Pester Power through Television Advertising

In Eric Schlosser’s “Kid Kustomers,” Schlosser makes the point that many American companies advertise towards children purposefully. He describes the many ways in which kids can successfully manipulate their parents into purchasing products for them whenever they want. He provides expert testimony and several examples of advertisements aimed at children. However, none of this is as powerful as actually sitting and viewing the commercials for what they are. On November 14, 2010, the Fox television network aired “The Simpsons” at its normal 8:00 p.m. timeslot, and the commercials contained therein are especially telling of the techniques used by merchandisers to provoke the “pester power” of children (223).

First, consider the type of programming “The Simpsons” is. It is family-oriented programming, aimed at criticizing the various aspects of life for each of the members of the Simpsons family. From Bart’s rebellion against society to Lisa’s fight to fit in albeit being intelligent beyond her age, Homer’s antics at work, and Marge’s work as a homemaker, there is something to take away for all ages.

The advertisers apparently agree, and as such, an active viewing of the commercials that air during this timeslot verifies it. The very first commercial during this particular timeslot advertised Sony’s new Move system, a Nintendo Wii-like motion sensor system for the PlayStation 3 video game console. The commercial begins with the fictional Vice President of Sony, Kevin Butler, describing how the Move is not just for kids; it is “fun for the whole family.” The commercials depict the fun competition the entire family is exhibiting, from the younger children to the old grandfather. Mom gets a hole-in-one, and then blows on the Move controller John Wayne-style to assert her victory over the others.

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Men’s Men, Women’s Women, and Kid Kustomers

In “Men’s Men and Women’s Women,” Steve Craig illustrates through example four different angles of targeting advertisers use to appeal to various potential customers by gender. In “Kid Kustomers,” Eric Schlosser takes the reader systematically through the advertisers’ thought processes when targeting children with commercials. The former uses his four examples as the layout for his essay; the latter takes a logical approach, explaining each point along the way. Both produce quotations from experts that support their point of view and demonstrate emotional appeal, although to varying degrees. Most importantly, each author devises a rhetorical strategy to manipulate the reader into accepting his points of view.

The first—and most obvious—variation between Craig’s and Schlosser’s essays is the overall layout of their ideas. Craig divides the bulk of his essay into four classifications of commercial, each “selected to provide an example of how men and women are portrayed to themselves and to the other sex” (204). Accordingly, he provides examples of commercials that fit the titular “Men’s Men” and “Women’s Women” categories, as well as “Men’s Women” and “Women’s Men.” Craig introduces the idea by explaining the concept of demographic targeting in terms of gender, and then makes the claim that “program producers and schedulers must consider the target audience needs of their clients (the advertisers) in creating a television program line up” (203). This leads into his four classifications, each with a selected commercial that exemplifies it and then supporting facts. Each section is independent of the others, so that each commercial proves itself on its own merits.

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Microsoft, Intel Announce Intelligent Ads; Say You Look Good in Levi’s

This week, Intel announced the availability of technology made especially for digital signage.  The new platform, based on Windows Embedded Standard 7 and running on Intel Core i5/i7 processors, along with technology such as touch screens to allow interactivity from a passerby.

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