The Art of Rhetoric: Persuasive
Techniques in Advertising
Ethos, Logos, Pathos
Introduction
Where do you encounter advertising?
 What specific advertisements “stick in
your head?”
 What makes these advertisements
memorable?
 Do you think advertisements have an
effect on your personal interests?

What Advertisers Do
Advertisers carefully construct their ads
to make them memorable & appealing to
consumers (music, catchy slogans,
celebrity appearances, appeal of the
product, etc.).
 The ways they try to convince us, the
consumers, to buy products is similar to
the ways of persuasive writing.

One of Ms. Newton’s Favorite Ads

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pk7yql
TMvp8
How They’re Manipulating Us
What made that commercial endearing?
 What company was the commercial for?
What does the company do?

Hmm….
 Let’s look at the background behind how
advertisers convince us to buy their
products.

Background Video

http://www.readwritethink.org/classroomresources/lesson-plans/video/persuasivetechniques-advertising-1166.html
Pathos = Emotion

To make the audience FEEL something about
what is presented to it (children, animals, illness,
memories, etc. “tugs at your heart strings”)

Positive emotion: an image of people enjoying
themselves while drinking Pepsi

Negative emotion: a person having back problems
after buying the “wrong mattress”

Fear/Guilt: images of starving children persuade
you to send money to charity
Logos: Evidence & Statistics



Logos = logic
To make the audience THINK about what is
presented to it (statistics, facts, authorities,
etc.; very straight-forward & not “fluff”)
Has a very scientific, factual approach

One glass of Florida orange juice contains
75% of your daily Vitamin C needs

Nine out of ten dentists agree that Crest is
better than any other brand.
Ethos: Credible, Reliable, Honest
Ethos: Ethics
To make the audience decide RIGHT or
WRONG about what is being presented to it
(political issues, national beliefs, religious issues,
etc.)
 Typically has contrasting colors symbolizing the
differences between good & evil



American dieters choose Lean Cuisine.

Catherine Zeta-Jones makes us want to switch to
T-mobile.
Can Advertisements Have More
Than One Appeal?

Yes! The more appeals used in an
advertisement the more likely the
consumer is to connect with it (and
ultimately buy it).
Pathos, Logos or Ethos?

A child is shown covered in bug bites
after using an inferior bug spray.

Tiger Woods endorses Nike.

Sprite Zero is 100% sugar free.
Pathos, Logos or Ethos?

A 32-oz. bottle of Tide holds enough to
wash 32 loads.

A commercial shows an image of a happy
couple riding in a Corvette.

Cardiologists recommend Ecotrin more
than any other brand of aspirin.
Pathos, Logos, or Ethos?

Advil Liquid-Gels provide up to 8 hours of
continuous pain relief.

Miley Cyrus appears in Oreo
advertisements.

People who need more energy drink Red
Bull Energy Drinks.

A magazine ad shows people smiling while
smoking cigarettes.
Demographics
What does “demographics” mean?
 Why do advertising agencies worry about
demographics?
 Ad agencies see us as members of groups
that tend to believe, behave, or purchase
in certain patterns…NOT as individuals.
 Quickly define your demographic by
completing the Demographics: Who Are
You handout.

Networks

At times, entire networks (shows &
commercials) are created & geared
toward a certain demographic. Consider
who the following appeal to:
◦
◦
◦
◦
◦
Lifetime: Television for Women
Spike or Tru TV
BET
Food Network/HGTV
Cartoon Network
Prezi: Ad Logic
Using a Prezi format, we are going to
watch some advertisements from You
Tube & analyze them.
 Answer the questions on your Ad Logic:
Analyzing TV Commercials handout as we
view the various commercials.

Commercial Dig
At some point before class Thursday,
watch a TV show & keep track of eight
ads during that show (or watch ads on
YouTube). Do not change the channel.
Follow the directions on the handout.
 We’ll talk about what you saw Thursday in
class.

Homework
During class tomorrow, part of what
we’re going to do is analyze print
advertisements. Bring in a copy of a print
ad (like what you’d see in a magazine).
 Please make sure it’s school appropriate
(if in doubt, don’t bring it).
