ugh...

i went for a creeped out face...:-/

Dear GOD!!! So back to credibility. I'm at the London airport, staying in something called a Yotel. What that is a closet inside the terminal that you can pass out at, pay hourly, whatever. Anyway, so I go outside for a cigarette and end up meeting a lady named Lorane. She was nice, we were talking just b.sing really, and she asked me what my major was. I told her psychology and she then proceeded to ask me all these questions about her friend and if shes really 'depressed.'

My goodness, I swear everytime I tell someone I'm a psyche major they automatically assume I want to hear their problems. My favorite one was when I met a few of Liz's friends, one of them asked me what my major was...haha

me: psychology
her: oh, so does that mean you want to listen to all my problems...
thought of mine: oh. dear. god.

Anyway, so now on I'm saying general studies. But Lorane just kept firing away with her little Scottish accent. I mean I've done this psyche thing for a good 4 years, but I'm not licensed or credible in any way shape or form, so why ask me woman!?!?

Worst of all, I'm working one day and this guy comes in and starts up a conversation with me about coffee. I give him a latte and he asks if I'm in school whatever, my major and what not. The norm.

Well, after I told him I was in psyche, 3 hours (more like 30 minutes, felt like 3 hours) later he left after talking about how his son wants to commit suicide and how he has been in therapy for 3 years..blah blah blah. UGH!!

WHY?!?!? I'm not credible people! sigh...how people need answers, so cute.

Boots and Jeans

So in the London's underground (again) there are many advertisements for HSBC. Its an online bank, very innovative to have an online bank. But the way that they played on the image we all (most likely) have in our heads of online banks as being shady was brilliant. (Mike's gone native, haha)



What they did was have pictures that can be interpreted different ways. For instance, this one was of a guy in a suit with 'leader' written across him. The picture right next to it said 'follower' and had a guy in boots and jeans. Obviously that's a hardcore stereotype (like their bank) so they had 2 more pictures with the guy in the suit and 'follower' written on it. The guy in the jeans and boots with 'leader' written on it.



It ended with "if everyone saw the world the same way, we would be very boring."



Its like the poster I saw at the imperial war museum. It said "One man's terrorist is another man's freedom fighter." Gorgeous, because its so true. These propaganda's played hard on perception and mis-perception, rethinking everything. I loved them.

Do I want a Vogue?

There is a convience store right down the street, and I went in one day to grab a Dr. Pepper and went up to the counter.

...then it happened.

I had no where to put my drink on the counter. It was full of magazines, yelling "buy me, buy me!" It was interesting to me because this would not happen in the U.S. People would be so mad if they had no where to put the money. Its funny because one thing I've noticed about the way the English give back change, is they hand it to you. In Texas, many of times people put change on the counter and expect me to pick it up. Ugh. Thats so annoying. But at this place, theres no where to do that, which is nice, but it also forces me to wonder if I do want that Vogue.

Its a great tactic, but I highly doubt it would fly in the U.S.

Bread

I love the advertisement right outside Sainsbury. Its of Jesus, above this bread, and it says "Baked with Passion." That, is an attention getter. Something like that in the States I would think would bring a lot of controversy. It seems like here, people are more laid back and they don't take offense to something as simple as that.

Again, the English are blunt, they get right to the point. "You will die if you touch this." I see this advertisment and I think about how they want to put this image in our heads of associating bread...and Jesus.

Honestly, I've had some bread that made me see God. But, thats only at the Tap Room for their burgers...so I'm sure they don't use bread from England. But, whatever.

...really?

I saw this poster in the London's underground. It was of a underground worker who looked like he got his butt kicked. It says, "we're here to help you." I loved it because it shows the way that advertisements can play on emotion so well. Just as guilt is a great motivator, so is sympathy almost a synonym with guilt. Seeing a worker who is all bruised up after an apparent fight, you almost want to tip these guys for opening the door for you.

It seems like a tough job to work there, but I highly doubt that those guys end up getting the crap kicked out of them. Almost as overkill as the bandage on my hand. Seriously I asked the guy for a band aid, and he wrapped my hand like I had lost a finger, geeze. It was still a great advertisement.

