Advertisement Analysis Essay
Final Draft Due September 17th, 2012
The advertisement analysis project is meant to get you thinking critically about
“messages.” I place “scare quotes” around messages because, really, almost
everything you encounter in life is rhetoric. We see arguments around us every day,
whether it’s a student trying to convince their professor to let them out of an
assignment or an advertisement extolling the virtues of the latest miracle product
(“GAURENTEED TO MAKE YOU THIN IN 2 HOURS OR YOUR MONEY BACK!!!”).
Your job is to find a print advertisement that uses several rhetorical strategies
(appeals) in order to sell its product. You will then analyze the effectiveness of the
ad based on the appeals and cultural contexts we have discussed in class.
Objectives:
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Discover the advertisement’s audience. Who was this made for?
Find the appeals. How is the ad constructed to appeal to its audience?
Read the social context. What does the advertisement say about its audience?
Determine the effectiveness. Is the ad effective or ineffective at appealing to
its audience?
Outcomes:
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To look at rhetoric critically – analyzing from the perspective of “audience”
To develop an argumentative voice (this doesn’t necessarily mean a
“contentious” voice, but certainly one informed by looking through a critical
lens)
To construct a rhetorical essay – you will need a thesis statement, supporting
paragraphs, and a conclusion
To lay a foundation of cultural and rhetorical awareness that will help you on
future projects in this course
To become a critical thinker
Please upload your final drafts to our D2L website. I’ve created a “dropbox” called
“Advertisement Analysis” where you can turn in your papers. REMEMBER: All final
drafts must be submitted before class on the day in which they are due (in this case
September 17th, 2012) to receive full credit. Consult your syllabus for more
information about grading and assignment policies.