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Techniques of Persuasion

Persuasion is a way to convince you to think a certain way towards something. To persuade, it means that you will be influenced and your point of view will change. Just like in every advertisement and commercials, they persuade you because they want you to believe in their product, and they want you to buy it. Persuasion takes form in a positive and a negative way, but the objective is to change what you believe.

Ads and commercials use persuasion techniques such as: Humor, Macho, Friends, Family, Fun, Nature, Sexy, Cartoon, Celebrity and Wealth. They showcase these in their commercials to get your attention:


Humor - Funny or crazy images that make the viewer laugh.

Macho - Strong, tough, powerful – usually males. May carry weapons or be pictured in dangerous situations. Cowboys.

Friends - Groups of people enjoying each other and doing things together. Buddies, pals and friendship.

Family - Mother, father, children or a family. May also be intergenerational group.

Fun - Everyone is happy – smiling and laughing. Often images of people doing fun things and having a good time.

Nature - Outdoor settings – mountains, ocean, desert, snow, flowers, etc. May or may not have people included.

Sexy - Emphasis on physical attributes of models, usually female; may wear revealing clothing and be shown flirting through attitude or body language.

Cartoon - People or animals portrayed as drawing or animation, often humorous.

Celebrity - Someone most people recognize – athlete, musician, politician, or movie star.

Wealth - Expensive and elegant places and things. Big houses, new cars, jewelry, designer clothing, etc.

Photo Analysis

There are three things in photography that are very important and they are, lighting, angles and proximity. Each photo have different meaning, and photographers use those three things to help them present the message the photo is trying to tell the viewers.

In a Life magazine that was published in 1951, a man named Matt Ridgway was the front cover. When you first look at the image, you will almost instantly feel and know what the image is trying to tell you. I know that when I looked at it, I instantly felt the toughness and the fearlessness of the man. Judging by his posture, his attire and his expressions, I feel that Matt Ridgeway was brave and was superior that everyone looked up to him. Also, the image's angle is a little bit below the subject, making it seem like we, the viewers are below him and we must look up to him because he is a leader. Also, the props and attire made it more convincing because he is wearing a grenade and he is in his uniform, making it look like he's ready to go off to war and he was very serious and focused.

In my opinion the photographer did a great job with the image interpretation. The angle and the lighting of the image also affected the feel of the image. Therefore, the photo's message is very convincing because it convinced me that this man Matt Ridgway was a great General, and is very powerful.