Activity #1: Understanding Rhetorical Strategies
Advertisers use three different rhetorical strategies to help convince you to buy their product. Rhetoric means the art of effective or persuasive communication, so a rhetorical strategy is a technique that makes a message more persuasive.
The three rhetorical strategies used in advertising are pathos, logos, and ethos.
The three rhetorical strategies used in advertising are pathos, logos, and ethos.
Pathos
Pathos is an appeal to emotions. It tries to evoke an emotional response in the consumer.
The underlining message in an ad using pathos might be...
Using ____ will make you happy/cool/strong/beautiful/loved.
If you feel sad/uncool/weak/ugly/lonely, use _____.
If you don’t use _____, you will be sad/uncool/weak/ugly/lonely
- happiness: an image of people enjoying themselves while drinking Pepsi.
- pain: a person having back problems after buying the “wrong” mattress.
- fear and guilt: images of a starving child to persuade you to send money.
- or any other emotion...
The underlining message in an ad using pathos might be...
Using ____ will make you happy/cool/strong/beautiful/loved.
If you feel sad/uncool/weak/ugly/lonely, use _____.
If you don’t use _____, you will be sad/uncool/weak/ugly/lonely
How are these advertisements using an appeal to pathos to send their messages?
Logos
Logos is an appeal to logic or reason. It tries to convince you that buying a product is a good idea using facts and statistics.
The underlining message in an ad using logos might be...
____ is better than all other brands because…
It makes sense to buy ___. It’s a good idea.
Buying our brand would be smart/responsible.
Buying another brand would be foolish/irresponsible.
- Minute Maid Orange Juice has 25% less sugar than..
- Dettol wipes kill 99% of harmful bacteria
- The new Ford Mustang: 31 MPG, 305 HP.
The underlining message in an ad using logos might be...
____ is better than all other brands because…
It makes sense to buy ___. It’s a good idea.
Buying our brand would be smart/responsible.
Buying another brand would be foolish/irresponsible.
How are these advertisements using an appeal to logos to send their messages?
Ethos
Ethos is an appeal to character or credibility. It uses people or groups you trust to vouch for a brand.
The underlining message in an ad using logos might be...
People you can trust say you should buy ____.
People you like use ____. You should use ____ too.
You want to be (beautiful) like (Taylor Swift.) (Taylor Swift) uses (Cover Girl.) If you use (Cover Girl,) you’ll be (beautiful) too.
- 4/5 dentist recommend Colgate tooth paste
- Voted Motor Trend 2015 Truck of the year!
The underlining message in an ad using logos might be...
People you can trust say you should buy ____.
People you like use ____. You should use ____ too.
You want to be (beautiful) like (Taylor Swift.) (Taylor Swift) uses (Cover Girl.) If you use (Cover Girl,) you’ll be (beautiful) too.
How are these advertisements using an appeal to ethos to send their messages?
Activity #2: Identifying Rhetorical Strategies
To do the quiz, click here
To see the answers, click here.
Activity #3: Finding Rhetorical Strategies
- find 3 ads (one for each rhetorical strategy) in our magazines
- create a presentation showing...
- which rhetorical strategy is in use
- how that strategy is used
- what techniques of persuasion are present
- what underlying message is at work in the ads