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.