I am writing this blog post for COMM 333. The objective of this blog is to critically analyze a film or documentary on how persuasion is used throughout the film and how it relates to the theories that we have discussed during this course. The film that I chose to write about is Back to the Future. While thinking of this assignment, I had to remember all the movies that I have watched in my life and think about which one to choose. I chose Back to the Future, because the image that is seared into my brain is the Nike shoes that Marty McFly wears during the film, it is truly one of the greatest product placements of all time and has become iconic with the movie and with fans alike.
First, I will discuss the language expectancy theory. In this theory, language is the key to the persuasion, if we believe the person who is giving the persuasion than we are more likely to go along with their conclusion. In Back to the Future, Marty McFly is one of the main characters but is the main character who wears the iconic Nike shoes. I would believe that is theory does apply to Back to the Future because since Marty McFly is a main character is voice is heard throughout the movie and by hearing him you are seeing him which in turn makes you see those Nike shoes that he is wearing.
Let’s move on to the information processing theory. This theory states that in order to be persuaded we must first understand the message that is being delivered to us. During the film the iconic Nike shoes are seen over and over again. This first makes us aware of what the message is that is being sent, the next thing that needs to happen for this theory to be proven true is that we need to understand that message, which in this case would be going out and buying the shoes that are being shown over and over again. I also believe that this theory applies to Back to the Future. I would state that one of the reasons I believe that this theory applies is because of all the sales that have been generated from this movie for Nike, that’s not only the shoes but just from apparel that has been sold because people are buying the shoes as well. This product placement by Nike really got young boys who watched the movie a sense of need for these shoes and the Nike brand as well. Younger males went out like crazy to get their hands on these iconic shoes and not only did they sell like crazy then, recently when Nike remade the iconic shoe people went crazy looking for them and also reselling them on sites like eBay for thousands and tens of thousands of dollars.
The last theory that I will discuss is the reinforcement theory which I know applies to this film. The reinforcement theory states that if a person agrees with a position, then they are more likely inclined to respond positively. I believe that this film had such a positive vibe and such great persuasion that people took positively too it. The iconic Nike shoes are one of the most recognizable things that have come from this movie besides the Delorean and the actors that are in the movie. The main reason that the Nikes are so popular is because they were shows throughout the entire movie. It is the exact same reason why Nike as a company is so successful. Nike does such a great job branding its products to their targeted audiences that they sell tons of merchandise from all of the things that they do. As stated before, Nike didn’t only make money from the shoes but they also got those people who were buying the shoes to buy apparel that went with the shoes as well.
In closing, I have learned a lot about how persuasion works and how persuasion can be used for good and for bad. The great things about persuasion is that there are different ways to persuade people, not everyone is going to agree or get along with each other but using persuasion can sometimes help bring people closer together. Each person has their own thoughts and ideas, so keeping an open mind and listening to what people have to say is a useful tool because people can be persuaded one way or the other. In relation to Back to the Future, Nike used many great ways of persuasion to get millions of people to buy their shoes, they also used many different theories to get it done as well. The other great thing Nike did was have the main character wear them the entire time. Nike may have gotten a little lucky because the movie has become a classic. Finally, persuasion can be one of the greatest tools to have in your knowledge, just be careful using it and make sure you are giving good advice when you are trying to persuade someone.
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