SmileTrain Cleft Palate Surgery Donation Advertisement

           The advertisement is simple but striking: 6 young children  stare up from the page with pleading eyes, each of their faces disfigured by cleft palate. Above them are the words “How Often Do You Get The Chance To Save A Child’s Life For $250?” The ad is a rhetorical masterpiece.

            A complete rhetorical argument is meant to appeal to three distinct areas: ethos, pathos and logos. The ad, which asks to readers to donate money to fund corrective cleft-palate surgery for children in developing countries, effectively uses all three to appeal its message to readers on multiple planes.

            The advertisement relies heavily on pathos, devoting most of its space to a large color spread featuring the faces of six children with cleft palate. The photos are purposely cropped to remove the background and focus in only on the deformed face of the individual child and their longing eyes. One cannot help but be taken aback by the condition presented in such a forward manner, or to feel a sense of sorrow knowing that children are suffering from the condition.  The children pictured make-up a variety of races also, a technique that may have been done to create a sense of empathy in readers of a similar racial background or ties to a country.

            Pathos is appealed further by the words the advertisement uses. A blurb below the photo describes the “desperate children” and the surgery is described as  “ life changing” and able to provide “ not just a new smile but a new life.” Reading about the state of the children reinforces the sorrow the pictures initially created. But the words describing the surgery create a sense of hope that the children can be alleviated from their deformity.

            The ad also utilizes logos to try and present a reason on why people should donate their money to help children with cleft palates, beyond pulling on their heartstrings with the image of the children.

            The main appeal to logos the ad makes is the phrase “ How Often Do You Get The Chance to Save a Child’s Life for $250?” In other words, it tells the reader that by donating money it can save something that is often considered priceless. The logical appeal is pushed further in the blurb below the photo which repeats how a “surgery which takes as little as 45 minutes and costs as little as $250” can completely change a child’s life. All in all, the words are reasoning with the reader that by donating little, they can have a huge impact.

            By appealing to logos and pathos the ad makes people ‘feel’ the need to donate money as well as so the reason of it. The ad uses ethos to show their own credibility and ensure the donor that any donations they make are going to a legitimate entity that will help children.

            One way the ad appeals to ethos is by having SmileTrain, the name of the charity, in large font and in color at the bottom of the page.  It shows people that an actual organization is behind the ad and they aren’t sending their money away to a nameless source. The credibility of SmileTrain is further enhance by a pulled quote from the New York Times about the charity that stands out from the page by being printed in blue. It says “…one of the most productive charities-dollar for deed-in the world.”

The ad also shows readers that the charity has the right information ‘tags’ of a legitimate charity: a website address that ends in .org, a toll-free 1-800 number, a P.O. box mailing address.

            The ad itself appeared in an issue of Discover, a monthly magazine that covers stories on science, technology and health. The readership of Discover is overall an educated and wealthy bunch, with 56 percent having attended or graduated college and 44 percent making over $60,000 a year. 22 percent of  Discover readers make over $100,000 a year ("Discover Magazine").

            By putting their ad in Discover,  SmileTrain ensured that their message would be received by a demographic with the funds to donate money and the education to understand that a cleft palate is a condition that can be fixed with a simple surgery. The demographic statistics collected by Discover also found that 9 out of 10 readers discussed what they read in Discover with others, potentially giving the ad’s message an even broader audience beyond Discover readers ("Discover Magazine").

            The ad’s primary purpose is to convince readers to donate money to SmileTrain to finance cleft-palate surgeries. But in a more subtle way the ad also makes an argument about health.

            A cleft palate is a condition that can make nursing, eating and speaking difficult. By disfiguring a person’s face it can also have effects on self-esteem and societal acceptance ("A.D.A.M. Medical Encyclopedia” ) ("SmileTrain") . That being said, it is not a lethal condition.  However, the ad still equates fixing a cleft palate with “saving a child’s life.”

            This choice of words speaks volumes about the perception of cleft palate by the charity and the communities the children live in. A cleft palate a condition that doesn’t prevent the individual from working or communicating or learning, can nonetheless be described in the same words as an actual terminal illness because of the rejection individuals with it face by society. Therefore, SmileTrain describes the surgery as a lifesaver not because it prevents the child from dying, but because it ensures the child will have a chance at a normal life.

             In conclusion, I think the ad is extremely effective. It utilizes logos, pathos and ethos in a coherent and effective way to an audience that is very likely to respond to it.  Although it may seem like an exaggeration to present cleft-palate surgery as a life-saver when cleft palate isn’t a terminal disease, I think that it is a fair description based on the stigmatization and limited opportunities those with cleft palates in developing communities face.

