Logos, pathos and ethos: Shifts in advertising techniques

Résumé du document

Advertisement appeals to our most instinctive and irrational feelings. Who would think you can actually lose 50 lbs with the Ultimate Fat Burner and resemble the astoundingly beautiful young woman who advertises it? Who would think McDonald's employees are willing to give you fries and a smile at the same time, as on the TV ads? Traditionally, advertisement has two goals that is to inform and persuade. In today's consumer society the public is aware of the available products. Consequently, advertisers are more concerned with persuading the public that the product or service they provide is better than the competitors. This is where the art of persuasion intervenes along with the other alternatives.

Extraits

[...] For instance, Elizabeth Hurley is the image of Estee Lauder, for the make's perfumes as well as for its cosmetics' line: these ads just show the dazzling model in different situations; even information on the product is barely mentioned, apart from its name and a ridiculously tiny image of the bottle of perfume, for instance, in a corner of the ad for Beautiful. Estee Lauder's main preoccupation is to convey an image and thus a brand philosophy: here, the woman who uses Estee Lauder products will experience intense joy of living. L'Oreal's current advertising campaign is a more significant apology of ethos. [...]

[...] Logos implies support due to the use of logical arguments, whereas ethos is centered on the character and pathos aims at awakening emotion. These definitions will serve as references to the present essay. Advertisements combine those three elements. Nevertheless, it is worth noting the evolution in advertising style: indeed, ads have shifted from the prominent use of logos to that of pathos, and more recently to the triumph of ethos. This evolution is more blatant in certain fields; significantly, this essay will follow such process following one type of ad –women's skincare ads- throughout time, in order to make the study more pertinent. [...]

[...] Nevertheless, to be aimed at the masses, advertisement ineluctably has to appeal to all human dispositions. Therefore, it seems that the masterpiece of ads just has to contain all three elements in a perfect balance. The only challenge for advertisers is then just determining where the balance is between logos, ethos and pathos. Thomas Cole, The Origins of Rhetoric in Ancient Greece, Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore Anthony R. Pratkanis and Elliot Aronson, Age of Propaganda: The Everyday Use and Abuse of Persuasion, W. [...]

[...] Logos, pathos and ethos: Shifts in advertising techniques Advertisement has always appealed to our most instinctive and irrational feelings: who would think you can actually lose 50 lbs with the Ultimate Fat Burner and resemble the astoundingly beautiful young woman who advertises it? Who would think McDonald's employees are willing to give you fries and a smile at the same time, as on the TV ads? Traditionally, advertisement has two goals: to inform and persuade. But today's consumer society has made the public more aware of available products. [...]

[...] Freeman, New York William Strunk Jr. and E.B. White, The Elements of Style, Allyn and Bacon, Needham Heights, 2000; Principles of Composition, rule n.15: statements in positive form”. Tom Gail and Eves Anmarie, Use of Rhetorical Devices in Advertising”, Journal of Advertising Research, July-August 1999. Robert Jackall and Janice M. Hirota, Image Makers: Advertising, Public Relations, and the Ethos of Advocacy, University of Chicago Press, Chicago, 2000; p.122 Richard and Joyce Wolkomir, Are What You Smithsonian. [...]