Persuasive Campaign Assignment: Made In the USA

Moriah Lail Carter, Peggy Davis, Corey Baker

COM 3155; Fall 2013
Dr. Ed Brewer







Introduction
This campaign is a public service announcement to encourage Americans to buy
more products manufactured in the United States. It is important to buy locally to
support our own economy and help local markets grow, especially since American
companies focus on fair wages, clean working environments, and superior quality. Our
audience includes American adult consumers. We will focus on both men and women,
ages 25-70. We will promote the new American dream by appealing to Americans
sense of nationalism. We chose a pretty broad range for the target audience because we
feel this is something nearly everyone can do. USA-made products are usually more
expensive than imported goods, and that is why we chose adults 25-70 years old to target;
they typically have more money than young consumers.
The members of our target audience are most likely to be susceptible to our ideas
for a number of reasons. At the age of twenty-five, one has typically secured a job in his
or her desired career path or has at least obtained a sufficient job, and thus tends to have
more money than those who are younger and still live with their parents, are involved in
school, and either work a minimum-wage job or do not work at all. It would be inefficient
to expand our attempts towards an extremely young audience because younger
individuals are typically not as concerned with craftsmanship and longevity of a product
at the expense of a higher price tag. Younger audiences are typically less aware of the
long-term value of spending more in the short-term on furniture
The older generations we are targeting are not only more capable of affording
American-made products, but are also more likely to appreciate the typically more solid
craftsmanship and durability of said products. As people this age have typically begun
families of their own and have settled into a long-term residence, they understand the
importance of products that will undergo the tests of time with hardiness, which
American-made products were well known for manufacturing in previous years. They
understand that these products are well worth the extra expenditure because they will be
able to use them for years and years, perhaps even passing them on to their offspring;
some imported products have the tendency to malfunction, require extensive and constant
maintenance, and break. Thus, leading to one actually spend more replacing and
maintaining these products than they would had they purchased the higher-priced
American-made equivalent. Economist.com (2009) discusses the poor quality of Chinese
of products.
Not only does our target audience understand the personal benefits of purchasing
American-made goods, but also the global and moral aspects of their purchase. Those
younger than our target audience typically have a fairly egocentric worldview, and on
average do not greatly care about the repercussions of their actions unless said
repercussions directly affect their own well-being. Our target audience possesses a more
encompassing worldview and understands that every little thing they do has a small
impact on society as a whole. They acknowledge that purchasing American-made
products is supporting American business as a whole, which in turn is promoting
economic growth and expansion (something which America desperately needs at this
time). As a result, American workers are getting paid money that would otherwise be
flowing southward or overseas, and thus contributing to our reliance on foreign sources
of material and labor. This act, in turn, promotes American independence, which is
something that used to be held in high regard.
There will be one key motivational message: Support the buying of American-
made products. The primary goal for this campaign is to increase awareness among
Americans of the importance of purchasing American-made products. Consumers should
further support locally owned businesses and actively seek out products made in America
rather than the most convenient item. This campaign aims to develop a sense of pride and
moral obligation to purchasing American-made products. This campaign also intends to
cause a notable increase in sales numbers of companies that manufacture products in
America. As mentioned, many consumers tend to purchase products that are simply the
least expensive. The tendency to buy cheaper makes sense because it is the cheapest way
to meet a need. This campaign must change the attitudes of consumers from that of
finding quick solutions to an attitude of buying efficient products that save money in the
long run. Changing the attitudes and thus the behaviors of American consumers is
necessary for getting consumers to veer from their common behaviors of buying cheap
rather than buying quality. Another reason we are trying to change Americans
nonchalant views of purchasing imported goods is because the United States has high
industry standardsnot only for the quality of manufactured goods, but also for the
safety and health conditions of factory workers. Think of all the many labor laws in
effect that make working in the United States a better place. They include workers
compensation, maternity leave, OSHA standards, minimum wage, and many others. We
are supporting our own people buy purchasing USA-made products and their right to
work in a safe, healthy environment. On the website for the Department of Labor in
America (Summary of the Major Laws of the Apartment of Labor) there is a summary of
the major labor laws for the country. An article on americans-world.org elaborates the
superiority of American labor standards and compliance with international labor laws.
When considering different segments versus an entire target audience of
American shoppers, it is important to remember generational differences. The older
generations tend to realize there is more value in purchasing an American made product
than one from another country. They realize that buying from local businesses may help
boost local economy and overall our national economy and this strengthens our nation.
Younger generations tend to buy more convenience purchases, this meaning they
are cheaply made products and sometimes easier to locate. Younger generations also
tend to buy their products online rather than going to an actual store; this is purely by
convenience as well. If the younger generation would consider buying online from local
businesses or American made countries this would be a step in the right direction.
Younger generations will be reached through mediums such as social media and radio by
using humor and culturally relevant techniques. Older generations will be targeted with
presentations of values and humor older generations are more sympathetic towards.
Generation Y will be targeted with Internet-based media and Generations X, Baby
Boomers, and the Silent Generation will be targeted with broadcast media and print
media.
The objective of our marketing campaign is to encourage American consumers to
buy American-made products instead of relying on imported goods. We hope to motivate
them to change their behavior by highlighting both the financial and personal benefits of
doing so, as well as trying to instill within them a sense of nationalism that has gone
dormant as of late. We believe our cause is a tremendously worthwhile endeavor, and
will ultimately benefit the average consumer, American-owned businesses, and the
American economy as a whole.

