Persuasion in Advertising
Why study persuasion?
Once you know how the advertisers
do it, you will be more aware of why
certain products are persuasive!
Why study persuasion?
If you know why you are
persuaded by something, you will
be able to make a less-biased
decision and form your own
opinion. You can also use it to fight
for a cause you believe in.
How do they do it? There are three basic
categories that persuasive techniques fall
into. Those are...
Ethos
Logos
Pathos
• Ethos Credible
• Logos Logical
• Pathos Emotional
Ethos: Credible or Ethical Appeal
Means convincing by the character of the
author
• Someone who has authority, someone who
is likable or respected
• Goal is to convince people you are
someone worth listening to
• People tend to believe people whom they
respect
Logos: Logical or Fact-Based Appeal
Means persuading by the use of
reasoning
• Often uses things such as statistics
• Focus on facts, recorded evidence,
historical data
• Mentions things like studies,
surveys, and research
Buzz Words: Logos words that really “mean”
nothing, but sound factually important Examples:
“Pure” “Natural” “Freedom” “Tasty”
Words that end in -er such as Better, Cleaner,
Longer, Faster (Technically not the best, but
better than it was!)
Buzz Words: Sometimes they are complete
nonsense words associated with a fun statistic for
logos humor.
Pathos: Emotional Appeal
Means persuading by appealing to the
audience's emotions
• Language choice affects the audience's
emotional response
• Can be positive (Love, excitement)
• Can be negative (Jealousy, hatred)
• Pathos can play on: Worry, Sadness, Fear,
Nostalgia, Sense of Adventure, Horror, or
Affection
Which One Will You Use?
Try incorporating these persuasive
techniques in your writing.
Original Slide Show: Knoll, D. (2013). Logos, ethos, and pathos in advertising.
Slideshare. Retrieved from http://www.slideshare.net/dianaknoll/logosethos-andpathos-in-advertising