Week 2 - Processing info the easy way

This week we talked about the central vs. peripheral path of persuasion and the idea that the consumer should be at the center of the design of a health campaign. I've been trying to pay more attention to the health messages around me this week to see who is at the center of those messages and which pathway was utilized. It seems that most of what I've encountered have been focused on the peripheral pathway. Unfortunately since I wasn't processing those messages systematically (through the central pathway), I can't remember many of them now. Guess those campaigns weren't too effective with me! However there are a couple of ads that did stick with me--even though I wish these ones hadn't. One commercial I heard several times on the radio was for a company called 'Doctors Say Yes.' Here is the gist of the ad: Several young sounding women talk about how they were able to get easy financing in order to pay for their cosmetic surgeries...one even had money left over to go shopping! The main female voice of the commercial claims they offer 'guaranteed financing...No one is turned down!' On a personal level, I think this is a horrible commercial that is sending a message I do not agree with--promoting going into debt to pay for plastic surgery. Please, someone else say they've heard this one...Hopefully I'm not the only one out there with this opinion. As an analytical health communication student, this commercial does get their message across, via the peripheral route. It certainly caught my attention, although not with the company's intended outcome. I am assuming that their target audience is young females who want to be independent, want to change some physical aspect of their body, and are not yet making the big bucks to pay for such surgeries on their own. If I was part of that demographic, maybe their claims would appeal to me...who wouldn't want more money to go shopping? The main purpose of the ad is definitely to grab listeners' attention and alert them to the fact that YOU CAN afford plastic surgery. No financing details or any specifics are mentioned during the commercial. But they do provide their website so interested parties can find out more. This commercial utilizes the peripheral path, with the use of cognitive shortcuts -- there are definitely no rational arguments or information that needs to be processed systematically here.

Another commercial that stuck with me, although not entirely health related, is that unforgettable 'Head On' commercial. To me, the commercial epitomizes the use of the heuristic/peripheral path.
All that is stated throughout the commercial is the name of the product and that it is available without a prescription. No mention of what it is for, possible side effects, etc. My guess is that the producer's strategy is to evoke curiosity through repetition and lack of information. Even newer versions of the commercial poke fun at how 'annoying' the ad it is, but still no additional information about the product is given...Ordinary people who don't like the commercial simply claim that the product is great.
Again this ad doesn't call for any work from the consumer to process the information provided, and it definitely assumes low motivation/involvement from the audience.
Hopefully these won't be the only type of ads I'll remember throughout the semester. I'll now be on a mission to find some less-annoying ads that require a higher level of processing!