The Art of Persuasion in Public Relations and Advertising.

So first of all, what do u think word persuasion means?

Is it a communication technique or a pressure tactic?

How many of us have used or use it?

In simple words Persuasion is nothing but a sort of communication that influences others’ opinions. Persuasion impacts feeling and emotions of the audience and helps them to change their minds about a certain subject or topic art of persuasion appears in the fields related to human interactions, such as advertising, TV, the Internet, and mass media.

Next thing  it is very important to understand that there is a thin line b/w persuasion and manipulation as both terms influence people’s perception and behavior. So here is an important question for you all: what do you think is correct and why?

We need to understand that though both change the mindset 

However, there is a great difference between those terms. Persuasion is applied to advance the position of people involved, making them accepting truth. The impact is Positive, long-lived 

while manipulation has a negative impact on those who adopt the manipulations, and is short-lived.

For eg TATA, a brand that has stood the test of time but still stands tall, Amul, they all have a credibility and emotional connect. On the other hand, a brand with all due respect that uses manipulation and misleading facts to garner sales, the outcomes of each are completely different. 

Additionally, the discourse of persuasion includes ethics that ensure that persuasive actions/speeches do not violate any ethical norms. 

The lines between persuasion, coercion, and violence are becoming increasingly blurred. Therefore, ethics is needed when dealing with persuasion; otherwise, it will turn into manipulation.

A classic example of this is Our Countrys election. Where political parties go to any length by using manipulation, coercion, bribery to outshine each other and get votes, this pressure is continuously hovering on the press, channels, etc., whereas the ideal way is to  see what is in the greater interest of the public, central to the society as a whole, not an interest in respect to 1 individual or community

When mitigating public relations or making advertising, it is vital to apply ethical principles. It is important to ensure that no one is offended and that the action that is going to be taken is acceptable to the public. 

To help practitioners of PR and advertising in mitigating ethical matters, there are standards at the city, national, or state levels. Number of organisations like ASCI, PIB, SITES LIKE DATA JOURNALISM, POYNTER HELP THE PRACTITIONERS. Moreover, it suggested that practitioners should act with regard to public interest. What is good and acceptable for everyone should be considered as public interest, and PR/ advertising practitioners should consider it. 

One more important point is considering consequences during reasoning. So practitioners should think of any outcomes of their decision before the actual decision making.