The Persuaders

Very good episode that focuses on the omnipresence of advertising and (specifically) the need to keep people engaged with the sellers' message. We're bombarded with ads, and at a certain point, we stop buying the promises of "whiter" or "cleaner", and now the objective is to nail potential buyers on an emotional level. The affective component. That we, as consumers, feel the need to belong and create meaning . . . which is the same reason for seeking a cult. I don't remember who in the episode said that, but that's an attention- grabber, by god.

But more than that, this introduces Clotaire Rapaille, a marketing consultant and easily the documentary's greatest character. A man who's in search of the "the 'reptilian hot buttons' that compel us to action." That the industry can be boiled down to lower human function. It's not insulting, because he's so likably French.

For a nuts-and-bolts view of nuts-and-bolts advertising, this is good stuff. But throw in an eccentric manipulator, and it takes on something else entirely.

7/10