1. Analyzing Persuasion Through Advertising

2. Rhetoric From the Greek meaning “oratorical” or “public speaker”
It is the art of using language to persuade

3. Aristotle’s Three Modes of Rhetoric:
Logos
Pathos
Ethos

4. Logos An appeal to logic
Uses such things as statistics, examples, and reasoning.
Inductive reasoning: using several similar examples and drawing a general proposition
Deductive reasoning: using a few general propositions and drawing a specific truth or conclusion from them.

5. Example:

6. Pathos An appeal to emotions
The goal is to appeal to the audiences’ sense of identity or self-interest and exploit our common biases
Audiences tend to find speakers who flatter them more persuasive, so words with positive connotation will be used

7. Example:

8. Ethos Appeal to credibility
Speaker’s: background, education, relationship to audience/topic
Awards for product or innovation
Celebrity support

9. Example:

10. Persuasive Techniques in Advertising

11. Bandwagon
Uses the argument that a person should believe or do something because “everyone else is doing it”
Intended effect: get the consumer to buy something because they want to fit in or because they assume it is good because everyone else has it.

13. Bait and Switch
Dishonest tactic in which a salesperson lures customers into a store with the promise of a bargain
Intended effect: Consumers are persuaded to buy a more expensive item

15. Celebrity Spokesperson
Uses a celebrity or famous person to endorse a product
Intended effect: Consumers buy something because they like/respect the celebrity

17. Emotional Appeals
Make viewer feel certain emotions, such as excitement, sadness, or fear
Intended effect: Audience will transfer that feeling to the product

19. Glittering Generalities
Emphasizes highly valued beliefs such as patriotism, peace, or freedom
Intended effect: Consumers accept this information, often without enough real information about the product

21. Humor
Used to make audiences laugh, but provides little information about the product or service
Intended Effect: Consumers remember the ad and associate the positive feelings with the product

23. Individuality
Appeals to consumer’s desire to be different from everyone else; the opposite of the bandwagon appeal
Intended effect: Consumers are able to celebrate their own style or rebel against the mainstream and view the product as unique or cool

25. Loaded Language
Uses words with positive or negative connotations to describe their product or the competitor
The words appeal to the consumer’s emotions and help to make a product more desireable

27. Name-calling Attacks people or groups to discredit their ideas
Intended effect: Consumer focuses on the attack rather than the issues

29. Plain Folk
Shows ordinary people using or supporting a product or candidate
Intended effect: Consumers trust the product because it is good enough for regular people

31. Product Comparison Compares a product with the “inferior” competition
Intended effect: Consumers believe that the featured product is the better of the two

33. Color in Ads

34. Effect of Colors
Warm colors (reds, yellows, bright yellow-greens, and oranges)—evoke warm images like the sun, love, relationships
These colors move toward the viewer’s eyes
Cool colors (blue, green, violet)—remind viewer of cool images like grass, winter, and ponds.
These colors move objects in an image back and away from the eye

35. Colors cont.
Complementary colors—are opposite each other on the color wheel
Contrast the most and create excitement when placed side by side
They enhance or complement each other (red looks redder next to green) and are visually appealing and harmonious

36. Analyzing Layout

37. Things to consider:
Because western culture reads from left to right, top to bottom, the most important information will be in the top, left part of the page and will follow an inverted 6 pattern on the page
Readers will follow the eyes of the person in the page, so most models in an ad will be looking at the product and not away or to another page
Women respond better to females in an ad, while men respond more to sex, so this will help you determine who your audience is for a product.

38. Continued…
Men respond better to linear shapes and simple objects, while women prefer curves, and colors or people that create a story

39. Wording Purr words: words used to induce a positive connotation
Snarl words: words used to induce a negative connotation
“Seal harvest” vs. “seal slaughter,” “fetus” vs. “unborn child,” “terrorist” vs. “freedom fighter”

40. Wording cont.
Weasel wording: any word that is used to intentionally mislead or misinform (usually a modifier)
Examples:
“Helps control dandruff with regular use”
“Listerine helps fight bad breath.”
“Leaves dishes virtually spotless.”

41. Let’s practice!