Persuasive Submission
Ethos (Credibility), or ethical appeal,
The Ethos refers to the ethical appeal communication concerning a certain thing (Larson, 2003 ).the ethos of a particular thing relies heavily on the amount of respect and credibility its author or designer attracts from he is communication to. In a short video advertising the launch of the Ipad in April 2010, the company employed the use of a series of images depicting the use of the Ipad by an individual. It focused on the device’s lightness, portability, graphical interfaces, ease of use, wide array of features and capabilities as well as the general ease of operation through touch. The advert featured a song in the background. In that sense it did not demonstrate a lot of ethos. The advert makes no attempt to use the designer’s voice, or connect with the viewer through a credible figure. The advert thus may be considered to have lacked ethical appeal. The first launch ever of the I pod in the year 2001 however was more impressive. The product was introduced by its designer and author and its features explained by him. It was easy for the message to be appealing as Steve Jobs –its designer- attracts a lot of respect and credibility in the industry. The product therefore became more attractive in the eyes of the public. The resultant overwhelming amount of sales was a reflection of that appeal.
Pathos (Emotional)
The construct pathos refers to the ability to appeal to an individual or a group of individual by focusing persuasion on their emotions ( Ramage &Bean, 1998).Emotional appeal can be used effectively to sway an argument in one’s way and convince people about something or a particular idea. The candid talk that the product author displayed in the launch of the I pod, and the way in which Steve Jobs attempted to connect with his audience, the use of simple and communication effective language all played a part in soliciting an emotional appeal in the audience. The designer presented in his speech a firm confidence in his products and their capabilities. This helped to inspire the same in his audience. Through a careful choice of words, visual displays and accompanying music, he was able to elicit favorable imaginative responses in his audience which in turn led to an emotional appeal. During the launch the author describes the history of the product and the company and how far it had come. In this way he attempted to tell a form of story, which is an effective way to elicit emotional connectivity between himself and the audience. It was therefore easy to convince them of the reliability of the new I pod .Such emotional appeal is a significant influencer in the decision to purchase the product. The Ipad advert leading to its launch in 2010 was less effective in the use of pathos. However, the visually impressive images, and background music may have been able to elicit an emotional appeal I the viewer, so as to have spur interest in the product and expectation of its launch. Music has a great ability to elicit emotional connection with viewers. However the choice so music in respect to the targeted audience is an important factor to be considered.
Logos
The construct ‘logos’ indicates an ability persuade an argument in one’s favor by the use of logical reasoning. The word ‘logos’ in itself ‘means ‘logical’. Both deductive and inductive reasoning may be applied here. The ability to present logical arguments for one’s case, giving credible evidence and employing easily understandable reasoning techniques is a powerful asset in persuasion. It is important that there be a consistency within all facets of the message being communicated. Reasons should be clearly communicated to the audience and connections between different constructs of the argument linked together in a way that is consistent with reason and logic (Smith, 2008).The advertisement for the I pad launching April 2010 communicated a form of logical argument for the product through its persuasive visual images. The ease of use of the device observed in the feature tries to reason with the viewer and convince him of product quality. The I pod launch music event incorporated compelling explanation sand arguments from the product author himself. It included the use of visual and audio presentation that further reasoned with the audience to convince them of the suitability of the product for their needs. In this way that launch is said to have used logos in persuasion.
References
Ramage, J. D. & John C. Bean, J.C.(1998) Writing Arguments. 4th Edition. Needham Heights,
MA: Allyn & Bacon.Accessed On July 20, 2012, http://www.u.arizona.edu/ic/polis/courses021/ENGL_102-78/EthosPathosLogos.
Smith, M.R.(2008). Advanced legal writing: Theories and strategies in persuasive writing.New
York:Aspen publishers.
Larson,C.U.(2003).Persuasion: Reception and Responsibility.Wadsworth:Lyn Uhl.