           

Works Cited: 

"Cleft lip and palate." A.D.A.M. Medical Encyclopedia. US National Library of Medicine, 1 May 2011. Web. 16 Oct 2011. <http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0002046/>.

"The Problem." SmileTrain. SmileTrain Inc. , n.d. Web. 16 Oct 2011. <http://www.smiletrain.org/the-problem/>.

"Reader Profile." Discover Magazine. Kalmback Publishing Co. , Fall 2010. Web. 16 Oct 2011. <http://discovermagazine.com/media-kit/audience/reader-profile>.

Under Armour: Protect This House. I Will.

Under Armour, one of the world’s leading producers of athletic apparel, is notorious for their slogan “I will protect this house” since the moment it was said in their first commercial which aired in 2002. Eight years later, Under Armour aired a television commercial titled “Protect This House: I Will” featuring world-class athletes such as 8-time Olympic gold medalist Michael Phelps and welterweight champion Georges St. Pierre. Throughout the commercial viewers get a glimpse of how these men train, overcome failure, and achieve greatness with the help of Under Armour products.

The commercial begins with an announcement that “this is combine training” and proceeds to show short video clips of numerous professional athletes training while the Under Armour song “I Will” plays in the background. Halfway through the commercial we see Michael Phelps fail at climbing the pegboard; fighter Georges St. Pierre fail in a match; and Brandon Jennings hit the floor on the basketball court. They overcome those obstacles and succeed at the end of the commercial.

Under Armour’s “I Will” video advertisement makes the argument that by using Under Armour products you will become a faster, stronger, and an all around better athlete. The target audience that this argument is directed to is athletes, but more specifically, male athletes who wish to improve their performance. Every athlete that appears in the commercial is an athletic male who is trying to improve their performance therefore it makes sense that this advertisement is geared toward people in the same situation.

In order to make their argument stronger, Under Armour uses the rhetorical appeals of ethos, pathos, and logos. First we will look at the logos, then the ethos, and finally the pathos.

Under Armour uses the rhetorical appeal of logos in their advertisement by showcasing athletes achieving their fitness goals while using Under Armour products. The audience watches Michael Phelps overcome the grueling pegboard and Brandon Jennings dominate on the court, all while dressed in Under Armour clothing. This leads to the conclusion that in order to be like these athletes and achieve fitness goals the target audience needs to use Under Armour products.

The rhetorical appeal of ethos is used throughout the entire advertisement by showcasing world-class athletes such as Brandon Jennings, Dez Bryant, Georges St. Pierre, and Michael Phelps. By situating these men in an athletic competitive environment, Under Armour is providing their target audience with a sense of ethos, which makes them appear to be credible to their target audience. An athletic male is able to recognize at least one of these men in the commercial and is able to respect their athletic performance and success.

Under Armour uses the rhetorical appeal of pathos in their advertisement in two different ways. The first is Under Armour’s creative use of a competitive, upbeat-sounding track with the lyrics “I Will” to complement the action that is going on in the advertisement in order to appeal to the audience’s emotions of wanting to be a stronger and more powerful athlete. The second way that Under Armour uses pathos is by showing the audience how athletes overcame failure. This plays on the audience’s emotions of never giving up by showing them that failure can occur when training but the athletes who use Under Armour never quit and persevere.

I strongly believe that this ad is very effective for it’s specific audience: athletic men. Athletes are always looking to improve their performance and by focusing the advertisement on male athletes who have achieved greatness, the target audience will be easily persuaded to believe that Under Armour will help them become stronger, faster, and overall better athletes.

Kashi Advertisement

Kashi brand food products emerged in the wave of America’s organic/health food phase that continues today. They are most popular for their snack bars and cereals, although have expanded to frozen entrees and breakfast foods as well. Kashi is a company that promotes living an all-natural, healthy way of life. They offer tips and provide “challenges” on their website so that consumers can live a more “green” lifestyle.

In this commercial, the first image you see if of a middle-aged woman with her name and job displayed. She is not only described as a Kashi employee, but also a mom. She exclaims, “You want to help your kids eat better, and we want to help you do it!” This is the first rhetorical strategy utilized in order to gain the audience’s trust as not only a mother, but also as someone who is very familiar and uses Kashi products. This is an effective utilization of ethos that allows the audience to feel that she is a credible source immediately as the commercial begins. This could also be considered a pathetic appeal to a parent because when it comes down to it, what parent doesn’t want their child to be healthy? This use of pathos immediately draws the adult audience in and solidifies their goal.

