Blog #1 9.3.08

Blog #1:
In chapter 1, I really related with the theories behind the Mastercard commercial. I worked in marketing and helped write and create advertisements for businesses in my last job, and that is the reason I related so much with the evaluation of communication through the advertisement.
I did a little further research and watched the commercial on YouTube that Glenn & Marty discussed their theories on. This really helped me to grasp what the two professors were discussing, even though the book described the 30 second ad really well. After watching the ad, I noticed that Payton Manning was not identified as Glenn pointed out. I also took not of the “ordinary people” were having disasters happen at that moment on screen, but Manning just cheered them on and put a smile on their faces.
After reading about what Professor Glenn noted about Herbert Kelman’s theory of opinion change ‘people forge a bond of identification with a highly attractive figure like Manning, they’ll gladly embrace his persuasive pitch (14)’ I couldn’t help but think about the elections that are going on. I watched the Republican Convention on TV the last few nights and couldn’t help thinking about this theory. I really paid close attention the non-verbal communication from the politicians and what mannerisms played a part to win over the excited crowd. More than anything, I wanted to understand the reasons that McCain chose Palin from Alaska to be his running mate, as I am sure a lot of other American citizens are also. I started to wonder if the selection was based on the Opinion Change Theory because of her ability to win over a crowd and gain so much support so quickly. We will find out soon I am sure.