Dear FRONTLINE,

It’s a lot of fun to read these comments. Thanks for the forum. I spent time as an Account Planner at a large, forward thinking ad agency. The Planners role in developing ad and brand strategy is to be the “voice of the consumer” by digging in to their lives, souls, and brains with quantitative and qualitative research, then using it to frame what the strategy and message should be.

It can seem creepy when you think of giant corporations using the techniques of anthropologists and scientists to sell stuff, but I think it’s important to remember that most times, they fail. Seventy-one percent of all new products fail. In terms of science, that’s not a promising number. People are unpredictable and hard to understand. I don’t mean to say that this approach isn’t powerful, but it would have been easy for Frontline to do a show on the failure of many “brilliant” brand and ad strategies as well. They far outnumber the successes.

For me, it’s become sport analyzing and speculating about how and why company’s messages are what they are. It can be fun, and it makes all this much less threatening. Trust me, brand strategists are smart, but not that smart. I'll take Naomi Klein anyday.

Matt Olson
Minneapolis, Minnesota

Dear FRONTLINE,

Thank you. What a powerful show.

I felt the key to what the advertisers are trying to sell, and it's also mentioned in the program, is a feeling of community. As a human the emotional feeling of belonging, about feeling apart of a group—something bigger than ourselves is a way to make an instant statement about who we are. This, I think, is one our biggest issues. We are losing to the advertisers. Our towns are being bought up by business who want to supply community in the form of shopping malls and consumerism, instead of centered on personal relationships and the green space that it takes to bring people out of their homes to meet one another.

Instead of filling this void with product, we need to fill it with one another. So...I think it's time for America to go back to summercamp for a couple of weeks. No tv, no radio, just a campfire, good conversation, and the company of others. I think the simple life is calling, for that's when the substance of life, and the community we are longing for reappears—free if charge.

Time to declutter...

Jinger Schroeder
Ventura, CA

Dear FRONTLINE,

what a wonderful program on persuasion and human behavior. I thoroughly enjoyd it and have recommended mnay of our clients to view it. Our firm specializes in the growing field of reputation management-- it is a close cousin of public raltions-- but where it differs is in the counsel we provide cleints: they must change their behavior to reflect what the market seeks before they communicate anything.

Too many people are into saying and not asking first. Many of your viewres appeared depressed at the thought of these modern persuasion techniques being used-- consider they can be used to

motivate good behavior desireable to society just as well as selfish actions. The more we know about the brain-- the better we will learn to do good. Good is not exclusive from commerce and marketing.

peter morrissey
Boston, MA

Dear FRONTLINE,

I really enjoyed the show. It just proves my old high school teacher's quotation "Figures never lie, but liars sure know how to figure." You can make relationships with totally random independent events.

I was wondering if the marketing guru guy has ever decoded the word "cool." If so, how come Frontline isn't considered a mainstream "cool" show. It is probably because mainstream consumers are too busy other consuming crappy tv shows. Keep up the good work. In my humble opinion I think you guys make a "cool" show.

Jonathan Reyes
Sunnyvale, California

Dear FRONTLINE,

I enjoyed what was clearly a thought-provoking and sobering testament to the process of persuading the purchasing decisions of the consumer in an age of ubiquitous background "noise."

I, however, was left with a disturbing impression that I wonder if other viewers felt: Now that we are consumers (not citizens); demographics and focus groups drive decisions and policy; and the cult of consumption is more important that the nature of (or need for) a item, it seems the real product is US.

If services or goods being produced are relatively static in the innovation they bring to the market -- is one tennis shoe really any better than other? does your SUV get you to the grocery store any better than mine? -- it seems like it is the consumer that represents the component to be shaped and branded in the purchasing equation.

I just hope our only defense, critical thinking skills, are enough.

Paul Hoffman
Lincoln, NE

Dear FRONTLINE,

This show blew me away. I have a BS in Marketing from a private university, and many of the topics covered, I learned in university. However, what caught my attention was how marketing played a vital role in the 2004 Presidential election. I realized that marketing did play a huge role, but there is a lot of new technology that was used in this years election that my university never covered.

There is quite a buzz on the internet today over this program. I do hope that PBS will rebroadcast this, as this show went up against the Country Music Awards. I just happened upon it during a commercial during the CMA's.

Thanks for a brilliant show.

Traverse City, MI

Christina Rellica
Traverse City, Michigan

Dear FRONTLINE,

These same "methods of persuasion" are also tranforming our legal system. No case of any real importance makes it to court without one side, or both, holding the same types of research your show explored.

An industry and research literature are currently emerging around this field - called "Jury Research" - look it up.

You might find it an interesting follow-up topic.

Chicago, Illinois

Dear FRONTLINE,

Regardless of the many great uncertainties and anxieties that exist in the world today, Americans, as a nation, have amassed great wealth. We have done so by being industrious, entrepreneurial and ambitious. The measure is a steady increase in our standard of living as measured by gains in worker productivity. And the result, choices. Many choices.

Why is this bad? The not-so-subtle point of view of this Frontline segment, which I found to be incredibly intelligent and insightful, is that American culture is somehow worse off because marketers are leveraging a variety of technologies (I use this term generally to include both hard technology data mining techniques that Axciom employs as well as the more nuanced approahes that the market researchers suggest) to communicate the difference between themselves and their competitors.