The next image presented is of a sporting event with children playing sports and running around. The grass is very green and the sun is shining and children and adults are interacting in an active way, laughing and playing. These are strategies used to make the image more appealing to both audiences and encourage that an active lifestyle could be fun and exciting.

Next, the narrator describes the products with phrases like “peanut-y chocolate” and “cinnamon crunch” and encourages prospective consumers to take the “two bite test.” The “two bite test” could be considered a logical appeal because it allows the potential consumers to test a product out for themselves instead of relying on the credibility of the ad. This challenge is followed by a series of images of children scrambling in a crowd to get to the product and then of the children taking a bite of the various foods. This part of the advertisement is directed towards the children because of the appeal of sweets that they love, like chocolate and peanut butter, which is then reinforced by the children eating the products and appearing to want more. This is a pathetic appeal to children by emphasizing the sweet and delicious part of the product and understating the health aspect, which most children would be hesitant to eat. To further reinforce that this product is not only appetizing but also kid-friendly, the next series of images presented show the kids’ reactions. One child gives a thumb up sign; one excitedly states, “I like it!” and another says, “It’s chocolate-y!” with a mouth full of food. This demonstrates ethos to both audiences by showing children that other children enjoy this food, it encourages them to try it and by showing parents that their children could like this food, even though it is healthy.

In the conclusion of this ad, the product is displayed on a pure white background, which makes it appear very clean and healthy (like a doctor’s office) and gives the appearance of a healthy and rewarding product. The end screen is four adults, assumingly all Kashi employees, walking away from the camera, still outdoors, with the motto “Kashi: 7 grains on a mission” displayed. This demonstrates that these products are more than just food, but an effort to benefit the greater good and advocate a healthy lifestyle for all.

Abilify Ad: A Medication for Depression

Today, depression affects “more than 21 million American children and adults annually and is the leading cause of disability in the United States for individuals ages 15 to 44,” according to Mental Health America. There are numerous drugs that help curb the detrimental effects of this condition, but this commercial advertises Abilify®. This advertisement incorporates several rhetorical tools, such as pathos, logos, and ethos, to make the argument that Abilify® will help depressed Americans become happier more often than when not taking this medication. But, they explicitly state that the drug must be taken concurrently with an anti-depressant medication to be effective.

First of all, the advertisement is in the form of a cartoon. This elicits pathos from the audience because messages in the form of cartoons are not taken as seriously as if the commercial featured real actors. The advertisement uses cartoons to scale down the severity of depression so that the advertisement is not too solemn and mundane, since generally, positive thoughts and emotions are associated with viewing cartoons. For instance, I felt sympathetic for the cartoon portraying a mother having depression, but I didn’t feel as sad as I would be if it was being portrayed by a real person. I think that people need to see a human face of depression to feel sad, so the ad does a great job of reducing the severity of this condition and evoking feelings of sympathy rather than sadness. Furthermore, evocation of pathos is intended when the character is describing her day-to-day struggles with depression. Her floating black bubble represents her looming depression, and it takes many forms throughout the commercial to represent what the depression does to her. For instance, the bubble will turn into a ball and chain on days that she struggles with her depression or it will be a balloon when she manages to put a smile on and successfully “meddle through the day.” Consumers feel condolingly towards this mother with the ball and chain that is restricting how she is living her life because of depression. Then, of course, the smiling doctor pulls her out of her hole (which was what her depression transformed into) to inform her of Abilify®. At the end of the commercial, the character is having an outdoor picnic with her family. This scene attempts to reach those potential consumers that have families and do not want their daily lives to be negatively impacted by their depression.

Secondly, logos are present when the doctor instructs her on the benefits and side effects of using Abilify®. He states that in a six-week trial some people improved their symptoms “in early as one to two weeks.” Also, the scene where the doctor is explaining the drug on a projector screen while the woman is taking notes can be an appeal to logos. The professional manner with which this scene is occurring illustrates the importance of knowing the side effects of using Abilify®. Another detail that strengthens the persuasion of the advertisement is the use of distractions. The ad would be verbally saying a side effect, but the side effect will also be visible to read on the screen in a different wording than was used when it was verbally described. For example, during a particular scene in the ad the screen displayed “your blood sugar should be monitored,” while at the exact same time the narrator was saying “high blood sugar has been reported with Abilify®." This made it slightly difficult to focus on the actual side effect because you were trying to hear what was being said while reading what was on the screen. The lack of concentration on one single side effect had the tendency to reduce the severity of the side effect.

