For our next safari in Visual Rhetoric, half of us will be looking for print ads, specifically one that uses stereotype and one that conspicuously avoids stereotype.
For the latter, this should be an ad that could have used a stereotype but that did not, or one that turns a stereotype on its head (overweight or “thick” or eldlerly fashion models, for example, or objectifying men). Don’t simply clip an ad that doesn’t have a stereotype in it, like an ad with simply a photo of a bottle of Coke. You want an ad that goes out of its way to avoid stereotype or to counter stereotype.
For your reports to class, clip or copy the ad and type up a statement identifying the stereotype or counter-stereotype.
The other half of us will be viewing an hour of national network programming, either during primetime or during a live, prominent sports event, and charting the ads for their persuasive methodologies. This means viewing the ad and noting what of the Aristotelian model of persuasion the advertiser is employing. This model offers three components to persuasion:
- Ethos: credibility of the source (look for celeb endorsers)
- Logos: the logical arguments used to persuade (good luck finding this one)
- Pathos: emotional appeals used to persuade (this is mostly what you will see)
As you’re viewing, ask yourselves: What did I learn about financial planning in this ad (or insurance, or cars or trucks)? What did I learn about anything? How much of the appeal is pure emotion, an experience. (In terms of emotions used or stirred by advertisers, aspiration or hope, belonging and fear are the favorites.) Where is there logos? Where does the ethos come from? The brand? A celebrity? Or the mere fact that it’s on TV, which is a circular logic.
But for your report to the class, simply chart the product being sold and what was used to attempt to persuade (ethos, logos and/or pathos). The emphasize here is the exercise of thinking about what we’re viewing and how we’re being persuaded.