Topic
American made products should be bought because they support not only
patriotism, but also the United States Economy. The focus of this campaign is to compel
Americans to buy products made in the USA

Exigency
It is very important for Americans to understand the importance of buying
products made in ones own country right now due to the poor United States economy.
The United States economy is suffering greatly right now and it needs to be more self-
sufficient instead of relying on other economies. The more American-made products
Americans buy, the more the United States economy is self-stimulated.

Goals
Our goals include raising awareness for the need for Americans to buy American-
made products to strengthen the United States economy and to build an increased sense
of patriotism to increase American nationalism.
Audience
The general audience has been sectioned out into generational sections in the
introduction of this assignment we only had 3 sections that we thought were the best
target audience, however, we added two additional generations. The oldest generation
being the silent generation, this generation consists of 65 years and older. The second
oldest generation would be the baby boomers; this group consists of ages 51-65. The
third generation, generation x, ages 36-50. The second to last generation, generation y,
ages 25-35. Lastly, our youngest generation, the millennial generation, ages 18-25.
Overall, we have separated these generations but the ultimate goal is to re-instill the
American people to purchase American made products.

Associated Theories
The Theory of Reasoned Action introduces a theory as to why people do the
things they do based of their attitude, values and social norm. When purchasing
American made products, parents or grand parents are in instilling these values in our
younger generation, the younger generations will be more likely to purchase American
made products if they knew the importance of doing so. Whereas older people who do
not necessarily care about American made products or purchasing them; that would just
not simply be important to them. There are variables that determine whether we will
accept or reject a message and then we will act accordingly. Those variables are our
cognitive dimension, affective dimension and our behavioral dimension. Cognitive
dimension refers to our beliefs and what we know about the object, in this case what we
know about purchasing American made products. Affective dimension refers to our
attitude, or how it makes us feel. Our behavioral dimension determines the relevance
according to our attitudes and beliefs; our beliefs tend to shift over time. Attitudes also
change when what we believe or know has started to become something else. Our attitude
is typically influenced by the people around us, what we see in the media, and also the
people we meet from day to day. Our attitude is compiled of the information that we
learn and accumulate over time. Ultimately, it is up to ones self and that resulting
behavior that suggests if we do or do not act upon something, even though there are many
factors pertaining as to why and if we have the motivation to do so.

Primacy vs. Recency Psychologists have long debated whether primacy or
recency is more important in advertising. Does it help to be the first advertisement seen
or heard in your product category or is it better to be the last advertisement seen or heard
before the consumer makes their purchase decision?

Primacy can be very effective in advertising. First impressions are important for a
reason! The first ad consumers see for a new product causes them to have a definition of
what that product is, and the brand is a part of that definition. You want to start off well
to put your buyers in a positive state, and it will filter their perception of whats to follow
(LOU). Thinking about your ad vehicle, such as a sales letter, a brochure, or a video is
just as important as the message of your ad. Design elements such as colors and fonts
and images are important when designing your first impression as well.