Lastly, I believe ethos was present but lacking in this commercial because credibility was hard to deduce from an animated advertisement. The side effects being described by a cartoon doctor on a projector screen while the woman took notes showed that the makers of Abilify® care about providing the information of the side effects to their buyers. Also, there were logos representing the corporations and labs that helped create this advertisement at the end to confirm the legitimacy of the drug and the information. By providing a website and phone number, the credibility of the drug heightened because potential consumers have the chance to locate pertinent information on Abilify®.

To reiterate, the use of rhetorical appeals in this advertisement was somewhat ineffective to viewers because of the numerous side effects, with some being quite serious and dangerous, and the presence of depression still at the end after the woman took Abilify®. But the advertisement does maintain that realistic concept that depression will not simply be cured with one medication, but that by taking this drug, it can definitely be managed better than when the depression was literally weighing down the woman. So this ad might be effective for consumers with severe depression that have found no medications to help manage their depression and are willing to take the risk of experiencing these side effects.

Progresso Soup Can Phone Advertisement

Progresso soup has worked its way up to holding one of the top spots on the canned soup market and has given the well-known Campbell’s soup company a run for their money. This advertisement seems to be directed towards middle-aged adults who strive to live a healthy lifestyle but may want something easy to prepare for when you run home from work on your lunch break. It uses several techniques to connect with its audience and persuade them that their product is a healthy and appealing choice.

One way is by turning their product’s container into a can-phone. We all remember tying strings between two cups or cans when we were kids and talking to a friend who was a strings length around the corner. This is a good use pathos that makes the scenario fun and connects with the audience’s healthy youthful memories.

On the other side of the can phone is a chef in a kitchen surrounded by counters of fresh vegetable. Here they are trying to make the audience feel that the soup is freshly prepared, such as in a restaurant setting; and that the ingredients are not preserved frozen vegetables but rather fresh, ripe, and healthy vegetables.

The man proceeds to confront the chef about the fact that the soup contains 28% of the recommended daily intake of fiber. He is confused at how a soup with such a high fiber content, something we have been taught is healthy and nutritious, can taste so good. This seems to hint at the fact that many people make the assumption that if a food is healthy, then it won’t be the best tasting. The man repeats the word fiber several times in order to get the point across that the soup contains a large portion of fiber. Then he says, “but I like it,” emphasizing that he really enjoys the taste of it even though there is fiber in it. This is a great example of the use of logos; fiber is healthy, the soup contains fiber, therefore the soup is healthy.

The commercial ends with a series of vegetable falling into a Progresso can. This is an effort to re-emphasize that the soup is made with a variety of vegetables, which we have been taught since we were children are healthy, and that there is a significant amount of nutrition in just one can of Progresso soup.

Overall, I think the advertisement did a good job at bringing out the healthy qualities of the soup that people know they need to incorporate into their daily lives in order to maintain a healthy and nutritious lifestyle, while at the same time making it seem appetizing and fresh rather than just another prepackaged food item from the grocery store.

This television commercial for HeadOn (“apply directly to the forehead”) began airing in 2006. The first time I saw it, I thought it was a joke. The ad is very simple: we see a woman calmly and deliberately take a tube of some sort and rub it on her forehead. Repeated in quick succession three times is the phrase: “HeadOn. Apply directly to the forehead.” There is an arrow graphic pointing to the woman’s forehead, and the background is a simple blue with a gridline pattern over it. At the end of the short ad (it is less than 15 seconds long), we see a picture of the HeadOn product packaged, and we are informed that it is “available without a prescription at retailers nationwide.”

The intended audience of the ad is very broad. It could be tailored towards women (as a woman is featured in the ad, and the announcer’s voice is female), but there is nothing that indicates that the product cannot be used by anyone. Basically, anyone watching TV is the audience.

Though the ad is extremely simple, it is attempting to make an argument about health, though perhaps not very effectively. We get the impression that the product is used somehow to make your head feel better, but the commercial does not specify exactly what the product treats. Instead, the bulk of the ad is spent with the repetition of the phrase about applying the product directly to the forehead. The emphasis is on how to use the product, rather than what it actually does. This does not make for a very good argument about how the product will affect one’s health.

