#writtentask

There is a concept in which, if you help someone, they will help another, and that person will go on to help another, infinitely.  This also works with the suggestion of a product or service.  The effectiveness of children’s toys is so high because of a child’s ability to beg, nag, and plead for the ability to obtain what they want.  In NYC, advertisements use children’s lack of focus, to get the to want to buy something.  Children, often walking while holding the hands of their parent or guardian, are looking everywhere.  Any slight distraction can catch their attention, and it’s a main aspect of advertising.  When in the city, obviously, ads will be above, below, left, right and everywhere.  And, as mentioned before, since kids’ eyes tend to wander, once they see an intriguing product, they immediately tug on their parents’ hand and say, ‘Hey! Look at that!’ or, ‘That looks so cool! I want that!’.  Now, no parent wants attention created by the drama of their child in the middle of a crowd or on the streets of New York, so after a little bit of nagging and whining, the parent often gives in.  And its even more effective if the child has friends, because once one kid gets the attention of all the other kids onto a certain product, it becomes mayhem.  Everyone starts wanting the same toy, and now you have a mass of whining and pleads for something they desire.  This connects to the topic of mass media and its persuasiveness because it directly shows a way in which mass media uses its audience to attract more people.

Even though the city is known for its cluttered streets, multitude of people and the loss of silence, the talking and chatting of a crowd is very influential.  You can hear people talking about anything and everything, and when you hear conversations about major brands, it will influence you.  It’s like peer pressure, but no one’s pressuring you.  Personally, when I see a brand name that I know, especially when its in huge letters facing directly towards me, I have a small desire to walk into the store or area.  Now, I do not usually gravitate towards the area, but many people do.  A lot of people who make up the population of those roaming the streets of NYC are either tourists, visitors/vacationers and generally, those wanting to buy something.  So with this, I’d say around 50% of those people see something desiring, and venture towards it.  Since the mass media of these just these popular brands is so great, whether you like or not, you will know of them, and want to see them or buy them.  These brands include Nike, H&M, Forever 21, and many others.  This shows the way that ‘mass’ media and mass media work together to persuade the preferred audience.

In my opinion, I believe New York is well known for NYC, but specifically for Broadway Plays and as a shopping district. I think that when people go to New York, most already have in mind that they will be seeing a lot of advertisements, but does that affect the persuasiveness of the advertisements themselves?  For some, it may, but for a lot, even with the City’s known character of advertising, they get persuaded by the glamour of products and entertainment that surrounds and composes the environment of Times Square. I think that the reason behind the success of these ads isn’t the grandiosity of them, but the already established influence of them.  Many people who visit times square are either shopping, working, or are on their way to see a play or musical.  With this, advertisers are showing new things that will catch the attention of a passerby.  This, shows the influence of mass media, because it takes people’s desires, and adds to them, ultimately creating a cycle of consumers and producers in one focused area.