An Extension of Persuasion

An Extension of Persuasion

A beautiful, blonde and pink clad Jessica Simpson graces the cover of the March issue of ELLE magazine. Inside, it comes as no surprise to see several ads featuring Simpson: one promoting her new line of accessories, one for her shoe line and one more which caught my eye more so than the others. The ad features not one, not two but three picture perfect clones of Simpson, clad in a preppy, classic and tasteful mix of white and soft green ensembles, accompanied by her hairdresser Ken Paves and her ever present Maltipoo Daisy. The ad is for Simpson and Paves’ new line of hair extensions for the HairUWear company. Simpson and her famous tresses are featured in three different styles, offering a sort of three step process for paparazzi worthy hair. In the first, Paves is seated with Daisy on his lap and Simpson behind him, both share blank, somewhat confused stares. In the second, Simpson is seated, attaching blonde extensions to a third version of herself, who looks slightly impatient yet satisfied. The three step process is illustrated by Simpson’s body language, along with her various hairstyles. In the first version her hair is short and wavy, in the second her hair is pulled back into a large bun and in the third it is in the process of becoming long and layered. The first text that is shown features the product along with Simpson and Paves’ names. The slogan at the bottom of the ad reads “Change your hair as often as you change your mind.” This ad plays on the culture of the fashion and celebrity obsessed ELLE readers by selecting a source to promote their product that connects with this demographic and also by offering a quick solution to something the viewer is dissatisfied with. Using Chapter One,

Persuasion in Contemporary Society, I will discuss how this ad uses a culture and language to promote the product. In Chapter Nine, The Persuasiveness of the Source, I will illustrate how this ad is successful in persuading viewers to purchase their product by using credible sources.

In Chapter One Borchers defines culture as “a set of beliefs, values, and practices that sustains a particular people; also the products those people produce.” (12) The text also indicates that the purpose of a persuasive message that incorporates the culture of its viewers is to create a sense of belonging providing members of that culture with “a common set of values and beliefs that is transmitted via that media.” (12) This ad was featured in ELLE magazine, thus it caters to the fashion conscious, predominantly female culture. The ad was not only featured in a fashion magazine, but one with the spokesperson on the cover. One would assume that either the viewer is a subscriber to ELLE or purchased the issue because he or she was attracted to the cover. If it was the latter, (and in my case it was), then any ad featuring Jessica Simpson would stand out since that is the reason the magazine was purchased in the first place. One would assume that the reader is either (A) a fan of Jessica Simpson, (B) a trusting and loyal reader of ELLE or (C) both. This ad is aimed at the culture of people who fit at least one if not all of these descriptions and it succeeds in connecting with them on more than one level. First, it connects to fans of Jessica Simpson by featuring herself, along with two highly important entities in her life (her hair dresser and her dog). She offers the viewer a simple, quick and efficient way to solve their issue of dissatisfaction. Simpson’s body language in this ad implies three main points: hair extensions are easy to use, quick to apply and satisfactory in meeting the desire for a change in hairstyle. Second, the ad connects to ELLE readers that are not necessarily fans of Simpson. By choosing to feature this ad in ELLE, the persuader uses the already established sense of trust among ELLE readers. The mindset of these readers is that if the ad is featured in this magazine then the product must be trustworthy. Readers of this fashion magazine could be described in several ways, two of which being that they are concerned with appearance and that they trust ELLE to provide the most modern takes on fashion and beauty. Henceforth, it could be assumed that the HairUWear extensions are both an attractive and current way to beautify oneself. By using the magazine’s established trust among readers, and their concern with appearance, the ad is successful in persuading them to identify the product in a positive light.

Chapter one also discusses the use of language in persuasion. Borchers uses the words of Neil Postman to argue that language “gives direction to our thoughts” and “generates new ideas.” (15) The “Change your hair as often as you change your mind” slogan used in this ad uses persuasive and direct language to help the viewer identify themselves with the product and imagine