Cancer

So back in March I went to grab a pack of cigarettes and I found some called American Spirits. They said that they are 100% additive free. The word additive, looks alot like addictive. Now to see a cigarette that is addictive free (as Bob Dole knows) I was stoked as I know that I won't be addicted!! All the sudden I'm healthy. Ok, so I was stoked when I got back to my apartment. I knew about these brand but, I guess I never really looked at them.

So I'm having one on the porch of my apartment and I re-read the label and of course it says 'additive free'. So I feel dumb but that made me buy spirts, rather than my norm of the Camel Lights. Camel's have many different additives in them so they taste different and also not pure tobacco. In all reality though, American Spirts are better for you...as far as smoking goes. Its pure tobacco. As far as advertising goes, it worked great to use the word additive on the spirts box, because I ended up buying them. However, the interesting thing here in Europe is that all the cigarette packages let you know you will die if you keep smoking.

Duh.

The most repulsive thing to me is when people let me know how bad smoking is for me. I know. I want to quit. I don't know a smoker that doesn't want to quit. Anyone who enjoys spending 5 bucks on a pack, 5 quid on a pack (or 10 bucks). We all know how bad it is. The cigarettes here show me how bad it is and I don't think its very effective.

If they had a picture of a family, and on the back it said that the father was killed by lung cancer. Maybe that would have a bigger impact. Yet, smokers are invincible, we know we won't get lung cancer because we're gonna quit. If they had something like this I think it would work a lot better...

This is how much you spend on smoking: 170 dollars a month on cigarettes
What else you could buy: Skydiving, $180. 27 inch plasma screen t.v $270 (two months of smoking) Great night at the Penny: $50. 30 minute massage $30, what you spend a week.

Something that would make you think, more than get annoyed at. But then again I draw from my earlier post about the English being so blunt, so I guess it may work for their culture. Maybe not for the U.S.

Credability

Communicators need to be credible in order for their message to persuade anyone. That is a very hardcore claim, but it is very sound. I do believe that you need to be credible before I believe anything you say.

In about 3 weeks I will being a P.A.L for Paws Preview, my second term of leading these freshman (also known as retarded kittens, my God it took me 20 minutes to get them from Alkek to LBJ...ugh) Anyway, so when I was doing Paws last year, I noticed that these kids really looked up to me. They figured I knew exactly what I was talking about.

Many of their worries going into school were things like, failing out...drinking too much...letting their family down. Stuff like that. So when I was trying to answer all their questions and alleviate their fears, I would say stuff like. "Oh its ok, you can figure out the balance between partying and school." "Schools really not that tough once you figure out."

This is coming from a guy who's got not the most respectable GPA.

For some reason though, they trusted me. I think it was because of my credibility going into it. I will graduate from college, something a lot of people can't say. I've figured out that balance and worked hard in school. I think that these kids trusted me based off that idea that I knew what I was talking about.

I was 21 when I did this, the hell do I know!?!?!

Haha, it just blew my mind how much these kids trusted me. And when I was reading the chapter on credibility I kept thinking about the trust these kids put in me. I came through and I think the credibility was due, but at the same time. Think for yourself? But then again, they are 18, coming from High School so its understandable. I think they wanted answers, and I gave them that.

BAHAHA

Second post about the guilt being an amazing persuasion tactic. Well when I was in the Imperical War Museum in London I noticed a few posters from WWII that said things like. "Don't leave your children in London." "Get them out of here." Naturally my camera died, but I was able to grab a few pictures of the posters. The way they also used the 'scare the crap out of them' tactic was well played as well.

Well, those posters obviously made people think twice about where to put their kids during the blitz and the almost invasion of London. Well, the way that I pulled the guilt-fest was on the way back from Rome. We all know what happened in Rome, but when we were on the way back, we rode on the Gatwick Express train. Which apparently you're supposed to have a ticket for. Well, needless to say, not only did I not have money to afford one...I didn't have one. I got on the train and the woman was going around looking at all the tickets. So, she came to me and I didn't realize you needed a ticket. We used our Britrail passes on the way there, so I figured that would work again...only makes sense.

Well she got to me and she sees my Britrail pass and says that its not for this train. I looked at her, made sure she saw my teeth and my hand and played dumb. Well, I told her the whole story about my debit card and my incident and I could see the guilt in her eyes. She was a sweet lady so she let me slide. But that is definatly the second time I've guilted someone into something that I had to have. Between the colosium paiting and the ride back to Canterbury I've pulled some guilting, cheers to that little girl scout and her quote about making people feel guilty. It really does work!

