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Cynthetiq · 11-08-2004, 02:49 PM

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/cgi...&date=20041108

November 08, 2004

Why we are slaves to marketing

by Kay McFadden / Times staff columnist

Here's a little experiment: Before you read this paper, relate to it.

Does the soft pulpiness and sober typeface make you think of mom and dad or a paper-pushing bureaucrat? Did your 50 cents purchase a sense of community or of individual distinction?

I know - you simply wanted some news. But as "The Persuaders" informs us at 10 p.m. tomorrow on PBS, that's probably just your cortex talking.

One of "Frontline's" best productions all year, "The Persuaders" is a fascinating delve into how today's marketers influence our choices, from cheese to political candidates to Boeing's plush Dreamliner.

The 90-minute show features media critic Douglas Rushkoff, who collaborated on last year's teensploitation exposé, "The Merchants of Cool."

This time, the bottom line is even colder.

"My theory is simple," says Dr. Clotaire Rapaille, introduced as the Fortune 500 king of consumer code-cracking. "The reptilian brain is always going to win."

It may seem less than revelatory to say emotion trumps logic when we make selections. But last week's election and the news media's subsequent surprise demonstrate that this rule isn't taken seriously enough.

"The Persuaders" interviews Frank Luntz, the nation's leading provider of market research to Republican and conservative politicians.

"Eighty percent of our life is emotion and only 20 percent is intellect,"
says Luntz, whose clients include Rudolph Giuliani and Italian prime minister Silvio Berlusconi. "I am much more interested in how you feel than how you think."

Although the actual recent election isn't included, "The Persuaders" cites 2004's visceral campaign ads and the strategy of finding emotional issues likely to boost voting by certain groups.

Feeling also enables a person to sweep aside environmental concerns for the dominating thrill of an SUV or to opt for a sense of belonging that bolsters the cultlike enthusiasm surrounding Mac, Saturn and eBay.

Naturally, consumer companies have been well ahead in utilizing this trend.

That's where "The Persuaders" starts, by setting us amid the neural overload of Times Square and the musings of Ad Age magazine columnist Bob Garfield.

"Somewhere beneath all these ads is the city I grew up in," he says. "But over the last 20 years, it's grown a second skin: a twinkling membrane of commercial messages."

Garfield then proceeds to a party sponsored by Song, a Delta Airlines division trying to launch itself in a market already saturated with competition and low-budget price wars.

The saga of Song is meant to be a narrative thread. But while facets of the company's image-making process are interesting and even unintentionally funny, Song itself never gets off the ground and fades away before "The Persuaders"
is over.

Fortunately, it doesn't matter, because Garfield's pilgrimage through the world of Madison Avenue is so riveting. He wants to know - and so do we - how it became so simultaneously blatant and insidious.

The modern marketing era began in the early '90s, we are told, when traditional methods of selling based on performance no longer mattered because products were becoming too comparable. The bombardment of reiteration wore away credibility.

Moreover, the increasing clutter of ads made a different approach inevitable.
Advertising was undergoing a consolidation trend as frantic marketers began abandoning long-standing relationships in search of the new big thing.

That turned out to be lifestyle advertising. Starbucks flogged the notion of meeting-place community; Benetton made clothes buying an endorsement of multiculturalism; Nike touted personal transcendence through sports.

Since then, the notion of creating clubs to which consumers want to belong has become more and more refined. Product lifestyle is a total immersion experience.

Ad strategist Doug Atkin, a brand manager at Procter & Gamble in the mid-'90s, recalls the "Eureka!" moment when he heard a group of people wax enthusiastic about their favorite sneakers.

Atkin immediately proceeded to make a study of what he calls cults, ranging from Hare Krishna to Harley Davidson.

His conclusion: "People, whether they are joining a cult or a brand, do so for exactly the same reasons. They need to belong and they want to make meaning."

Corporations nowadays approach brand-building within a similar framework. And their mechanisms for targeting the faithful go well beyond mere demographics, as revealed in a look at the gigantic information clearinghouse Acxiom.

At Acxiom, the population has been sorted into 70 different types, drawn from a compilation of census input, tax records, marketing lists and purchasing data. It sounds absolutely hateful to be reduced to a type, but I guess that's part of belonging.

It also seems wrong to talk about guilty pleasures in a show devoted to dissecting our unthinking desires. But "The Persuaders" provides a bevy of ad clips that are fun to see.

Viewers also will notice that what seemed sophisticated 15 years ago now looks clumsy, even as commercials from 40 years ago provoke nostalgia. You almost wince in advance for the sure-to-become-quaint spectacle of today's hip iPod spot.

A major theme in "The Persuaders" is the constant state of war between consumer boredom and marketing blandishment.

This is never so pointed as in the segment dealing with television commercials, the lifeblood of two industries.

TiVo and similar technologies have enabled viewers to tune out. The empire has struck back with product placement, ranging from prizes on "Survivor" to actual story lines, as when "Sex and The City" made Samantha's boyfriend into the Absolut Hunk.

"The Persuaders" covers vast swaths of territory without neglecting many vital details. Wisely, it doesn't try to reach for any sweeping conclusions. The program's balance may lie in the fact that for every marketing tactic that appalled me, others were enticing.

But "Frontline" producers are discriminating.

They note there's a big difference between pushing products and political agenda - although ironically, only product claims have to be true. Tape this show and save it for the next election cycle.