However, the ad does attempt to make a limited use of ethos. By using the gridline background and the vaguely technical sounding instructions “apply directly to the forehead” (rather than something like “rub this stuff on your head and see what happens”), the ad is attempting to present its information in a way that seems objective and scientific, and therefore more credible.

The ad makes no use of logos. It does not give the audience any reason to use the product. It gives no details about the ingredients of HeadOn, what it might help with, or how it works. For a product that is attempting to make an argument about health, not using logos can be very damaging to the argument.

The ad does employ pathos, though. Unfortunately, the main emotion that the ad causes the viewer to feel is annoyance. By repeating the same phrase three times, the audience may feel condescended, but the repetition does help to ensure that the audience remembers the name of the product and what to do with it. This is a dangerous tactic to use in an advertisement. Although the audience will remember the name of the product, they are likely to have a negative emotional association with it, and thus they are less likely to use it. The other emotion that the ad causes is confusion. By not supplying any information about HeadOn, the viewer is perhaps intrigued and wants to learn more, but he or she is certainly not convinced of HeadOn’s effectiveness.

Overall, this ad makes a very poor argument about health. It may be trying to convince its audience that HeadOn is good for their health, but it is not very successful. The ad grabs our attention, but once it has it, it fails to do anything else. It is a very entertaining viral video sensation, but not a good argument.

Origins Plantscription

This ad for Origins Plantscription Anti-aging eye treatment appeared in the November 2011 issue of O: The Oprah Magazine. The ad’s headline says that, “Two dabs a day helps keep the surgeon away.” There is a large picture of the product resting atop a lush green and yellow plant. The ad’s white background and two-color (green and black) text give it a clean and serene feel. The ad aims to persuade the reader to buy the Origins Plantscription eye cream as an alternative to cosmetic surgery or prescription creams.

The ad establishes ethos by prominently showing the recognizable Origins name and logo on the product itself. Also on the bottom right hand corner of the ad, we see the Origins’ intertwined tree logo and the tagline, “Powered by Nature. Proven by Science.” Origins cosmetics was founded in 1990 by Leonard Lauder, son of the cosmetics maven- Estee Lauder. The brand is known for its all-natural cosmetics; made from plants, organic ingredients and essential oils. Origins is a well respected luxury brand is sold in department stores and boutiques, readers of O Magazine are likely familiar with the brand and its products and will recognize the logo, thus giving the ad credibility.

The ad uses the rhetorical appeal of logos when it states that the product is, “Clinically proven to help visibly repair 4 major signs of eye aging.” The ad’s copy tells the reader that they can get the ‘younger-looking you’ they want without invasive surgery or prescription creams. In the bottom left hand corner of the ad we see that the reader can visit the company’s website, facebook page and twitter account to see the product’s results. In a second logical appeal, the product’s suggested retail price of $42.50 is also printed in the left hand corner. According to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, the national average cost for eyelid surgery is $2,525. The reader may likely be persuaded to at least try a product that says it has clinically proven results, especially if it costs a tiny fraction of what cosmetic eye surgery costs.

The ad makes an emotional appeal to the audience by using humor to poke fun at the frivolousness of cosmetic surgery referencing the “knifestyles of the rich and famous.” O Magazine is the perfect place to make this appeal to a receptive audience. O Magazine is a monthly publication that is read by over 2.7 million (mostly female) readers. The magazine’s content and ads target an upper-middle class female audience that is concerned with issues and topics related to heath, spirit, fashion and beauty, relationships and living ‘your best life’. The magazine itself aims to rise above similar women’s magazines by being more authentic and informative. This is reflected in O Magazine’s Mission Statement: “With Oprah at the wheel only the best can be expected of the magazine and its readers. With this magazine we have an opportunity to make a real mark. To speak and connect to women in a way no other publication ever has. To help women see every experience and challenge as an opportunity to grow and discover their best self. To convince women that the real goal is becoming more of who they really are. To embrace their life.”

The Origins ad is visually appealing and its content is a perfect match with the philosophy of O Magazine I feel that this is a highly effective ad given its placement and target audience. The ad is credible and makes effective logical and emotional appeals. Anecdotally, as a subscriber to O Magazine I can say that the ad worked on me, and I intend to go out and purchase this product soon.

