How commercials get you to buy things (LD)

When we received this assignment to discuss a literary device in a blog post I was a little bit less that ecstatic. Let's be honest, I love to analyze texts with the best of them but I couldn't imagine how I was going to fill a whole post about my great love for anastrophes and alliteration.
I began to consider other places that literary devices could be used that were not texts or poems written by dead, white guys. Then it struck me. We see literary devices all the time when we're watching TV. Commercials are full of imagery, and alliterations. Literary devices are used to persuade us to buy certain products. Let's look at a few examples.
Allegory: a story or picture that holds a greater meaning within itself

At first glance this super-posh kitchen just represents a super-posh kitchen. However, the reason people would go out and buy components of this kitchen if it was shown in a commercial would be because it is an allegory for wealth and sophistication. The commercial promises (inaccurately) that if you own this kitchen you will become a wealthy, sophisticated person. This is all implied in the glossy counter tops and the cool hanging lights. Allegories are necessary for persuasion. If the commercial said this outright it would seem unreasonable, but when our subconscious's recognize the allegory, we often believe it.

Amplification: adding detail to a description in order to increase its worth







                                                                                                                                                                        Although most car-buyers don't understand what all these uber-fancy descriptions mean, they know they sound important and that what really matters. What sounds better: "I'm buying a red car" or "I'm buying a shiny new crimson Ford with large horsepower, deluxe air-conditioning and a great radio". It doesn't matter if the "deluxe air-conditioning" is the cool air you feel when you roll-down the windows; What matters is the description. If a product sounds good, it is going to sell.

Analogy: a device that helps to establish a relationship based on similarities between two concepts or ideas.


Analogies are used all the time in commercials. Have you ever seen  a mop commercial where they show a comparison of your current mop leaving mud behind and the mop they're trying to sell you leaving everything sparkly white? That's an analogy. It works to show a certain product as being above it's competition. The audience understands that whatever vacuum or shampoo they used to like is now considered sub-par and must now go to the nearest meijers to buy the new, better product. 
The commercial industry has a lot of ways of convincing people to spend money. This is why DVR is a good investment.