Manipulate and avoid manipulations: Appeals as a tool of visual influence in horror movie posters

Absztrakt (kivonat)

This work investigates on the strategies advertisers utilize to manipulate the viewers and via movie posters. The ways marketing appeals work and influence the human behavior are researched. Author attempts to find the most effective appeals for the posters, promoting films of horror genre to the auditory of young adults, interested in this category of films. Thesis additionally investigates on the level of importance for the consumers to avoid being influenced by the appeal strategies, and the viewers’ attitude to these marketing tools. Results of the analysis are potentially useful for the media creators to assist in the process of designing the content, able to successfully target the audience. For answering the questions of the research, author goes through several steps. Firstly, history of cinema, movie posters and, specifically, first horror movie posters in the world history is investigated. Secondly, I visual appeals and manipulations are classified by the tactic they use to manipulate the audience, relying on the theories of Saussure, Pierce, Bathes and, mainly, on the Aristotle’s Triangle of Models of Persuasion. Analysis of the color in the visual materials is conducted, utilizing Wierzbica’s studies. An important step is analyzing the tendencies in horror movie poster design. Finally, participants are asked to complete an online survey, where they are given a choice between two posters of a horror movie, containing different marketing manipulation and appeal strategies. Viewers make a choice and justify it from the given options or in the “Other” category with their personal opinions. Quantitative research method in the form of survey with pre-made answers guarantee the collection of the needed data. The analysis of the results becomes the basis for creating the list of most effective appeals and manipulations for creating the horror movie poster in the Conclusion of the work.