Jihaan Davids
ST10082195
COSC6222
Assignment 1
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Table of Contents
Aim of the report ………………………………………………………………….. Page iii
Introduction ………………………………………………………………….. Page iii
Advertisement 1 ………………………………………………………………….. Page iv
Advertisement 2 ………………………………………………………………….. Page vi
Advertisement 3 ………………………………………………………………….. Page vii
Advertisement 4 ………………………………………………………………….. Page viii
Advertisement 5 ………………………………………………………………….. Page x
Appendix ………………………………………………………………….. Page xi
Reference List ………………………………………………………………….. Page xvi
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Aim of the report
The aim of this report is to discuss persuasive communication messages in the mass media by
identifying and analysing the emotional factors such as needs, consistency and factors that promote
attitude change, in various advertisements. Rational factors such as evidence and reasoning, artistic
proofs as well as the Toulmin model, will also be discussed.
Introduction
William Bernbach once said, "Advertising is the art of persuasion." The potential to change what
consumers believe and feel is at the heart of how advertising affects daily life. A compelling
advertisement increases the viewer's desire to purchase the goods while reducing whatever lingering
scepticism she may have about it. Persuasive communication research has been around for a while
(De Wet, 2017). Individuals have been curious about the proper uses and improper uses of persuasive
communication from the time of the ancient Greeks and Romans. Rhetoric is the general term used by
the ancient Greeks to describe the study of persuasive communication. During the persuasion process,
the communicator consciously seeks to sway the listener to adopt their point of view. It is generally
accepted that in order to persuade a recipient, a communicator must frequently assist the recipient in
finding their own motivation (De Wet, 2017). This report will go over many persuasion tactics that
may be seen in various advertisements.
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Advertisement 1 (Political advertisement)
Element: Needs - Maslow’s Basic Needs
This advertising, which is a kind of propaganda, is from the ANC's political campaign. In order to be
more persuasive, this advertising also appeals to people's wants, notably the need for security for a
person or family (De Wet, 2017). The second level of the pyramid represents security requirements,
which are based on Abraham Maslow's hierarchy of needs (De Wet, 2017). People's needs for safety
are implied by the desire for security, and political circumstances can satisfy these needs (De Wet,
2017). The advertising meets the demand for security by making people feel safe in the hands of the
ANC since they can offer a better life for everyone (Townsend, 2019). When danger threatens, this
need becomes powerful. For example, if a nation was experiencing a political crisis, a change in
government would become urgently necessary, as it did during the apartheid era (De Wet, 2017).
Element: Consistency- Reassurance of security
Additionally, this advertisement has some consistency. People's need for the same things and sense of
security are referred to as consistency (De Wet, 2017). People seek consonance, which is a feeling of
ease, since they value consistency, and when it is interrupted it causes dissonance with their
environment (De Wet, 2017). This advertisement demonstrates consistency in the form of unity and
reassurance of security by assuring viewers that backing the ANC is the only way for everyone to
advance South Africa and lead better lives (Townsend, 2019).
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Advertisement 2
Element: The Toulmin Model (data)
De Wet (2017) asserts that a claim requires evidence to support it. Data is evidence that can be
expressed as facts, figures, quotes, etc. that support and elucidate the aforementioned assertion.
Receivers are informed by the data that there is justification to believe or accept the assertion. De Wet
indicates that in order to demonstrate the veracity of claims made by companies like Neutrogena, data
must be gathered. For instance, Neutrogena has claimed that its products are suitable for skin of all
textures, and this is supported by data showing that 90% of consumers find Neutrogena to be
beneficial. Additionally, dermatologists with whom the company collaborates have gathered data to
confirm that the product is safe for use on skin (Neutrogena, 2022).
Element: The Toulmin Model (warrant)
A warrant is required, in the words of De Wet (2017), "for making the assertion about what the data
reflects." This means that the company delivering the goods must explain or demonstrate how the
claims they have made about the data obtained were met. Dermatologists have done scientific trials on
each Neutrogena product and have presented statistics of women who claimed that Neutrogena
products helped them with either acne or wrinkles (Neutrogena, 2022).