Kay McFadden: kmcfadden@seattletimes.com

11-08-2004, 02:49 PM	#390 (permalink)
Cynthetiq Tilted Cat Head Administrator Location: Manhattan, NY	http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/cgi...&date=20041108 November 08, 2004 Why we are slaves to marketing by Kay McFadden / Times staff columnist Here's a little experiment: Before you read this paper, relate to it. Does the soft pulpiness and sober typeface make you think of mom and dad or a paper-pushing bureaucrat? Did your 50 cents purchase a sense of community or of individual distinction? I know - you simply wanted some news. But as "The Persuaders" informs us at 10 p.m. tomorrow on PBS, that's probably just your cortex talking. One of "Frontline's" best productions all year, "The Persuaders" is a fascinating delve into how today's marketers influence our choices, from cheese to political candidates to Boeing's plush Dreamliner. The 90-minute show features media critic Douglas Rushkoff, who collaborated on last year's teensploitation exposé, "The Merchants of Cool." This time, the bottom line is even colder. "My theory is simple," says Dr. Clotaire Rapaille, introduced as the Fortune 500 king of consumer code-cracking. "The reptilian brain is always going to win." It may seem less than revelatory to say emotion trumps logic when we make selections. But last week's election and the news media's subsequent surprise demonstrate that this rule isn't taken seriously enough. "The Persuaders" interviews Frank Luntz, the nation's leading provider of market research to Republican and conservative politicians. "Eighty percent of our life is emotion and only 20 percent is intellect," says Luntz, whose clients include Rudolph Giuliani and Italian prime minister Silvio Berlusconi. "I am much more interested in how you feel than how you think." Although the actual recent election isn't included, "The Persuaders" cites 2004's visceral campaign ads and the strategy of finding emotional issues likely to boost voting by certain groups. Feeling also enables a person to sweep aside environmental concerns for the dominating thrill of an SUV or to opt for a sense of belonging that bolsters the cultlike enthusiasm surrounding Mac, Saturn and eBay. Naturally, consumer companies have been well ahead in utilizing this trend. That's where "The Persuaders" starts, by setting us amid the neural overload of Times Square and the musings of Ad Age magazine columnist Bob Garfield. "Somewhere beneath all these ads is the city I grew up in," he says. "But over the last 20 years, it's grown a second skin: a twinkling membrane of commercial messages." Garfield then proceeds to a party sponsored by Song, a Delta Airlines division trying to launch itself in a market already saturated with competition and low-budget price wars. The saga of Song is meant to be a narrative thread. But while facets of the company's image-making process are interesting and even unintentionally funny, Song itself never gets off the ground and fades away before "The Persuaders" is over. Fortunately, it doesn't matter, because Garfield's pilgrimage through the world of Madison Avenue is so riveting. He wants to know - and so do we - how it became so simultaneously blatant and insidious. The modern marketing era began in the early '90s, we are told, when traditional methods of selling based on performance no longer mattered because products were becoming too comparable. The bombardment of reiteration wore away credibility. Moreover, the increasing clutter of ads made a different approach inevitable. Advertising was undergoing a consolidation trend as frantic marketers began abandoning long-standing relationships in search of the new big thing. That turned out to be lifestyle advertising. Starbucks flogged the notion of meeting-place community; Benetton made clothes buying an endorsement of multiculturalism; Nike touted personal transcendence through sports. Since then, the notion of creating clubs to which consumers want to belong has become more and more refined. Product lifestyle is a total immersion experience. Ad strategist Doug Atkin, a brand manager at Procter & Gamble in the mid-'90s, recalls the "Eureka!" moment when he heard a group of people wax enthusiastic about their favorite sneakers. Atkin immediately proceeded to make a study of what he calls cults, ranging from Hare Krishna to Harley Davidson. His conclusion: "People, whether they are joining a cult or a brand, do so for exactly the same reasons. They need to belong and they want to make meaning." Corporations nowadays approach brand-building within a similar framework. And their mechanisms for targeting the faithful go well beyond mere demographics, as revealed in a look at the gigantic information clearinghouse Acxiom. At Acxiom, the population has been sorted into 70 different types, drawn from a compilation of census input, tax records, marketing lists and purchasing data. It sounds absolutely hateful to be reduced to a type, but I guess that's part of belonging. It also seems wrong to talk about guilty pleasures in a show devoted to dissecting our unthinking desires. But "The Persuaders" provides a bevy of ad clips that are fun to see. Viewers also will notice that what seemed sophisticated 15 years ago now looks clumsy, even as commercials from 40 years ago provoke nostalgia. You almost wince in advance for the sure-to-become-quaint spectacle of today's hip iPod spot. A major theme in "The Persuaders" is the constant state of war between consumer boredom and marketing blandishment. This is never so pointed as in the segment dealing with television commercials, the lifeblood of two industries. TiVo and similar technologies have enabled viewers to tune out. The empire has struck back with product placement, ranging from prizes on "Survivor" to actual story lines, as when "Sex and The City" made Samantha's boyfriend into the Absolut Hunk. "The Persuaders" covers vast swaths of territory without neglecting many vital details. Wisely, it doesn't try to reach for any sweeping conclusions. The program's balance may lie in the fact that for every marketing tactic that appalled me, others were enticing. But "Frontline" producers are discriminating. They note there's a big difference between pushing products and political agenda - although ironically, only product claims have to be true. Tape this show and save it for the next election cycle. Kay McFadden: kmcfadden@seattletimes.com __________________ I don't care if you are black, white, purple, green, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, hippie, cop, bum, admin, user, English, Irish, French, Catholic, Protestant, Jewish, Buddhist, Muslim, indian, cowboy, tall, short, fat, skinny, emo, punk, mod, rocker, straight, gay, lesbian, jock, nerd, geek, Democrat, Republican, Libertarian, Independent, driver, pedestrian, or bicyclist, either you're an asshole or you're not. What's the best nation in the world? DO-NATION!