Midterm Assignment

Advertising and marketing are dependent upon the time period they are concurrent with. The fast-changing pace of present day society calls for a change in advertising and marketing techniques. Rather than focus on what the product does, as did ads years ago, the focus has shifted to what the product means and the culture it creates.

In order to determine the most effective ways in which to market a product, it is first important to become more familiar with the product itself. The so-called “memory pill” is a futuristic pill which would theoretically preserve all life experiences, forever engraining memories in our minds.

Dr. Andre Fenton of the SUNY Medical Center has made great strides in better understanding the function and process, which has up until this point remained a mystery, of our memory. Could there really be a way to keep our brains forever young? Dr. Fenton believes this is a true possibility. He discovered that memories have a physical structure. Basically a PKMzeta molecule binds in clusters around synapses in our brains that create and cement our long-term memories.

He tested his theories of tampering with memory through a number of experiments with lab rats. After subjecting the rats to a series of electric shocks if they entered a certain location, the memory of mild pain helped the rat avoid the areas where they would be shocked. The rats were then injected with a molecule ZIP, which blocks PKMzeta from binding with the synapses. The memory of the pain was then erased from the rat’s brain and they continuously returned to the areas of shock with no recollection of the pain they had earlier experienced. Scientists believe that learning to erase memories is the first step in learning to revive them. Although so far the research has only been done on animals, scientists believe the results will be identical on humans.

The creation of this pill raises many scientific, ethical, and moral questions. Even so, advertisers will still see this as an opportunity to market something new and innovative. Many of the things we see advertised have become so common that there is no longer any shock value. This pill is unlike anything that has ever been on the market. Because it is something that is so new to us, advertisers will have to carefully select the methods they will use to reach the public.

Persuasion is a vicious cycle. Consumer needs, consumer wants, consumer best interests are all addressed leaving consumers feeling empowered and in control. It is our choice to buy what we buy, but the real question is do we know why we buy what we buy? The “persuaders” find a way so deep into our unconscious minds, we are no longer aware it is even happening! In the words of Stuart Ewen, “The secret of it all, the secret of all persuasion, is to induce the person to persuade himself.” Douglas Rushkoff’s “The Persuaders” closely examines the innovative marketing techniques, which are so necessary in effective advertising in today’s society. In reference to the memory pill, we can evaluate which techniques would be most effective in persuading the target segments to buy and use.

Most companies don’t hold the monopoly over a particular product, therefore it is so important to establish an emotional connection, which cannot be replicated by competing brands. The traditional thirty-second television commercial is losing its practicality and effectiveness, yet the price for one is continually on the rise. New technologies such as Tivo make audiences much harder to reach. In order for advertising companies to get at least half of their money’s worth, they need to implement new and innovative techniques to somehow connect with consumers.

If an audience avoids commercials to get to their desired television programs, the ads need to be incorporated into the programs themselves, making them essentially inescapable. This technique is known as product placement. “The Persuaders” segment we watched in class interviewed members of Integrated Entertainment Partners (IEP), a company who integrates products into programs and finds ways to seamlessly work the product into the show. It must be carefully crafted so as not to appear that the program exists solely to advertise the product. With regards to the memory pill, product placement techniques could work the product into such hit series as CSI, Criminal Minds, or Law and Order. These types of television programs could have episodes centering around the memory pill, acting as a way to introduce it slowly and spread familiarity through conversation. It would also be very simple to write such a product into the script without being too obvious that the pill was being advertised.

An especially promising marketing strategy for the memory pill is emotional branding. According to Frank Luntz, 80 percent of our life is emotion and only 20 percent is intellect. This statistic stresses the importance of emotions on the human psyche. The memory pill has a direct appeal to three distinct demographics. The first is the elderly. The second is trauma victims. The third is the youth and students. This pill will not only improve the quality of life for the elderly, but it will also benefit younger generations. It is designed to enhance the area of the brain needed to retain memories and information, enabling students better recall and retention of what they learn in the classroom. Some people will look at this product as a way to remember something forever, some as a way to forget. Either way, advertisers can show that this pill can be used to change a person’s life for the better. For example if an agency created an ad centered on Alzheimer’s, it would reach the emotions of people who know someone who suffers from this disease. People would definitely respond to an ad that reaches their emotions and desires.

The life expectancy of humans is much higher than it ever was. For many people the thought of living to an old age is ideal as long as their mind stays sharp. Unfortunately diseases such as Alzheimer’s and other dementias are also becoming more common. Until now, there has been no promising cure for these diseases, but the memory pill is a step in the right direction. “The drug blocks the activity of a substance that the brain apparently needs to retain much of its learned information. And if enhanced, the substance could help ward off dementias and other memory problems.”-New York Times With an emotional appeal, playing upon the fact that life will be more worth living with vivid memories of great life experiences, the product has great potential for success.

Narrowcasting is a method of advertising used to target specific groups of individuals on a personal level. The target is profiled and then the message is tailored to best fit the target. By separately marketing this pill to the people who need it most, society will realize that the pill is not something to be taken lightly. The most obvious group that this pill would be marketed to would be people in nursing homes and other senior citizen facilities. This pill would bring hope to their families in loved ones. Another group would be people in rehabilitation centers. Because it is believed that addiction is a learned behavior, this pill may be able to stop addiction to drugs immediately. Many times people who have witnessed or experienced something tragic will turn to illegal narcotics, and the memory pill is definitely a better alternative. The pill would also be advertised to psychiatrists would then recommend the pill to patients who have been assaulted, raped, abused, or people who suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder. Narrowing in on these demographics would help position the memory pill in such a way where the advantages for the target would be obvious.

The power of words is exponential and the selection of words is essential. Rhetorical marketing is the changing of words, but not meanings to the advantage of the seller. Some words appeal to consumers more efficiently than others. Since the memory pill could potentially cause controversies, moral and ethical, it would be to the advertisers advantage to wisely choose their diction. With regards to Frank Luntz and his practices, Nicholas Lemann comments, “The right name makes the policy sell better. It's just like putting a name on a bar of soap or any other commercial product. It matters what you name things.” Focus groups could be conducted for each of the potential consumer segments in order to identify key words which are most effective.

The possibilities for the memory pill are endless. Such a product still has a long way to go until becoming a reality, however when the time comes it will be essential to market and advertise the memory pill in such a way not to offend or worry, but to excite and give hope to all who are in favor of preserving their precious memories for the remainder of their lives.