Persuaders Persuaders

I have always had an infatuation of NYC and in particular Times Square. The lights, screens, and nonstop movement of people is a far cry from the small town living I am used too. It truly is the city that never sleeps, and for that matter, the city that never stops advertising.

I sat at Cold Smoke and set my timer for 15 minutes to see how many ads I would see. I saw eight different brands of backpacks. Eight! Nike, Under Armor, JanSport, The North Face, High Sierra, Osprey, Swiss, and Dankine. Laptops varying from Apple to Toshiba, most being designed to the users liking. The popular Beats headphones and a lot of knock off designs. Flat bill hats that said Brooklyn ( oh how ironic) to the Patagonia ball caps. The further I go along in this list of my findings, the more disorganized and rather chaotic it becomes. The clutter crisis is here in Bozeman at a local coffee shop and is just as prominent as it would be in the heart of Times Square.

I get overwhelmed by life and everything that gets thrown at me. So I try to make an effort to go to Yellowstone National Park once a month to "unplug". I love the scenery during every season and watch how the circle of life will progress throughout the park. Here is a link with 32 fun facts about Yellowstone National Park: http://www.yellowstonepark-trip.com/fun-facts-about-yellowstone-park.php

However, their is all no service in the park as well as Cooke City- making a weekend trip seem long and unentertaining in the evenings. In a situation where telephone service and other internet devices are put to a mute, ads easily enter into the park. Car brands, bumper stickers, and clothing can be just as overwhelming as Times Square if you take a moment to point out ads in your surroundings.

This documentary also made me realize how wording truly does change the emotion associated with the meaning. It was so fascinating to hear how Frank Luntz approaches problems his clients bring him and how the simple answer is to just listen to what consumers want to hear. 80% of our life is based on emotions, the rest is intellect. From there Luntz can bridge the gap to bring deep emotions to every conversation. From the Iraq war to the war on terrorism. I thought of one: college payments versus college tuition. Wording can completely change the way you think or approach a topic. To persuade you towards what they want you to think.

Every product and service is a representation of a brand that wants to leave an impression on you. After watching The Persuaders I came to this realization that their really may be no escape to ads.