MadMen: The Smoking Pitch

In Thinking Skills we worked with credibility criteria, specifically with vested interest. What is a vested interest? Well, a vested interest is when someone has something to gain from benefiting one side over the other. As to achieve it, someone can present one-side arguments or select some specific evidence, reducing the credibility of the source. In class we saw an extract of the TV serie "Mad Men", where we can identify two moments where vested interest is used.

1. When Peter had an idea for a new propaganda of the cigarettes company

When he tells his new idea, he is telling one side of the story, which benefits the company. He compares the risk of dying with cigarettes with dying in a car accident, explaining that life can be dangerous, so if you are going to die, at least enjoy a cigarette. By showing this, Peter avoids the part where smoking leads you to death, benefiting the company.

2. When Don tries to convince everyone about his idea

Don explains that there are six more companies selling the same product, but he wants to show that the products from other companies are poisoned, while Lucky Strike, the company he is working for, sells toasted tobacco. All the cigarettes are toasted, but Don's idea includes just one side of the story.

In both cases, Peter and Don, just want their idea to be chosen, so they avoid important things about cigarettes so as to benefit the company by selling their product effectively. Don's idea is the one elected, due to the fact that Peter's idea includes the fact that cigarettes are dangerous for us. 

Another example of vested interest is the propaganda from the L&M company, which connected health with cigarettes using expertise recommendation. Whatever a doctor says we usually believe it, as they are experts in what they say, they studied to know what they are saying.