Advertisement Analysis
Introduction
Marketers in the contemporary scenario use advertisements to appeal to the market. This is evident in billboards, magazines, TV ads or even ordinary signs in local stores. It is apparent that advertising is crucial in the contemporary society. Advertisers use these messages to persuade or influence individuals to favor their sentiments and perceptions about a product or service. In order for this to be accomplished, rhetorical appeal is intertwined in the advertisement in order to communicate effectively with the targeted audience. This involves the rhetorical appeals of logos, pathos and ethos. These appeals may be overt or inconspicuous for the audience. According to Aristotle, these rhetorical appeals are basic during the attempts to persuade an audience. Therefore, in order to comprehend the significance of an advertisement, it is crucial to consider the rhetorical aspects used in the advertisement and their appeal. The advertisement used in the analysis involves a picture advertising MacDonald’s products. The advertisement appears to be inclined towards a family setting hence encourages families to prefer MacDonald products. The picture was present in the internet and appears to be a marketing drive which targets the African American demographic of the market. The family appears to be enjoying the food for MacDonald’s, a factor which is appealing for the food market.
The visual messages present in the advertisement have a powerful effect on the audience. The advertiser uses the aforementioned rhetorical appeals effectively to appeal to the identified market. Despite the MacDonald’s brand being among the most respected in the global market, constant advertisements are required to ensure that the market is persuaded to prefer the brand. In order to comprehend the significance of the rhetorical appeals in the advertisement, it is crucial to consider the features, which are present in the advert. The picture includes a black family who are partaking a meal at a MacDonald restaurant. The picture also has a catchy slogan, which dictates that MacDonald’s enables an individual to give their family the best. The image implies that the products from MacDonald’s are suitable for families and that the quality provided in their food cannot be matched by other providers. It is apparent from the visual images that the advertisement is signaling the African American demographic to prefer products from MacDonald. Despite the straightforward message, there are subtle signals, which are consistent to the aforementioned rhetorical appeals evident in the advertisement. This is necessary considering the role of logic and emotions in the decision making process by individuals in different scenarios (Gulledge 44). These appeals engage these human attributes in order to maximize the effect of the advertisement message on the public.
The ethos appeal is evident in the advertisement. The creators use this appeal to ensure that MacDonald’s products appeal to the target market. It is apparent that the creators have identified the African American demographic as the subject for this advertisement. The social and cultural inclinations of this demography dictated that the creators use the ethos appeal to suit the audience. This is evident in the advertisement, whereby, the advertisement uses a symbolic characterization in order to appeal to the audience. Despite the advertisement missing a famous personality or celebrity, the advertisement uses the male character strategically to appeal to the audience. In the African American culture, the man is considered a leader and decision maker. These attributes are portrayed in the advertisement, whereby, in the picture appears to portray the family to be under the guidance of the man. It is clear that the creators depict the man as a leader in order to conform to the cultural beliefs of the demographic targeted by the advertisement. This appears to win the trust of the audience since the advertisement is consistent with the African American culture. The symbolic role of the male character is used to create the ethos appeal on the audience hence making the advertisement trustworthy and relatable by the demographic. This makes the audience identify the ethos appeal, which is prominent in the advertising.
In the advertisement, the creators also use the pathos appeal. The significance of this appeal is to engage the emotions of the audience. It is apparent that humans are swayed by emotions (Gulledge 46). Therefore, emotions have a significant influence on the decision of the audience. The emotional appeal in the advertisement is subtle in both straightforward and covert messages. For instance, the image of the happy family is instrumental in eliciting positive emotions about MacDonald’s. Family is an emotional subject for most cultures. This aspect is used in the advertisement in order to appeal to the audience emotions in order to persuade them to use MacDonald’s products. The image of the smiling individuals is also instrumental since it results in an emotional response that is positive from the audience. Additionally, the symbolism in the male character also has an emotional appeal for the African American market. This is significant since it reaffirms the male role in the society as providers and leaders. The picture has emotional significance since it reassures black men, that they can achieve respect in the society and that they can be providers. This elicits pride from the audience when they take their families to MacDonald’s for a meal. It is evident that the advertisement appeals to both the desires and pride of the market attesting to the significance of pathos in advertisement.
Logos is the third rhetorical appeal evident in the advertisement. In this approach, the creators used logical information and facts to persuade the audience. This involves providing information that is proven by statistics and other scientific approaches (Gulledge 48). This aspect is evident in the advertisement in the suggestion that the meat products offered in MacDonald’s restaurant have a beef content that is 100 percent. This depicts that additives do not compromise the products offered in the restaurants. This information allows the audience to make decisions, which are based on practical information. This rhetorical appeal ensures that advertisements are credible for the audience. Using this information, the audience can determine the benefits of the product being advertised
Conclusion
Advertisements are common in the contemporary scenario. They are used to influence the perceptions of the audience in favor of a product. This is achieved using rhetoric whereby the message communicated in the advertisement is effective in persuading the audience. According to Aristotle, it is essential to appeal to the logic and emotions of an audience in order to communicate effectively. This is evident in the advertisement by MacDonald’s, whereby, ethos, pathos and logos appeals are prominent. These appeals appear to be interwoven in the message of the advertisement in order to appeal to the market segment of African Americans.
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Work Cited
Gulledge, Andrew K. The Art of Persuasion: A Practical Guide to Improving Your Convincing
Power. New York: iUniverse, 2004. Print.
