Cheerios Advertisement

The Cheerios ad above is the most basic and easily understandable advertisement regarding a product whose main message is its benefits to your health. The ad is very simple so the uses of rhetoric can be easily seen and observed for analysis. This advertisement is found on many Cheerios cereal boxes and because of the message of lowing cholesterol we can conclude that the intended audience is an older person with high unhealthy cholesterol levels. The ad is a brightly colored ad with high contrast images including, the Cheerios brand name, and the description of the cereal being “Toasted Whole Grain Oat Cereal, the “you can lower your cholesterol 4% in 6 weeks” message, and a bowl of cereal in the shape of a heart in the background. You can also make out the smiling faces of what looks like a father and his son. By using these images the Cheerios Company is able to use logos, ethos, and pathos to make the argument that their cereal improves your health by lowering your cholesterol and indirectly states that someone who is in better health is happier.

The logos appeal is one that is easily found and can almost be said as common sense. The message saying “you can lower your cholesterol 4% in 6 weeks” is a great example of syllogism. Since the intended audience knows that high cholesterol can eventually cause cardiovascular and heart disease, which is the leading cause of death, then a cereal that promises to lower these fatal levels then they can conclude that if they buy and eat the cereal then their cholesterol levels will decrease.

The ethos appeal deals with whether or not the Cheerios Company is worthy of our attention, and because of the professionalism of the advertisement the intended audience may find Cheerios worthy. The hope of the Cheerios company is that some of the intended audience will conclude that if they have the money and resources to create a professional advertisement that is as clear and concise then they have the money to do proper research and thus a trustworthy source. And in this way they succeed. If this advertisement didn’t look professional then I wouldn’t want it but since it does I have an inclination to buy it and I’m not even part of the target audience.

Lastly the pathetic appeal deals with the audience’s emotions. The most generic example of this is the color choosing of the ad. Yellow is a very happy bright color that has proven to make people feel happier. Accompanying the bright yellow color is the heart shaped bowl that is used to promote feelings that are commonly associated with the heart; these including love, compassion, happiness, ext. Both of these parts of the advertisement is important in making a persuasive advertisement but it’s the picture of what looks to be a father and his son in the background that provides the greatest pathetic appeal.

In conclusion, because of the good use of logos, ethos, and pathos this Cheerios ad is both persuasive to its target audience and a good example of rhetoric appeal. The health benefits of this advertisement are so clearly stated and along with the bright colors and pathetic appeal the advertisement is extremely persuasive and effective in reaching their target audience. So much so that those outside the target audience, people including myself, find it persuasive as well. I find myself craving Cheerios now.