The current trend is for recency, which affects both the frequency and placement
of advertising (Kelley, Jugenheimer, & Sheehan, 2012). Recent ads can trump early ads
because people tend to remember the most recent information presented about a product
above all else (Trent, 2012). We have chosen to use the recency strategy to market to our
audience in our campaign, however, we are also instilling values in younger generations
which can be considered primacy appeal.

Identification
To identify with our cause, symbols of the American flag and read Made in the
USA are going to be motivators. Look for the tag will be a slogan we implement
during this campaign to not only encourage the audience to buy American made products,
but be aware of who they are supporting when they buy things.



Credibility
In order to establish trust with the audience, we decided that the perfect
spokespeople would be Americans that are well known and work hard and excel at what
they do. They had to be the kind of people that invoke a sense of nationalism within
audience memberspeople who make you proud to be an American. These people had to
be great ambassadors for the United States in other countries. United States Olympians
fit the bill. We made a list of candidates we would like to feature in advertisements
leading up to the 2014 Winter Olympics:

Gabrielle Douglas
Shaun White
Michael Phelps
Carl Lewis
Bruce Jenner
Edwin Moses
Misty May-Treanor
Lindsey Vonn
Apolo Ohno
Zach Parise

Case Building
Throughout the campaign, our key messages are:
Buying USA made products helps support our nations economy.
o Funds are cycled through our economy and more jobs are provided.
USA made products are better-quality and long-lasting buying for the
generations.
Support fair labor practices.
o When buying USA made products, you can buy with peace of mind
because regulations and wages for employees in the USA are fair. Your
money is not going to support unfair labor practices in other countries.

Activation
The first campaign we will start begins November 16 and lasts through December
31
st
. It is going to appeal to the emotions of the audience in using comparisons of out-of-
country factory conditions versus United States factory conditions. This campaign will
focus on safety and fair labor conditions for factory workers.
The 2014 Winter Olympics begin February 1
st
and so in an effort to support the
USA team and also raise awareness for our cause, we decided the best time to begin
advertising is January 1
st
. The idea of this campaign is to appeal to Americans sense of
nationalism and pride and encourage USA-made product purchases.

Outline of Goals:
Hulu/Youtube Advertisements
Television Advertisements
Radio

Digital Billboards:
Charlotte, North Carolina
Houston, Texas
Denver, Colorado
References
International Trade (n.d.). In Americans & the World. Retrieved November 16, 2013,
from http://www.americans-
world.org/digest/global_issues/intertrade/laborstandards.cfm
Kelley, L. D., Jugenheimer, D. W., & Sheehan, K. B. (2012). Advertising Media
Planning: A Brand Management Approach. Armonk, New York: M.E. Sharpe.

Health Behavior and Health Education. (n.d.). Perelman School of Medicine at the
University of Pennsylvania. Retrieved October 23, 2013, from
http://www.med.upenn.edu/hbhe4/part2-ch4-theory-of-reasoned-action.shtml

Theory of Reasoned Action. Retrieved October 23, 2013, from
http://www.istheory.yorku.ca/theoryofreasonedaction.htm


LOU. (n.d.). Using the Primacy Effect to Create Buying States. Retrieved October 20,
2013, from NLP Language Patterns for Advertising: http://blog.nlp-
techniques.com/2012/06/primacy-effect-create-buying-states/
Poorly Made (2009, May 14). In The Economist. Retrieved November 16, 2013, from
http://www.economist.com/node/13642306

Summary of the Major Laws of the Apartment of Labor (n.d.). In Department of Labor.
Retrieved November 16, 2013, from
http://www.dol.gov/opa/aboutdol/lawsprog.htm

Trent. (2012, September 7). The Primacy and Recency Effect and Your Next Purchase.
Retrieved October 20, 2013, from TheSimpleDollar.com:
http://www.thesimpledollar.com/the-primacy-and-recency-effect-and-your-next-
purchase/