Element: Evidence- Expert evidence
According to De Wet (2017), evidence is necessary to show that a good or service is effective and to
convince customers that their purchases are valuable. The impacts of persuasion are amplified and
persuasive change is made more enduring when evidence is used as a persuasion tool. This
advertisement contains expert proof, and according to De Wet (2017), the evidence in this instance
comes from dermatologists, making the product trustworthy and dependable. As one of Neutrogena's
slogans is "Developed With Dermatologists" (Neutrogena, 2022), which indicates that their products
are developed with the assistance of dermatologists who specialise in various skin types, it can also be
argued that the technique is expert proof.
Element: Reasoning
According to De Wet (2017), there are five types of reasoning used in persuasion, and this
advertisement demonstrates the use of reasoning from cause to effect, which states that if A occurs, B
is likely to follow. The skin can become less wrinkled, according to the advertisement, by using a
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Neutrogena product like the Anti-Wrinkle Cream. Dermatologists who have assessed Neutrogena
products clinically and dermatologically and who have worked with the company claim that they are
good for the skin and that using the wrinkle-free cream can lessen wrinkles (Neutrogena, 2022).
Advertisement 3
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Element: Needs – Packard’s eight hidden needs
According to De Wet (2017), every human being has needs that must occasionally be met. Since they
frequently serve as the initial premise of a convincing argument, he emphasises that the challenge is in
correctly identifying these demands. He asserts that people are susceptible to persuasion because of
their needs. He continues by pointing out that skilled persuaders identify these demands and take
advantage of them for their own gain. He notices that there are both significant and hidden needs. Ego
satisfaction is one of Packard's eight hidden needs. According to Packard, the drive to inflate one's
ego is known as ego satisfaction. Ego satisfaction, in Packard's thinking, comes after the need for
acknowledgement (De Wet, 2017). He also says that appealing to people's egos is a simple way to
persuade them and sell an idea. This marketing for the Blu eCigs advertisement plays on one's desire
for ego satisfaction. The advertisement plays on a man's desire to recapture his freedom, perhaps
implying that he won't be free unless he purchases this item (Blu, 2014). Additionally, by claiming
that smoking is the more superficial alternative, he will feel better about himself and believe that he is
better than those who smoke.
Element: Attitude change
To get consumers to buy their product, advertisements also attempt to change their attitudes. Every
person, according to De Wet (2017), has specific attitudes that can greatly aid or hinder persuaders.
He contends that although changing the persuader's mindset may be their main objective, doing so
does not always and inevitably result in altering their conduct. Although attitudes and opinions are
extremely similar, he notes that attitudes frequently influence opinions. De Wet further asserts that
attitudes are more enduring and are seen as a propensity to respond in a particular manner to things or
issues and circumstances (De Wet, 2017). He clarifies by pointing out that this reaction could be
behavioural, emotive, or cognitive. The advertisement changes people's negative attitudes on smoking
to positive ones by emphasising that it is the most sensible method to smoke since it releases you from
the confines of smoke and grants you back your freedom with its vapour (Blu, 2014).
Advertisement 4
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Element: Needs - Maslow’s Basic Needs
Basic needs include physiological needs for sleep, healthcare, sex, and food (De Wet, 2017). Pick n
Pay ASAP advertises delivery for all items sold in its store, including groceries, toiletries, and
medications, among others (Pick n pay ASAP, 2021). Due of the wide selection of groceries available
for purchase, the advertising strategies used are persuasive to potential customers.
Element: Consistency – Use of Rewards
Consistency in the form of using rewards, is present in this advertisement (De Wet, 2017). Customers
are attracted to the business and the services provided by using rewards. In the case of Pick n Pay
ASAP, they provided free delivery for all of August to its consumers (Pick n pay ASAP, 2021).
Advertisement 5
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Element: Artistic proof- Pathos
Pathos is a persuasive strategy that tries to persuade a listener through feelings (De Wet, 2017).
