Monday, 16 November 2015

Influence & Behaviour

In this lecture we were given the distinction of influence and behaviour; influence is the capacity to have an effect on someones character, development or behaviour, which in turn is how a person behaves in response to a particular situation or stimulus.

Therefore we were asked what influences us, why people make certain decisions, and where do those influences come from; first we were introduced to propaganda and Edward Bernays, who was a pioneer in the field of public relations and propaganda. Combining the ideas of crowd psychology by Gustave Le Bon and Wilfred Trotter, and the psychoanalytical ideas of his uncle Sigmund Freud, Bernays stated that manipulation was an important part of democracy: "the conscious and intelligent manipulation of organised habits and opinions of the masses... constitute an invisible government which is the true rule power of our country". Therefore, designers of propaganda manipulate viewers perhaps without their knowing.

"Gibson Girl" was our next subject, who was created by Charles Dana Gibson; it represented women's new found liberation due to the Suffragette movement happening at the time. In turn they aimed this illustration towards women, especially during WW1 when men were in short staff.


Another tactic aimed towards women was devised by Bernays himself, in which he tried to encourage women to smoke; before this it was seen was corrupt and inappropriate for women to smoke. By exploiting women's aspirations for a better life during the women's liberation movement in the United States, Bernays hired women to smoke during the Easter Sunday Parade of 1929, which was a significant moment for fighting social barriers for women smokers. This type of promotion towards women still happens today, in the name of independence.

Alerting the media prior to the event, women stroked their cigarettes in public, proclaiming their "torches in freedom" in the interests of promoting equality of the sexes

Next we were shown campaigns by design consultancies to promote either brands or events; for instance Wolff Olins designed the 2012 London Olympics logo; they said they wanted the aesthetic to be flexible, where past Olympic logos had been very rigid, which allowed other parties  to make the logo their own. Originally derided for its unclear concept,  it was designed in a way where, minus the logo and location, you could tell what the logo is based on its overall silhouette.



Whilst looking through the company's collection of work, its promotion of Little Sun caught my attention, due to its simple and eye catching design; besides helping people who were off the grid in less-developed countries, Wolff Olins' association made this a foreseeable business plan, resulting in the distribution of 165,000 lamps worldwide.

Widen+Kennedy created an alternative 2012 Olympic campaign for Nike, entitled Find Your Greatness, which demonstrated by illustrating anyone can be great, not simply Olympic athletes. To create this campaign they went around the world and searched for people with such talent. Though the message may seem quite saccharine, I like how the overall campaign is inspirational, showing triumph over adversity.


Linking back to propaganda, deception may be used in order to promote; an example is Red Bull, who some question whether it actually energises you or not. In addition, in 2015, accusations were leveled at Red Bull's marketing and labeling, claiming that the company violated 'express warranty and unjust enrichment’. Red Bull denied any wrong doing, but lost on appeal and had to pay $14 million in damages.

Whilst traversing through their other advertising campaigns, I had no idea that they were responsible for the famous Old Spice advert The Man Your Man Could Smell Like, which created a feeling of connection between the Old Spice Man and the audience; this is known as a para-social relationship, forming an important part of the success of the campaign. The adverts success is due to its style as it was unlike anything seen at that time: while reciting the monologue Isaiah Mustafa progresses through various activities, locations, and/or extraordinary situations, all in one uninterrupted take while maintaining constant eye-contact with the camera in a nonchalant demeanor.

What I learnt from this lecture though was how to connect to an audience, in particular the younger generation. More recently the transition between covert and overt methods of audience connection in marketing and advertising has begun to occur; younger, more digitally connected audiences respond differently to a product or brand. If you connect with someone, they expect you to connect back. If this cycle can be thoughtfully maintained then a brand can attempt to leverage loyalty with a viewer, according to the "give get model" by Wolff Odin. 


And as designers, we should be mindful where ‘touch points’ are likely to be found, as a good location will allow more viewers to come into contact with a product/idea/message, for instance a billboard or logos on products.

This lecture made me realise that, if done correctly, advertising can surreptitiously promote hidden meanings without the viewer's knowing; its that level of cleverness that intrigues me. However, manipulation and deception shouldn't be the intention when trying to convey a message, campaign or story; if you want to have longevity within business, you have to build a rapport and trust with your audience.


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