Guest Blogger: Becca Tanner.
Sometimes, the hardest part of research is knowing where to start. There is a tremendous amount of information out there, and nowhere near enough time to find it all. However, there are some incredible sources of information that tend to be overlooked. These sources are often excellent places to start in the research process–you may have a general idea of what you are interested in, but don’t know much about the subject itself. The Surprising Sources series will introduce you to the sources (primarily online) that you may never have considered as a starting point. Spending some time checking out these sites will often not only help you come up with a research question, but provide other sources to go to for more specific information. They are valuable assets for understanding the context and background of what you are interested in.
Frontiline on PBS
One incredibly rich source of information is . Yes, the land of Nova, Sesame Street and costume dramas also has excellent resources for those of us in the social sciences. For instance, the documentary series Frontline produced the show “The Persuaders” (2004), a documentary that deals with marketing and advertising. It provides not only a detailed look how goods and ideas are sold to us, but also at the impact that marketing has, both on consumers and society as a whole. It is a good introduction to both the sociological and psychological impacts of marketing. Luckily for us, PBS provides more than just the documentary. In addition to the show, there are additional web features that discuss neuroscience in marketing, as well as an examination of how a brand is created, and interviews and discussions with those involved with the show. Even better is the links/reading section, which takes you to even more sources–from organizations that deal with privacy concerns, to advertising trade magazines, to tools that allow you to identify different types of consumers in your area. PBS hooks you up with the good, the bad and the ugly of marketing, and just about any other topic you are interested in. Let’s say that after watching “The Persuaders”, and browsing through the extra information, you have discovered a topic to look into further–how psychology has informed and changed the nature of political advertising. From the Frontline link page for the Persuaders, you can go to The Living Room Candidate, which has archives of political ads dating back to Eisenhower (1952, for those of us too young to remember), with links to analysis and information on nearly everything you could think of relating to political advertising. Incidentally, the Living Room Candidate website also provides a link back to a 1998 PBS program, ““The :30 Second Candidate” which provides further information about how politicians are “sold” during a campaign and provides its own list of resources to help you in your research.
Added by Merrie:
Where would you go from here? We have several databases that are relevant to the marketplace and advertising. Communication Mass Media Complete, Business Source Premier, and PsycNET will all lead you to more scholarly sources.
Other articles from this blog on PBS: The Criminalization of Mental Illness and African American Newspapers
PBS offers this sort of indepth additional material for nearly all the programs on their website, and it they offer a variety of links to other resources to continue your research. You will be amazed at what you find. So next time you need ideas or more information about a subject, visit PBS to find out what they have.
