Advertisers and consumers should understand the role of rhetoric in advertising. Aristotle’s three categories of persuasive techniques: logos, ethos, and pathos, are commonly used in modern advertising. Consumers should examine products and consider the relevance and fairness of ethical appeals and expert testimony, and be cautious of emotional appeals.
In a world awash with advertising everywhere from the Internet to the dentist’s office, it’s important that both advertisers and consumers are educated on the role of rhetoric in advertising. An intelligent consumer can avoid being duped into unwise purchases, and advertisers can devise ethical ways to sell their products or services, including various rhetorical strategies. A good way to look at rhetoric in advertising is in terms of the Greek philosopher Aristotle’s three categories of persuasive techniques: logos or logic; ethos or ethics; and pathos, or emotion.
Aristotle’s favorite form of rhetoric was the logos or logical appeal. In his terms, this means presenting a clear and direct argument, free from contradictions or logical fallacies. In modern advertising, however, logos more commonly refer to facts or statistics that seek to convince the consumer that this particular product is objectively the better choice: whether it’s the most powerful lawnmower, the most fuel-efficient pickup truck, the leanest salad dressing, etc., of its type. When presented with this type of advertising, the customer should examine the product to ensure that complaints do not ignore other pertinent information, such as the sugar or sodium content of a salad dressing that claims to be low-fat.
Another type of rhetoric in advertising is ethos, or an appeal to the ethical position or technical expertise of the person speaking. This style of rhetoric is often seen in political advertisements, where the politician might be presented as consistent in his or her statements and actions – often in contrast to the opposition, who might be presented as ambitious or lying. A consumer presented with this type of advertising should consider how relevant the candidate’s moral standing is to the position, as well as the fairness of the attack against opponents. Ethos can also refer to an appeal to expert testimony, such as getting a professional runner to endorse a particular running shoe brand. The consumer should bear in mind when faced with this type of rhetoric that the person testifying is likely being paid, and therefore may not have a completely unbiased opinion of the product.
The most common type of rhetoric in advertising is pathos, or an appeal to the emotions. This can take many different forms, from humorous to tear-jerking. Any advertisement that claims a product is “best for your family” or contains photography that has been softened around the edges is almost guaranteed to be an emotional appeal. A commercial that features a wide-eyed puppy to sell a product that has nothing to do with dogs is also based on pathos. An emotional appeal tends to create stronger and more lasting memories than other types of rhetoric in advertising, making it a highly effective marketing strategy. Customers should be careful, however, not to get swept up in emotion and into making purchasing decisions that aren’t objectively good for them.
Protect your devices with Threat Protection by NordVPN
