[PS I Hate You]

The Psychology of Entertainment Media: Blurring the Lines Between Entertainment and Persuasion

Preface

One of the bedrock principles of a free-market system of commerce is the notion of a free flow of information to afford a level playing field for all decision makers.

Within this framework operates what I will call, for lack of a more creative term, a variation of informed consent: Audience members consent to be persuaded as long as they are informed of the persuasion attempt. At least that’s the way it’s supposed to work for advertising: a paid, nonpersonal persuasive communication from an identified source (Sandage, Fryburger, & Rotzoll, 1983). In fact, that’s often one of the reasons given for why advertising may not be all that effective (after all, people know they are being persuaded by a biased source and can appropriately source-discount). And it is likely the flip side of that reason as to why the notion of subliminal advertising is so feared and reviled by consumers—the notion that they could be persuaded without their knowledge and thus without their defense.

That is precisely what this book is about: how the lines between entertainment and persuasion have become increasingly blurred and how these blurred lines might either facilitate or inhibit changes in attitudes, beliefs and perceptions. The chapters that comprise this volume grew out of the 21st Annual Advertising and Consumer Psychology Conference, held at the Omni Berkshire Place in New York City, May 16–18, 2002, which was organized around the blurred lines theme. The best papers from this conference were invited for this volume. In addition, several additional chapters were invited from some of the best-known scholars in psychology, marketing, and communications who are doing work in this area. Taken together, this contributed volume represents a multidisciplinary investigation of an age-old process (persuasion) in a relatively new guise (e.g., product placements, brand films and television programs, sponsorships). Its intent is to explore how persuasion works in these contexts (and, indeed, to expand the notion of what constitutes persuasion), hopefully resulting in a more knowledgeable field and a more knowledgeable consumer.

[LuckiiDevil21]

Nice post