Bill Bryson's The Hard Sell

The Evolvement of Advertisement

Written to inform others on the past 100 years of advertisement, “The Hard Sell” allows us to take a look back at advertising and how it has changed our ways of selling products. Bill Bryson is a “versatile American author of several books on travel, science and literature”, who served as a chancellor of Durham University in England and has received honorary awards Bryson is more than capable of informing readers about The Hard Sell (120). Bryson will introduce the importance of advertisement from an excerpt from his own book Made in America: An Informal History of the English Language in the United States.

Bryson begins his explanation by introducing a well-known businessman. George Eastman, creator of the Kodak camera began using slogans to attract consumers. This did not go unnoticed by businessmen around him. These businessmen began to see how the use of a good slogan could sway a consumer’s choice. This was the beginning of the advertisement business. “Consumers soon became acquainted with the irresistibly tempting notion that if they bought a particular product they could

expect a reward…” this was known as the giveaway brought to us in the 1900’s(124). Consumers were offered the opportunity to win a prize or a free prize at the price of their product. This tactic allowed consumers to believe that they were getting a greater deal when in many cases that was in fact not the case. In the late 1920’s an entirely new approach of selling goods was introduced, causing anxiety to consumers. Industry’s began to ask the unsettling questions that would leave the consumer feeling anxious and in need of help. The consumer was now desperate for a cure to whatever problem they may be facing and would feel that the only option would be to invest in the product. Therefore, this was the “Age of Anxiety” for consumers (125). Through these examples given to us by the author we are able to see how advertisement has transformed into a powerful and manipulative business.
Instead of presenting his thesis from the start, Bryson provides examples and stories to support his excerpt. Bryson allows the readers brain to begin to create their own argument and thesis. This is a bold and powerful technique. It requires the readers full attention due to the fact that they are searching for the correct thesis rather than their own. In this excerpt Bryson shows an array of different methods in his writing. He uses logos to convey many of his statements; he provides examples, facts and dates to act as evidence. We see that Bryson is credible due to his versatile knowledge on “travel, science, and literature” (120). He provides many different and relevant scenarios, which is evidence of his knowledge on previous events. Bryson does not use pathos because it shows no relevance to advertisement instead he focuses on the information that he can provide to the readers. You are able to see that the author is focused on factual evidence rather than creating an emotional tie to readers.
Bryson’s main goal is have the readers leave his article behind knowing more than when they first began to read it.

He takes us back into time to when stories were happening and encourages us to see it as it once was. Bill Bryson designed The Hard Sell: Advertising in America to inform the readers about the topic at hand.

In conclusion, The Hard Sell: Advertising in America shows us how advertisement has evolved over the 100 years. The industry has developed into more than just slogans, commercials or special offers. Over the years advertisement has been faithful in manipulating costumers. Advertisement over the years has transformed into a manipulative business. It shows consumers exactly what they want to hear and allows them to only see the positive in the product. Many times they feel that without the product they may be missing out on an

opportunity.