Study Task 4 - Establishing requirements of your practical investigation

Theme / Content:

TECHNIQUE: Digital methods, use real life photographs of people to appeal directly to the emotions and needs. 

CONTENT: Choosing a product then locate content from either their website or customers. Research similar products.

COMMUNICATION - Poster series. The only appropriate way to communicate hidden needs, consumers can't be manipulated by reading a zine or leaflet.

Methods:

RESEARCH / ANALYSIS: Primary research, Focus groups, questionnaires, interviews. Research into colour theory and more in depth with the hidden needs.

EXPLORATION / EVALUATION: See if my work successful influences my target audience. See if my posters implement all hidden needs.

TESTING: Test my posters on my target audience. Ask question and see if my concept is effective or needs more work.

1.What is your research question?

Are the 8 hidden needs expressed in the 'hidden persuaders' by Vance Packard still used in contemporary advertising?

2.Do you have a hypothesis (an assumed conclusion that you will endeavour to prove)?

I assume that there will be a clear indication in my investigation that all phycological techniques and 8 hidden needs are still very much alive in contemporary advertising. This could be due to more funding and research in phycology, which create a better understand of the hidden persuaders and how consumers engage with adverts and campaigns.

3.What are the contexts of your research interests?

Propaganda, phycology, advertising and branding

4.Sources of primary/secondary research.

Focus groups, questionnaires, interviews. Research into current contemporary adverts, analyse and investigate how they implement needs within their adverts and see how that links to the 8 hidden needs.

5.How will your practical work relate to your written work (synthesis)?

In my essay I will be investigating whether or not the 8 hidden needs are being embedded within contemporary advertising. My practical will demonstrate how the hidden needs are still relevant by creating a contemporary advertising campaign that implements the 8 needs within the campaign to influence and persuade consumers in a sub conscious manner to purchase what ever product I'll be advertising. 

6.What methods will you use to research, develop, create and test your work?

Focus groups, interviews. Digital methods to create my work. Using photograph of people to really emphasis the human connection. I will test my work on my target audience through focus groups, interviews and questionnaires.

7.Provide a proposed timeline for your work to completion (consider carefully whether you will need access to college facilities).

Study Task 6 - Primary research considerations

At this moment in time I can't see the relevance or how primary research would be effective for my essay. I will be investigating whether or not the 8 hidden needs are still relevant in contemporary advertising. Advertising agency's spend an enormous amount of time and money funding in depth research projects to understand the effects advertising has on the sub-conscious mind. With the amount of time we have on the essay and how little amount of knowledge I have in terms of phycology It wouldn't be practical for me to start conducting primary research to see how techniques of persuasion influence consumers. So for my essay this wouldn't be the best solution, therefore the best route to go down would be to quote and analysis existing research agency's that have all ready conducted in depth research about persuasion.

For my practical I would use primary research to build my idea. Conducting focus groups, questionnaires and interviews to inform my design decisions. If I was using photography's to boost appeal, I could gather a range of photos with different variations such as colour, type and subject matter and to understand what one my target audience engages with more. Focus groups and questionnaires would be the best solution to get the most results and answers out of my research in a small amount of time. One on one intimate interviews would be beneficial in terms of honesty and openness but It all comes down to the types of questions and the amount of time I have to focus on primary research.

Study Task 5 - Planning & Structuring an Essay

Suggested Research Question.
This can be a topic or theme, but please try to be as precise as possible.

Are the 8 hidden needs expressed in the 'hidden persuaders' by Vance Packard still used in contemporary advertising?

Which Academic Sources will you reference?
Include a Harvard Referenced bibliography of at least 5 sources.

Packard, V. and Miller, M.C.J. (2007) The hidden persuaders. United States: Ig Publishing

Fennis, B. and Stroebe, W. (2010) The psychology of advertising. United States: Psychology Press.

Heath, R. (2012) Seducing the subconscious: The psychology of emotional influence in advertising. United Kingdom: Wiley-Blackwell (an imprint of John Wiley & Sons Ltd).

Du Plessis, E. (2011) The branded mind. Philadelphia: Kogan Page.

Tungate, M. (2008) Branded male: Marketing to men. London: Kogan Page Publishers.

What Graphic Design will you analyse?

Include at least one piece of Graphic Design to analyse in depth (but no more than three)

Essay Map

Introduction - State my question and introduce Vance Packard and the history of the 'The Hidden Persuaders'. Could also quickly summarise advertising in the 21st century with the link of digital.

Explain all of the 8 hidden needs along with a number of adverts to demonstrate how they relate to contemporary adverts.

Describe whether or not digital has impacted persuasions techniques and have newer persuasions been created because of online advertising.

Explain phycological techniques from Freud and Packard. Use triangulation from other sources to understand whether their techniques are used today.  

Deep analysis of an image that used all 8 hidden needs (or the majority)

Conclusion - Tie the argument up and conclude the argument of whether or not the hidden persuaders are still alive and well in contemporary advertising

Peer feedback

How sources will you use for the triangulation

Is freud relevant in relation to Packard? 

It's effective to sum up all 8 hidden needs at the start and suggest how they relate to contemporary adverts.