Amazing Grace- See summary below

Amazing Grace

I chose a commercial advertisement from the Salvation Army titled: “Amazing Grace”. This particular commercial provides a very persuasive tone to the audience and informs them of a good cause. It originally aired in 2009, during an ABC Sunday News edition. The Salvation Army is a Christian organization known for it’s philanthropy and charity work all over the world. They are well known for their thrift stores, which raise money by selling donated, used items. They use a portion of this money to provide free rehabilitation for alcohol and drug abuses.
This advertisement begins by showing snippets of multiple people of all ethnicities and ages reciting the lyrics of Amazing Grace in various settings. Each individual personalizes the lyrics by briefly stating emotions they felt while addicted. Their expressions are very sad and unhappy. However they state after the Salvation Army rehabilitated them, they personalize the lyrics again by announcing how the Salvation Army has made an important impact on their lives through stating positive and emotional words. The advertisement closes by making a statement that the Salvation Army has changed lives through the goods donated by individuals. It then provides a number and website for more information along with a picture of the Salvation Army emblem.
This advertisement is intended to reach out to addicts, customers, and supporters of the Salvation Army. This commercial reaches out to addicts because the Salvation Army offers rehabilitation services through the money made through the thrift store. Additionally, the ad reaches to customers who purchase items at the thrift stores which in turn funds the rehabilitation program. Finally the advertisement is also intended for supports who provide the donated items to the thrift store.
The ad uses the most recognizable songs “Amazing Grace,” which is a Christian Hymn, a message about forgiveness and redemption regardless of the sins people commit. This song is relatable to thousands of people because it is about humanities ability to transform themselves. In this case it is drug addicts becoming sober. In this advertisement there is also a cause and effect relationship that establishes a logical relationship or logos. An example of this is demonstrated by the people in this commercial stating once they were addicted, and now they are sober.
The advertisement appeals to ethos because people are familiar with the Salvation Army because they’ve been around since the 1800’s. It also is attached to religion, and most people believe religious people have good character qualities and desire to help those in need. Pathos is used in this commercial by creating an emotional appeal using individual stories to create a moving picture for the audience. This is expressed both verbally and nonverbally by individuals in the commercial.
In conclusion, the organization is using the individuals’ misfortune to make the audience want to help them. The audience is affected by the words and actions of the people in the advertisement. Essentially, pulling at their heartstrings. Which builds a strong argument about health as it relates to those with addictions.

Bodymedia

            In the 2011 January issue of Women’s Health Magazine, an advertisement for bodymedia fit armband appeared. The print advertisement for this weight loss device makes references to popular culture, utilizes word play, and creates an argument for the device.

            This full page advertisement features a large bottle that has a bodymedia armband around the base of the bottle with a light background full of confetti. In the center of the page over the bottle are the words “Here’s to the Losers.” At the bottom of the page is additional information about the body media fit armband and its benefits. 

             Featured in the January issue of the magazine, this ad is appealing to the magazine readers who are trying to lose weight, specifically young to middle aged women. This is a good context to place the ad since readers of Women’s Health are typically looking to achieve or maintain health; weight management is usually a prominent focus in this popular women’s magazine. This bodymedia advertisement uses references to stereotypical American New Year’s celebrations such as confetti and what appears to be a Champaign bottle to attract readers who have made a New Year’s resolution to lose weight, a popular resolution among American women.

             The advertisement uses data from a study as a form of logos to appeal to readers. According to the ad the armband “tracks your caloric intake and burn as well as sleep patterns and gives you insights into your body’s inner workings” to ultimately allow “you (to) lose up to 3X more weight.” Deductive reasoning would indicate that having a better awareness and accurate account of your caloric intake and output would be helpful in weight management. Additionally the reference to the study data of additional weight loss is an effective logical appeal because the armband will allow for more weight loss. This sort of data is a very successful way to present the benefits of a product because consumers will take these results as given and fail to investigate the results fully.

             Bodymedia attempts to create credibility to its armband product by using scientific and technological language. The armband is referred to as a “decoder device” with “innovative technology.”  While the language about how exactly the device works and its technologies are vague, ethos is still established. The claim that the product will allow the consumer to lose three times more weight is said to be “clinically proven.” Even without additionally information this phrasing alone brings credibility to the product and the technology it uses in weight management. 

            The use of ethos in this advertisement is interesting and the dominant persuasive tool in this argument. In most weight loss products there is a careful balance of encouraging and empowering consumers to lose weight and use their product without insulting the consumer about his or her weight. This careful balance is not clearly achieved in the armband’s advertisement. The major tagline “Here’s to the losers” has a number of interesting characteristics. The language creates a tone of cheer and echoes a toast, continuing the New Year’s theme. The word “loser” is referring to individuals who lose weight in this advertisement, but the word is typically thought of and used to describe an individual in a negative way or even an insult.  Working from this basic understanding of the word “loser” at first glance it seems the advertisement is calling individuals who are overweight losers, in the traditional negative sense. Yet these so called “losers” are being toasted. This simple word choice is very powerful and it causes an immediate reaction. The reaction that would be produced in the reader could vary substantially from person to person and might not be the intended response; some readers could be insulted by the diction while others could feel motivated to lose weight. The diction used in the advertisement evokes emotion effectively however it is not clear if the emotion produced would lead the reader to buy the product. 