Starbucks

The one thing that I find so different and SO interesting is the way that the English are so blunt. NO PARKING, LOADING BAY. NO BALL GAMES. DANGER OF DEATH. You've seen them, you know what I'm talking about.

I don't want to say that I'm less persuaded to break the rules of these signs because of the wording of them, but it does make me think twice. For instance, our espresso machine says on the bottom to 'not handle underneath products.' Now, when I went into Starbucks (I didn't buy anything, all though all the girls did...ugh, who drinks starbucks in England!?!) I noticed that the machine said: 'danger of electrocution.'

FYI, I work at Seattle's Best Coffee, not Starbucks...I hate starbucks...ugh

Now, our machine is the exact same, just red. I already noticed differences in signs here and there. But to see that machine saying danger of electrocution, and ours just saying not to touch it. Not explaining why we shouldn't touch it, just don't. It makes a big difference. Apologies, you may not be able to see the words on the picture. It really does make a difference the way you word things, just like our book says. I now know why all the politic ans are so careful with their words.

Guuuuuilt fest...

Ok, so I probably shouldn't have done this but I do believe it is karma serving me well. Here's the story, I'm at the colosium and I see a street artist doing a few paiting of the colosium. I go over to him and I start to talk to him about his paitings. He was telling me how he loves to paint and blah blah. Then, I had an in. I told him (and I quote) that I am backpacking alone through Europe and I've got 20 euros left for today but I love his paitings. I'm getting kicked out, story later....

Ok, so part of the ceiling tile in the computer lab just fell out. So they just kicked us all out...weird.

Anyway, so I'm talking to the guy about his paitings and he speaks very good english. I complimented him on it, and asked where he was from. I offered him a cigarette and told him that I loved the colosium and it was my only reason for coming to Rome. Laying it on thick I know.

I kept flicking around the 10 euros I had to make him know that I had enough for him to make me a deal. I also had 8 euros in coins in my pocket. So...I shook his hand and said I had to go and maybe he could make me a deal on one of his paintings. He shook his head and looked down, as if he was contemplating. So, I said, "oh crap I think I have more in my pocket." I made sure to make it look messy getting the money out of my pocket, so he would know that I 'didn't know about it.'

So, anyway, I pulled out the 8 euros and told him that I'd give him 16 for it cause I needed a water. Well, he said he'd fill me up at the fountain (right behind him) because Rome has a great p.h level or something. So he gave me the paiting for 18 euros and filled me up a water bottle that I had. So I kind of got a deal out of it. But I felt bad for low balling a street artist. But, then again. I payed for it in Karma...haha

My good friend Will

Ok so Will is a guy I met through Lauren and McKenna. He is from Nigeria and just finished his undergrad in Law and is going to the equivalant of our Law School next year. He's a brilliant guy, who is blown away by the American school system.

He and I were at the Penny the other night talking about the differences between American schools and European schools. I asked him about multiple choice tests, and he told me he as never taken one. All of his upper level classes have more indepth, subjective ways of measuring intelligence. He said that he can't believe that using a multiple choice test is a good way of teaching. Law is too subjective to be objectified into 4 answers with one question. Why not four rebuttle questions to 4 answers? Will freaking blew my mind with that quote...he's a good guy.

Well in the book the quote about 'Education, in contrast, should provide the skills for people to stand on their own two feet and to make their own decisions; it should encourage critical thiking.' Unlike the S.A.T, very much so like (I swear I'm not sucking up) the way that my Persuasion class is run. More of a subjective view on the way we are persuaded and influenced; everything from Penny conversations with Will, to signs around Canterbury.

Dig or DIE!!!

Haha, ok I saw the funniest ad ever at the war museum. It was this picket poster that said...and I quote. 'Dig or Die.'

Time frame, it was understandable but, a little much in my mind. It was 1939 right before the Blitz on London started. Many of London's residents were working on building trenches and, fear being an amazing motivator, surved well in this time. London is about to be blown up, and here are people telling you to dig, or you will die. Perfect persuasion technique to use fear as the motivator to get people to dig.

The interesting thing to me, is that it wasn't 'Evacuate or Die.' Let's stay here and dig, not leave and survive. But then again I wasn't in that situation so I wouldn't know.