What this point of view fails to realize is that it is the same wealth effect responsible for choice in American culture that has grocery stores stocking dozens of different cereals and automakers turning out hundreds of models per year that also enables a city like Chicago to offer more than just one Art Museum, more than just one History Museum, as well as many, many other philanthropically supported cultural institutions, each competing for audience attention and funding dollars. And Chica go is not alone.

I would even venture to say that our political choices are a result of the same forces (although the political pundits may suggest the cause and effect relationship to be the opposite).

Choice is Freedom. I contend that America is a better place because of these choices and one small price we pay for these freedoms is to enable marketers who ultimately are a source for our continued increase in the American standard of living to convey their messages in the most effective and efficient manners they choose. At the end of the day, the American consumer still has the final choice - the right to buy or not to buy...

Steve Schachter
Nashville, TN

Dear FRONTLINE,

Great show, I yelling at my set in the first half & pondering the information presented for the remainder of the show. I felt manipulated!

What I felt so strongly reactive to, in the beginning was how "the persuaders" seemed to be trying to influence us to believe that by buying & spending our money so that we could belong or have a sence of being apart of a larger community through owning a product. Amazing if anyone feels alienated & alone, all we have to do is delude ourselves into believing that from buying XYZ or a Saturn we can belong. Wow people actually went to the Saturn plant for their vacation & to meet other Saturn owners. I supose next we'll see prscriptions to purchase brand name products to counter the effects of our emotional & mental disorders? ...

Thank you again for the "look behind the curtain" veiw of advertising, the manipulative means to greater profits & seats of governmental power.

Stephen c. Foos
Spokane, Washington

Dear FRONTLINE,

Interesting show; however, you failed to mention the simple fact that LUCK still plays the biggest role of all in the success of any product. Who could have ever predicted that DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES would be TV's #1 show, on a network that few have watched over the past few years?

As head of global marketing for King World in the 80s, I launched WHEEL OF FORTUNE, JEOPARDY, and OPRAH. Focus groups did not make those shows winners--the American public did. WHEEL OF FORTUNE has been the number one syndicated show now for over 20 years. Research had little to do with this show's success. Ditto Jeopardy. Further, if you could duplicate Oprah via marketing and research, it would have been done. She's one of a kind.

Yes, I enjoyed your report. However, LUCK and HARD WORK of people like OPRAH play a bigger role than fancy marketing and market research.

David Sams
Westlake VIllage, CA

Dear FRONTLINE,

I am a focus group moderator, and I found this program to be very informative. One thing I constantly learn in my work is that I don't represent the "average respondent". In much the same way, Frontline viewers don't necessarily represent the "average American". So, referring to people who can't see past the advertising as "morons" is inaccurate and is much the reason why companies continue to invest in this expensive form of communication - bottom-line, it drives sales & builds brand image.

I think all of us to some degree are influenced by this. I have to admit that on a personal level, yes, "The War on Terror" generates a different feeling in me than "The War in Iraq". I found it fascinating to see how not only products but also political agendas can be "spun" based on desired image.

I'm looking forward to watching the tape again; thanks for providing an insightful and thought-provoking program.

Anju Holay
Barrington, IL

Dear FRONTLINE,

I was very interested to learn about all of the varied aspects of advertising. One particularly disturbing revelation was that so much of our personal information is collected and sold to advertisers by the Acxiom Corporation. Everyone should know that you can go to their website (http://www.acxiom.com/), click on "contact us" and select the option for "US customer opt out." Fill in your name and address, and they will send you a form in the mail that allows you to remove yourself from their database. The fact that we can opt out of this disgusting brach of privacy should be made widely known.

Greg Bean
Madison, WI

Dear FRONTLINE,

It can be said there are two types of sound, conversation and noise. Advertising has become little but noise; silly, wasteful, intrusive noise. Life is not about "feeling good" as part of a commercial cult. True feeling good comes doing good and from being introspective.

Advertising can have a purpose in informing about a product or service, which the intrusive drivel has all but lost sight of.

Isn't it time we start turning off and shutting down the flim flam artists and start recovering our culture.

John McDonnell
Albuquerque, NM

Dear FRONTLINE,

Very interesting documentary on the state of broadcast advertising.

What impacted me most was the brief comment toward the end of the program that hinted at how a consumer-driven culture leads to a segregation among demographics. This would have a powerful impact on the voting habits of Americans who are conditioned to think as consumers who are motivated by what serves their needs.

We would tend to vote less for what is best for our nation or communities as a whole and more toward what serves us as individuals in a demographic. Profound.

It worth noting that I have worked as a broadcast "persuader" and it's true that breaking through the clutter just creates more of it. My praise to the producers of this program.

simon guevara
grand, Michigan

Dear FRONTLINE,

After watching the "Persuaders" last night,I was left with feelings of chagrin and revelation. As a high school English teacher,there are certain times when the nature of consumerism and TV come up in discussions about the media.It is fascinating to see just how much our adolescents are manipulated by the media. Fads come and go more rapidly than one can imagine. There is always a constant stream of "what's new",and then it's gone. Although the reliance on high-powered focus groups is not a surprise,it's discouraging to see how their decisions are perceived as economic gospel.

They have their hooks firmly planted in our youth, and it won't be long before they start selling video games at fast food restaurants...Oh wait...they already do. Thanks for yet another "Eureka" production.

Jeffrey Craig
Easthampton, MA

Dear FRONTLINE,

Possibly the scariest show I have seen on TV (or anywhere else). Is this the way we are going - sociopathic ad agency creeps subverting democracy with subtle brainwashing techniques? There should be a congressional committee struck to investigate these people.

adrian white
duncan, b.c.