Welch's: "To Health"

"Behold! Vitis labrusca, the Concord grape." Chef and television personality Alton Brown exuberantly gets us started into this 2008 Welch's commercial, promoting the benefits of drinking Welch's grape juice.

The writer, producer, and star of Food Network's Good Eats is situated in grape fields with a grape press, a chalkboard, and picked Concords on what appears to be a bright, cloudy morning. As he works the press, he states that squeezing the grapes releases polyphenols, a form of antioxidant that "fight[s] free radicals and help[s] to prevent cell damage." (For those unfamiliar, free radicals, or oxidants, as described by this Chicago Tribune article, are "involved in certain illnesses, including cancer and degenerative brain diseases.") Drinking Welch's grape juice, as Alton Brown points to the chalkboard, "can help support a healthy heart, mind, and immune system." But if you simply enjoy the taste and don't care so much about the exact health benefits, "that's okay, too."

It goes almost without saying that this 30-second advertisement incorporates two of the three modes of persuasion: ethos and logos. Pathos, too, is used in this ad, but it is much more subtle.

This is not the first time that Welch Foods Incorporated has used celebrities as a form of ethical appeal in their commercials. You may recall this famous 1994 commercial, featuring Travis Tedford, who starred in The Little Rascals. But Alton Brown's commercial required a much different feel to it. This three-year-old ad had a much more scientific flair to it (logos), meaning a prominent person from the culinary world might serve as a better messenger than a kid actor.

However, Welch's did not only use Alton Brown himself for ethos. It is no accident that Welch's commercial delivers a very similar look and feel as Alton Brown's Good Eats episodes. The commercial is very educational. Alton Brown is interacting with the grape press and the chalkboard. More significantly, he's talking to his audience with the same camera angles and poise that he has always done. This advertisement was essentially made for him; Welch's would have taken a much different approach if they were using another celebrity.

Alton Brown's signature presence on television comes from his ability to educate audiences like no other cook can. He is the Bill Nye of food. And he makes precise reasoning as to why Welch's grape juice provides health benefits. As stated earlier, Alton Brown addresses the combating of oxidants and the prevention of cell damage by way of polyphenols. Aside from the additional claim that Welch's helps your heart, mind, and immune system, the commercial does not expand on its logical appeal any further. But in that short time when Alton Brown does explain the benefits, the logos is very apparent.

The pathetic appeal is not as discernible as the other perceptions, but it is very much there. It's a bright, lovely morning in the fields. Birds chirp in the background. The music is upbeat. Alton Brown is in good spirits. You suddenly feel immersed in this relaxing, yet exciting, environment. Perhaps being in such a setting as these grape fields gives you that "Home, Sweet Home" feeling. Who wouldn't want to drink Welch's grape juice if it implies such happiness?

This advertisement is a bit of a departure from what Welch's has done before. Travis Tedford was not the only kid that Welch's hired for their commercials; Welch's is very well-known for using children as their spokespersons (such as this and this). I personally welcome the change, because I have always enjoyed Alton Brown's commentary – and those Welch's children are rather annoying. But for those who were not already familiar with his television shows, this commercial might not make the intended impact. The commercial, unlike the Weight Watchers and Subway ads we viewed last week, does not even bother to mention who the celebrity is. So viewers who have no idea who Alton Brown is are left in the dark. Especially because Good Eats is shown on a cable-only network, not identifying him may have been a mistake.

Despite the shift in ad strategy, Alton Brown's commercial shares the same audience as Welch's older promotions: adults. Most young children would not try to parse what Alton Brown is saying in his commercial. After all, two of his first three words are "Vitis labrusca." Furthermore, what are antioxidants and free radicals and all this other mumbo jumbo? They don't know. And both advertisements linked in the preceding paragraph make sure to include the words "Mom says." It can't get much more obvious that these commercials, especially Alton Brown's, are not directed at children.

