 Aristotle identified three types of appeals that might
be used to persuade an audience.
 Each one has varying effectiveness, depending on the
rhetorical situation and the audience.
 Derived from the nature of the case or informed (fact)
information for the topic under discussion.
 Logical appeals might show performance facts. Auto
makers frequently state mpg data.
 Logic in ads often takes the form of “If you buy this
product, ‘x’ will be the result.”
 The above logic, however, is often false logic in ads.
 Logical appeals vary in their effectiveness and are
dependent on the audience and situation.
 Derived from the character or credentials of the person or
organization - credibility.
 Ethical appeals are frequently abused.
 The use of celebrity endorsements relies on ethos to sell the
product (argument).
 Writers have ethical appeal when they show character: a sense of
fairness, willingness to hear both sides, extensive research, and
honesty.
 Ethical appeals can also rely on the reader to have similar beliefs
about right and wrong.
 Derived from emotional state.
 Pieces that use this appeal address needs, desires,
fears, and other emotional states for the reader.
 The most common appeal used in advertising.
 Emotion is a powerful appeal, but works best when
combined with logic.
 Many ads use all three appeals in order to meet a
wide audience base.
 Ads use the formula:
 Attention – bright colors, loud noises, shocking
statements
 Interest - after getting attention, it must keep the
interest of the target audience
 Desire - once the ad has interest, the ad develops in the
viewer a desire to buy
 Action - once the viewer desires the product, action is
needed and the product is purchased
 Analyze the ad in terms of its rhetorical structure.
 Identify the audience for the ad
 Isolate the central claim of the ad and show its
argumentative purpose
 Include a clear claim/thesis which argues the
effectiveness of the advertisement’s rhetorical
strategies.
 Introduce advertisement or company
 Don’t discuss advertising in general – focus specifically on your ad
from the outset
 Show clear thesis/claim which argues for or against the ad’s
strategy, not agreement with the content
 Make an argument about the ad
 Sample thesis: “Virginia Slims uses a combination of warm
colors, gender stereotyping related to power, and sexual
associations to recruit minority women smokers.”
 Note how the thesis does not state whether you agree with the
ad or not.
 Body
 Describe the ad so the reader knows what it looks like without
seeing the ad; don’t assume the reader is looking at it right then
 Describe the ad’s target audience –characteristics, fears, concerns,
wants, and so forth
 Body Cont’d.
 Describe the strategies used in the ad – color, words,
images
 Explain how the strategies appeal to the ad’s audience
 Use the following questions for analysis:
 What is the ad trying to sell?
 Who is the intended audience?
 What strategies are used to sell the product?
 What does the ad reveal or conceal about the company or the
product?
 What emotions are evoked by the ad?
 Body Cont’d.
 Back claims with specific facts drawn from the ad
 Conclusion
 Tie the analysis together
 Restate thesis/claim about the ad
 Summary of main points
 Leave the reader thinking about the product or about
the ad’s implications for society – what does it tell us
about ourselves?