1. The Rhetoric of Advertising
English 12
The Rhetoric of Advertising

2. WUQ
Think about your favorite advertisement, either from television, the internet, or a magazine/paper.
1. Describe this advertisement.
2. Why did you remember it?
3. What effect did it have on you?

4. Rhetoric
Definition of Rhetoric from the dictionary: the art or skill of speaking or writing formally and effectively especially as a way to persuade or influence people
language that is intended to influence people (and that may not be honest or reasonable)
Now, create your own definition.
Rhetorical triangle
What does context mean
Things friends call each other vs an acquaintance
Bumper sticker I love my wife

5. Author The author is the WHO behind something.
Who is behind this advertisement?
Who was hired to write this advertisement—does this change anything?
Who wrote this paper?
Who sent me this /text?
The creator

6. Audience The audience is the “who is this for?”
An author’s audience is the particular group of readers or viewers that the author is writing to/for.
Think, is this written for:
1. My supervisors?
2. My peers?
3. Consumers?
4. My family/friends
5. Strangers in my field of study?

7. Purpose The purpose is “what is this for?”
An authors purpose is their main reason for writing.
(3) main purposes for writing:
1. To inform
2. To persuade
3. To entertain
Inform: In 1492 Columbus sailed the ocean blue
Persuade: Ipod’s are better than my roommate singing because ipod’s will never lose their key To entertain: then he fell and his shoe fell off!

8. What’s the Purpose?
To Inform!

9. What’s the Purpose?
To Entertain!

10. What’s the purpose?
To Persuade!

11. What’s the purpose?
To Persuade!

12. What’s the purpose?
To Inform!

13. Identify Author, Audience, and Purpose

14. Identify Author, Audience, and Purpose

15. Identify Author, Audience, and Purpose

16. Identify Author, Audience, and Purpose
Rhetorical appeals triangle

17. To appeal to logos
Logos is the appeal to logic—the argument itself; the reasoning the author gives; logical evidence.

18. The appeal to ethos
Ethos is the appeal to credibility—how an author build credibility and trustworthiness.

19. The appeal to pathos
Pathos is the appeal to emotion—words or passages an author uses to activate or use emotion to convince the audience.

20. Identify Logos, ethos, & pathos

21. SO….
Follow the instructions on the handout and perform your own rhetorical analysis of an advertisement. This is a graded assignment. Do not submit it to turnitin.com