Vytorin

According to the American Heart Association, more than 98 million Americans 20 years of age and older, have high cholesterol (>200 mg/dL). Hypercholesterolemia may lead to cardiovascular disease, which is the No.1 cause of death in the United States. Accumulation of high cholesterol may lead to blockage of blood vessels and decreased blood flow through body tissues; collectively, this may increase cardiac output due to physiological desire to compensate for the decrease in blood flow. However, if the heart is unable to compensate for the decrease in blood flow, one of many complications may occur, such as a heart attack. This horrifying physiological mechanism ignited my sympathetic feelings for hypercholesterolemic victims; as a result, I chose the ad for prescription drug, Vytorin.

Vytorin Ad advocates to hypercholesterolemic adults that the only way to fight high cholesterol in diet and genetics is to take the one and only Vytorin. Only Vytorin can decrease cholesterol in the blood, not even Lipitor (its competitor’s drug) is comparable. If one takes Vytorin, he or she will live a happier and easier life. One could still continue to eat food with high cholesterol because this is how superiorly effective Vytorin is in treating hypercholesterolemia. Vytorin effectively describes its efficacy in treating hypercholesterolemic victims by alleviating their despair into feeling resilient, evoking their empathy by establishing the reality of the drug, and logically comparing it to its competitor.

The Ad uses pathos to give one a feeling of hope, despite their bleak medical situation. The Ad displays family portraits of different ethnicities and race with neutral facial expressions turning into joyful, relaxed smiles. Moreover, the light classical violin and heavenly pizzicato tones in the background act as buoyant forces, lifting victims from the satanic underground of cardiovascular disease. After listening to the music and watching the facial expressions, one is left satisfied with optimism and hope.

In addition, the Ad uses ethos to help victimized adults fathom the realism in its drug. Family portraits identify hypercholesterolemic victims; in reality, this evokes empathy on adults who were or are experiencing similar sinister bearings. In other words, the audience is expected to relate with the portraits. As well, the affected individuals in the ad were assumed to consume Vytorin, invoking a satisfying state. However, the ad doubts the existence of a perfect drug in the world, bolsters the risks to approach reality, and thus, the ad becomes credible. After elaborating on the positive effects of Vytorin, the ad deliberately and meticulously explains the risks at an exaggerated painstakingly slow pace: ensuring its audience understands the risks, indicating that the drug is still imperfect, failing to work for everyone, and the resulting effects can be consequential. The reality of the drug validates its credibility.

In one last rhetoric device, the Ad logically reasons that Vytorin treats hypercholesterolemia and quantitatively compares its effect to its competitor. High cholesterol comes from either diet (the food we eat) or genetics (family pedigree). Vytorin “blocks the absorption of cholesterol from food and reduces the cholesterol your body makes naturally based on family history”. Aforementioned, the build-up of cholesterol could lead to many cardiovascular problems. Then the Ad suggests why take an ineffectual drug like Lipitor when Vytorin firstly treats, not 1, but 2 sources of high cholesterol. First, the Ad illustrates these 2 sources as high cholesterol by displaying similar pictures of the “fettuccini alfredo”, a high cholesterol dish, and portraits fixed in the middle of the screen suggesting, whether food or genetics Vytorin can treat both. If these adults wish to eat food they like (e.g. fettuccini alfredo) without having to be wary of the risks of high cholesterol, they do not have to worry because Vytorin can treat and diminish the risks. Additionally, if “eat right and stay active” isn’t enough for them, Vytorin can again treat and diminish the risks. Secondly, Vytorin “lowers more cholesterol than Lipitor”. Therefore, it is common sense that victims would rather get their money’s worth with Vytorin – many more potential benefits than its competitor.

Overall, this Ad makes an effective argument, enticing its adult audiences to buy Vytorin by using all 3 rhetorical devices: pathos, ethos, and logos. It uses pathos by illustrating the changes in facial expressions, as if taking Vytorin left victims optimism and hope; if the victims in the portraits were not left with this satisfying state, they would relapse to despair. It also uses ethos by depicting the realism of the drug: it has side effects like all other drugs, it is not perfect, and it should not be used by all people. Without the flaws in the drug, the audience is left with a sense of cynicism. And finally the Ad uses logos by explaining the mechanism of cholesterol invasion of the cardiovascular system and how, quantitatively, Vytorin is the most efficient drug to treat this attack either from diet or genetics. By understanding the potential benefits, are there really any other drugs out there as efficient? Needless to say, the adults know, from watching this advertisement, that Vytorin is the most efficient and pure solution to the prevalent, once savagery hypercholesterolemia.