Persuasion Techniques on TV

Hey all, I decided to use this post to analyze some of my favorite recent infomercials…that’s right…prepare for hilarity. Infomercials utilize some of the same persuasion tactics that companies use in their marketing campaigns and charitable organizations use in fundraising efforts. For this post I will examine two of the most common persuasion techniques, the “That’s Not All” technique and the “Legitimizing Small Favors” technique (Cialdini & Schroeder 1976).
First, let us discuss the “That’s Not All” technique. This is an infomercial favorite. Exhibit A: The Shamwow. America’s favorite German-born chamois/towel (probably the only German born chamois/towel actually) is featured in one of television’s most-played infomercials right now. In the infomercial the pitch man boasts that this cloth can absorb liquid better than anything on the market and that at 4 shamwows for $19.99, this product is a steal (“you’re going to spend $20/month on paper towels anyway” he says, “so call now we can’t do this all day.”) But wait, “That’s not all!” Shamwow offers an additional four cloths for the same price, now that’s 8 shamwows for just $19.99 wow! According to its Social Psychology definition, when using this technique a person begins with a somewhat inflated request ; then immediately decreases the apparent size of the request by offering a discount or bonus. In the case of the ShamWow, the additional 4 cloths are the bonus that reduces the size of the request. Again, this tactic is extremely popular in infomercials (if you call for the knife set now we’ll throw in a turkey baster and a stainless steel GARLIC PUSHER!)
The second technique, “Legitimizing Small Favors”, is more prevalent in charity drives than low-budget infomercials. With this technique, the excuse for not donating (I only have a little and it would be cheap to donate it) is taken away. Robert Cialdini conducted a study in which he collected money for a charity using either the standard request (“Will you donate”) or the standard request plus the claim that “even a penny will help.” The study showed that people were 20% more likely to donate when the claim that “even a penny will help” was added. Charities that support children struggling in impoverished countries use this technique (just a dollar a day could feed a child in South America)as do many pet rescue organizations like the one in Edmonton, Canada (see link below). In this case, the pictures of cute kittens don't hurt either, but the principle persuasion technique is the legitimization of small favors.

Links:
Sham Wow Infomercial
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ns4mnmNBk1Y

Voice for Animals Society
http://edmonton.kijiji.ca/c-pets-dogs-puppies-for-sale-Help-save-an-animals-life-and-donate-even-a-penny-W0QQAdIdZ120520626