ABSTRACT
In this chapter, we look at strategically orchestrated persuasive media messages that are produced to encourage people to behave in a certain way or adopt a point of view. To sell products, advertisers use persuasive communication. Candidates for political office use these strategies to convince people to vote for them. Public service campaigns (PSAs) urge people to adopt healthy behaviors or socially responsible behaviors. In this chapter, we consider how professional communicators construct messages that are intended to persuade the audience. To do so, strategies employed in PSAs are analyzed and theories associated with constructing messages that influence the behavior of the audience members are evaluated. These techniques are similar to those used to persuade consumers to purchase a product or vote for a candidate.
