The Pitch Workshop Reflection: ~ Casio Keytar

In my pitch, there was an abundance of appeals incorporated inexplicitly in order to effectively deliver the pitch. The task however, was not fully understood, and thus rather than creating a proper pitch, what was presented was more of a proposed advertisement. But, the appeals we strived to incorporate were ones such as pathos, ethos, logos, the need for affiliation, the need to achieve, bandwagon, the need for attention, and the need for aesthetic sensations. All of these were weaved into the presentation with the hopes of grasping the viewer’s attention and enticing their senses. All of these appeals work together to be able to trigger the audience’s emotions using factual content and credibility to then allure the audience and shed light on the idea of success. Success is a very communal facet of life that every person aims for. Individuals in a band tend to aim for success, fame and publicity. Throughout the presentation these ideas were specifically mentioned to again attract our target audience.

            The three main persuasive techniques utilized were ‘association,’ ‘bandwagon’ and ‘new.’ Association is a persuasive technique that links the product to something desired by the target audience. In this case our target audience were specifically amateur musicians, college geeks, high school students or young adults. Or just simply individuals interested in music. We associated the keytar to fame, “The newest technology which will bring you 100s of fans!!! Millions will want to watch you play the keytar!!!” The enthusiasm of the tone coupled with associating a keytar with publicity and fame will attract bands and musicians to see whether this technology will actually create such a reputation for them. The next persuasive technique was bandwagon. Bandwagon refers to the audience feeling the need to belong or fit in with the “cool” people. Such ads urge us to “jump on the bandwagon.” This technique was demonstrated by displaying images of individuals from the same social group playing the keytar. Then again by using a celebrity to show that if they want to be just as successful as Lady Gaga, they should probably follow the trend and jump on the bandwagon. Also by continuously mentioning that all the successful bands use this product, so you better get it so you can fit in and be like them. Finally, we used the persuasive technique of this product being new. All people like new things, because we tend to think they are better. We highlighted the fact that it is a newer and improved technology combining two instruments bands have. “To all you amateur musicians looking to start a career… Do you like keyboards & guitars? But you can’t make up your mind? We have the perfect option for you… A KEYTAR!!!!” This shows the audience that it is a new technology combining two old things to make it better. We then go on to say that it is “A new way to play!” This again urges the audience to want this new thing to not only fit in but because the idea of success has been purposefully engrained into their minds.

            As mentioned above this product is directed towards amateur musicians, college geeks, high school students or young adults. In other words, musicians. The context was set in the 80s. This influenced the overall approach taken towards this task in terms of the tone and way in which the ad was delivered. An awareness of the audience resulted in an informal diction to be used. The context did not majorly impact the approach taken, however it did influence the images used and the presentation of the information. The images presented were rather old, reflecting the fashion trends of the 80s and the quality of the images.

The second part of my pitch was the PowerPoint that included images in addition to slogans to aid the presentation. The images used had the purpose of enticing the viewers and were used to enhance the use of the persuasion techniques and appeals. The images mainly revolved around success, fame, the idea of the product being new, and the need for aesthetic sensations. This can be seen through the use of hip musicians, alike to the target audience, playing the keytar. This allowed the audience to identify with the individual in the image. Pictures that emphasize the idea of fame and success were incorporated. By placing an image of a musician next to a crowd, we will be able to intrigue the audience by having them subconsciously make links and associate the two ideas. And finally images that case the viewers to move away from the old and regular keyboards and guitars and be attracted to the new and hip product of the keytar.  

As a whole I felt as though I presented confidently and fairly well. But, there are numerous things that could be improved. This presentation will not reflect my performance during my FOA, as not much effort was put into this task, on the other hand I will put my best work forth when the time to present the FOA approaches.