When we were talking about 'scaring the sex out of them' in class the other day, I noticed how easy it is to use fear as the motivator. In High School some of our classmates had to carry a baby around for a week for their final in their Home Education class. The baby was a doll but it would cry, poop, pee, need to be fed, everything a normal baby does. This (in my mind) was used to scare these 16, 17 year old girls into not having sex...because you don't want this.

Well, instead of teaching how to use a condom, or staying a virgin til marriage...it was, baby=annoying for a 16 year old. Why is that the target? Why not teach how not to be put in this situation. There are many of ways to prevent a 16 year old from having to feed her baby during class...a fake baby for that matter. Why is it, that using fear to scare the sex out of 16 year olds is the best way? Good call, I know one of those friends of mine has 2 kids. Shes 21.

...seriously good call NBISD!

Ideazed World...

One of the most interesting things that I've read about so far is the way that cult leaders, Hitler and avertisers have established an idealized image of their target objective in our heads. For instance, Adolf Hitler did a phenominal job of establishing the Nazi party as the superiorty. When I was in the Imperical War Museum I saw the literal example of how influencial Hitler's politics were. I find it interesting that he was able to give people a solution, when in such reality there is a lack of a problem.

Very interesting (sadly very well done) the wasy that Hitler associated the words 'leader' with his own name.

Hitler knew how he needed to get people to follow him and he had a great opportunity to persuade the German public, as they were falling apart. The way that he enstilled the image of Germany as superior, and Jews as inferior was sadly...brilliant. He kept forcing the images of supiority by using Greek temples for Nazi's buildings.

This gave him credibility, a sense of supiority, and perception that he was powerful. The interesting thing to me is the way that Lewin puts it. That 'no longer did he see beautiful gullies and interesting rock formations, but rather places to hide.' I just wonder how often instead of seeing a beautiful gully (i.e an opportunity to succeed) we see a place to hide (i.e the feelings of fear). Intersting to me the way people perceive things based off of their idealized worlds. I would think that people with lower self-esteem are more sussceptible to advertising, and feel as if they have those Michael Jordan shoes than they will feel better about themselvs. The actions of advitiser's, cult leaders and Hitler play well on those people.

People with lower self-esteem seem to be easier to influence and persuaded into an image based off of what someone (i.e Hitler) says. People in general are so easy to advertise to because we're so used to be told what to do, and how to think. That is why cult's are so prevelant in my mind, because people need to be told to 'go to college' or 'get a job right after school.' Blows my mind.

Lowballing...

Man alive I wish I could have had a video of this situation. Before I went to Rome, we were talking about 'lowballing' in class. Lowballing was very interesting to me, because I didn't realize how easy it was until Rome. Here's the situation...

David, Trey and I are at the Vatican trying to decide if we want to take a tour or not. The tour costs vary...A LOT. When we were walking over there we met an Australian guy who was offering tours at 40 euros. We would have skipped the line, done the Sistene Chapel and gone all around the museum. Well, thats kinda pricey, so we all say no.

Well, we get inside the vatican and this guy comes RUNNING up to us and pulls the scarity tactic. He says..'hey if you guys want a tour, you've got a great one run over here by my friend Mike, he's even an American.' (Mike was from Ohio, not...me...:-/) He says that 'the Vatican will be closing soon, and that the group that the Mike had was leaving soon.' So we MUST HURRY OR DIE!!

I knew the vatican closed at 1:45 and it was only like...12:30. So I knew the game he was playing. I asked how much, he said 28 euros (good deal based off the 40 euro one earliar) Knowing we had a plethera of time, I told the seller that we would talk about it. While we were debating if thats a good idea to drop 28 euros on a tour, another guy came up to us offering the same tour for only 26 euros. Hmmmm....intriging, all the sudden I've got some leverage.

Well, then I start telling the second tour guide (we'll call him Maximus) that I knew the tour guide Mike,and that he was going to offer us the same tour for only 20 euros. Well David being totally out of it, said...

'Dude nah, he was going to do it for 28.'
I said, no no David, we were going to get it for 20! *nudge, nudge*.

Well Maximus totally got what I was trying to do and said 26 is the final offer. Ugh. Then, it was funny, David goes...oooohhhhhhh I get it. Funny moment in the lowballing life of me.