like evolution that a scientist would, depending on the target audience.

Another example of a successful testimonial type is the notion of plain folks. Depending on the subject matter and the target audience, it may be more effective to use the testimonial of one or more people that are considered to be typical, plain members of society as opposed to a celebrity or expert. Because the general public knows that experts and celebrities usually have a vested interest in making a testimonial (such as being paid or advancing their career), a testimonial made by an individual with whom the target audience identifies may come across as more trustworthy and thus may be more effective in persuasion efforts.

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