An advertisement's only purpose is to make the potential consumer buy it's product. Advertisers have formulated cunning ways to confuse the potential consumer into seeing or hearing things that are not evident. This advertiser's are so cunning, that their false tactics are not considered lies; and are not legally deemed as false advertisement. Aristotle summed up these facets of persuasion in his ideas of "pathos" (emotion), "logos" (logic), and "ethos" (credibility). There are also a variety of "weasel words" and techniques discovered by Charles A. O"Neil. Magazine advertisements for liquor are perfect examples to illustrate these points.
The "pathos" appeals to the weakest parts of human nature, emotion and feeling. Advertisements have a way of making individuals feel incomplete without their particular product. Others can satisfy subconscious desires of the viewer; such as social acceptance. (Hirchsberg, p465) The advertiser can make one feel as if their product is luxurious and is for the upper class of society. The advertiser can target an older consumer by causing one to reminisce about the "good old days". (Hirchsberg, p466) They also have the option of gaining the attention of a younger audience by putting a famous pop star in their ad. .
The "logos" is the reasoning or intent of the advertiser. What may seem to be in plain language and view actually is not and it is used in this manner for a purpose. The "logos" is essentially the logic behind the "pathos". This element is the method that the advertisers use to gain the interest of certain types of people. This element is like an unspoken science that these people use to get people to support their product. .
The "ethos" is the ethics of the advertisement. "Ethical questions are implicit in every act of persuasion". (Hirschberg, p469) This Aristotelian element calls on the ideals of morality and principle. The "ethos" determines whether the language or visuals the advertiser's uses are based in truth, thus moral.
Lysius' rhetoric was not dedicated to truth. ... Afterwards, Socrates expounded upon the nature of rhetoric. ... Once again, in the Art of Rhetoric, Aristotle demonstrates the importance of truthful rhetoric but this time in judicial context. ... It is never right to deceive the judge with rhetoric in any way. ... Today rhetoric lacks its true purpose. ...
There is a great deal to be learned about rhetoric by reading an article called, "Rhetorical Situations and Their Constituents," by Keith Grant-Davie. Rhetoric is a way to persuade someone through speaking or writing. ... "In order to understand rhetoric, it is necessary to understand the motivations (Grant-Davie 101)". Grant-Davie's article inspired me to investigate rhetoric in use on my own. ... Axe being one of the top selling men hygiene products in the world, but it is also known for its unforgettable attractive sexual ads. ...
Scott's ads are infamous. ... Additionally there are other negative points in Scott's ads. ... Longer, more aggressive ads help Scott's popularity. ... Meantime, Crist's like-ability decreases as the political rhetoric and negativity of the ads becomes cumulative. ... However political ads can strongly sway popular opinion. ...
Mass media generally produce ads that exhibit falsities and manipulate the emotions of the public. ... According to Plato, "rhetoric is an instrument for making the will of God prevail" (Goldman, 58). ... The Ad Council has upheld the objectives of rhetoric throughout the years of the Smokey campaign. ... The epistemologists of rhetoric were mainly concerned with relating communication theory to the basic nature of man (Goldman, 147). ... Rhetoric is the study of influence. ...
The infuriating thing about this reactionary sort of approach to lawmaking is that the rhetoric will completely negate the fact that the lawmakers in both cases will agree personally with 99% of the proposed bill, and given the freedom to act without the threat of losing their job, most of these elected officials would have passed healthcare reform during the Clinton administration and the nation's focus would be elsewhere at this important time in our economic history. ... Unfortunately, that doesn't sell as many ads on CNN as "Town Hall Meeting erupts in violence", wherein the ...
The few ads that will be discussed will be those from World War II (WWII). ... Before the United States entered the war in Europe the making of political ads were in the process and getting ready for disseminating. ... They entered the arena of trying to get the American public through ploys like buying war bonds, rationing things, joining the military, through cartoon and the even used African Americans in these ads to increase their enlistment. ... The last of the ads from this era continue to show propaganda brought to you by the government with the assistance of the advertising industry...
Through its exaggerated rhetoric and lies that played upon America's racist outlook, the government provoked Puritans and Symbolic Crusaders alike to find some large, overdrawn meaning (cause and effect) of the crack problem. ... Finally, Dorfman (1993) evaluates and discusses the importance of counter-ads to our "war on drugs...
Established companies have the ability to finance and uphold ads similar to this one on a regular-basis with any given magazines. ... Women being shown as the gender that cleans the home consistently can be offensive to some consumers who see the ads. ...
A person can not let AIDS go uncured because of these activists" rhetoric (Murray). ... Spira and other animal rights activists ran full-page ads in newspapers showing bandaged white rabbits with the caption; "How many rabbits does Revlon blind for beauty's sake?" ...
