ILY This Ad

1. What in "The Persuaders" surprised you? Name one new thing you learned about marketing or politics from watching the film. Name one new thing you learned about yourself from watching the film. That misleading advertisements is such a popular theme between all companies. I never realized that these companies were targeting your emotions. I did not know there were companies devoted to creating heart-filled ads.

2. "The Persuaders" begins by questioning the increase in the amount of advertising we typically encounter in our daily lives. How would you assess the amount of advertising you see? Too much? too little? Just right? In your view, what difference does it make to know that people today see much more advertising in their daily lives then people 20 or 30 years ago? I believe i see too much advertising during this time. The knowledge that there was less advertising 20 years ago does not affect me at all.

3. What surprised you in the descriptions of how much demographic information marketers have about potential customers? What kinds of information would you be willing to share about yourself or your family in order to: enter a contest? Get a discount? Get only? Get a cell phone? Use a credit card? Would you be willing to reveal your name, address and phone number? What music do you listen to or your favorite snacks? The grades on your last report card? How much your parents earn? What medications people in your family take? What kinds of information would you want to keep private and why? I was surprised that people could contain all that information legally. I have and i still do give away information for discounts, etc. I would like all my information be kept private unless i willingly hand it over knowing that it will be circulated into others computer.

4.In "The Persuaders," marketer Kevin Roberts uses the term "lovemarks" to identify brands to which people are loyal even when devotion is not logical. Are there brands (or music) to which you are devoted? When you stop to think about it, is your loyalty to any particular brand a "lovemark"? If purchasing a particular brand isn't logical, why would you (or other people) do it. There are brands which i am devoted to. I have no loyalty to any brand beyond logic. I would not do it , but i can see how others can be persuaded threw good advertising skills.

5. Douglas Rushkoff asks, "What happes when advertisers assume the roles of our writers, journalists, and entertainers?" How would you answer him? I would answer him with " Well Douglas, the quality of our literature and ententertainment would dimish, watching TV would be a chore, and we'd have to take a huge step back in society to get it back to good."

6. Advertising executive Douglas Atkins argues that purchasing branded merchandise now proivdes that same sense of belonging that was once provided by community institutions like schools, churches,civic groups, or fraternal orders. What provides you with a sense of belonging or identity? What role, if any, does marketing play in what you identify with or where you hang out the most? I have no need for a sense of belonging. Marketing plays no role in any part of my life.

7. Political consultant Frank Luntz tells his clients that, "80 percent of our life is emotion and only 20 percent is intellect. I am much more interested in how you fell than how you think." Contrast this with Thomas Jefferson's notion that democracy requires an "informed citizenry." What is the potential impact of Luntz's political strategy recommendations on the health of democracy? I see little relation Frank Luntz is not saying that we are a uninformed society. I doubt there will be any impact on the health of our democracy threw Frank Luntz.

8. Rushkoff says that political strategist Frank Luntz" has built his career on a simple idea: It doesn't matter what you want to tell the public, it's about what they want to hear." Do you think the phrases that Luntz develops to 'sell" political positions help clarify the issues or mislead voters? I do believe the idea of every politician providing any informatin that would make us happy is misleading. It leads us to believe these things that the politician says are true.

9. Douglas Rushkoff asks, "What does it mean when we begin to merge our once separate roles as consumers and citizens?" How would you answer Rushkoff's question? Given that the U.S. economy is based on consumer spending, is it patriotic to shop? I would answer saying "Well consumers are citizens." To an extent , we should shop , but for no other reason than we need products.

10. "The Persuaders" points out that there are laws governing truth in advertising for products and services, but that "politicians can legally say whatever they want. "Should political ads be governed by the same kinds of laws that govern product ads? Why do you think there aren't such laws? To an extent they should be governed, but there is no way of telling if these political advertisements are untrue. There are no such laws for the reason that there is no way of telling if the ads are false.