Advertising strategies that use pathos appeal to the senses, memories, sentimentality, or shared
experiences. Emotion is related to pathos. It involves psychological appeals, such as those made to the
will or the passions. When making a psychological appeal, the speaker evaluates the audience's
emotional state and creatively crafts his message to appeal to that condition in order to have the
greatest impact. Examples of pathos touch the audience's emotions and stir their feelings. The
numerous diverse pathos ad examples not only elicit emotions but also predict reactions (De Wet,
2017). The best place to start when identifying the usage of pathos is in language since the words we
hear and read evoke particular emotions. The slogan utilised is "open a coke, open happiness," as seen
in the Coca-Cola advertisement. The positive statements made about the drink evoke emotions of
love, enthusiasm, amazement, and happiness, and they equate Coca-Cola with joy (Cervantes, 2020).
Element: Consistency- Cause and Effect
This advertisement makes use of reasoning, notably reasoning from cause to effect. Cause-and-effect
reasoning often works well because it provides an explanation for why something occurs, making a
claim seem more objective and logical than it actually is. Starting with the reason creates tension
because it creates a sense of anticipation that something will occur as a result (De Wet, 2017). This
can pique their attention in what you have to say. According to the pitch, the target population would
be encouraged to believe that drinking Coke will make them happy (Cervantes, 2020).
Conclusion
In conclusion, the act of persuasion is the use of a message or messages to influence another to take a
particular action or change a particular opinion (De Wet, 2017). Advertising is one technique that
companies and brands use to persuade consumers to purchase their products or use their services.
However, advertising can also be used as a deliberate form of propaganda to alter public opinion. One
could employ suggestion techniques in place of logic and data. We can therefore draw the conclusion
that people are sensitive to persuasion because of their needs and that a change in attitude does not
always result in a change in behaviour (De Wet, 2017). Maslow asserted that people have a variety of
wants that keep arising until they are satisfied, and that once primary needs are met, certain secondary
needs may take their place. Packard identified eight hidden needs to which advertisers may appeal to
persuade recipients to buy their products. Because people crave stability, predictability, and security,
persuaders can profit from this need. Direct or indirect evidence is acceptable Without the need for
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further proof, direct evidence establishes the reality of a claim, while indirect evidence establishes the
truth of a claim through the support of another claim (De Wet, 2017). Evidence can strengthen the
durability of convincing changes. Deductive reasoning is a general statement to a specific statement in
the conclusion, and inductive reasoning is a collection of specific premises to a general conclusion.
The three artistic proofs that Aristotle coined, ethos, pathos, and logos, are intended to persuade
audiences. The claim, grounds, warrant, qualifier, rebuttal, and backing are the six elements that make
up an argument according to the Toulmin method (De Wet, 2017).
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Appendix
Advertisement 1 :
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Advertisement 2
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Advertisement 3
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Advertisement 4
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Advertisement 5
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Reference list
Blu, 2014. Trinkets & Trash: Artifacts of the tobacco epidemic. [online] Trinkets & Trash. Available
at: <https://trinketsandtrash.org/detail.php?artifactid=8505&page=7> [Accessed 1 September 2022].
Cervantes, A., 2020. Open a Coke, Open Happiness Coca Cola Ad Campaign Analysis. [online]
Ayelen Cervantes. Available at: <https://ayeonline.wordpress.com/2020/03/22/open-a-coke-openhappiness-coca-cola-ad-campaign-analysis/> [Accessed 1 September 2022].
De Wet, J., 2017. The Art of Persuasive Communication. 4th ed. Cape Town: Juta & Company,
Limited.
Neutrogena, 2022. Neutrogena. [online] Neutrogena. Available at: <https://www.neutrogena.co.za/>
[Accessed 1 September 2022].
Pick n pay ASAP, 2021. Pick n Pay - Get the Pick n Pay asap! app and get free delivery. [online]
Web.facebook.com. Available at:
<https://web.facebook.com/Picknpay/photos/a.216539215286/10165292242120287/?type=3&_rdc=1
&_rdr> [Accessed 1 September 2022].
Townsend, R., 2019. Johannesburg, South Africa, 22nd March- 2019: Political election posters
attached to polls in city centre Stock Photo - Alamy. [online] Alamy.com. Available at:
<https://www.alamy.com/johannesburg-south-africa-22nd-march-2019-political-election-postersattached-to-polls-in-city-centre-image259426032.html> [Accessed 1 September 2022].
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