Golberg 1

Isaac Golberg
Writing 2
Professor Wilson
3 June 2016
Revised Writing Project 3
Part I:
Are you a wimp? Do all the ladies laugh when you take your shirt off? Well, do we have a
solution for you! InstaGainz puts you on a specialized workout program that guarantees results
in only two weeks. We have hired specialists of the highest qualifications to come up with a fastacting formula composed of the necessary amino acids for muscle building. An active routine
coupled with our formula allows for the optimal conditions of enhancement of energy utilization,
and an improvement in the release of your growth hormones. Throw out your nasty protein
shakes, and stop choking on those disgusting vegetables because InstaGainz is all you need. For
a low price of 4 payments of $19.99, we will make your dreams come true. Your order will come
with a years supply of InstaGainz and for a limited time only, well even throw in a designer
tank top that will amplify your new rockin bod. Were so confident that our product will get you
the results you want that were willing to give you a full refund if you are unsatisfied in the
slightest. Thats right, if you dont see results in two weeks, we will refund you your entire
payment! So what are you waiting for?! Quit being sappy, and start being happy with
InstaGainz.

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(Figure 1)
* InstaGainz is not responsible for any side effects such as, but not limited to, baldness, heart attack, depression, sterilization, or death. Refunds are not available once we have
received your payment.

Part II:
At one point or another we have all felt certain physical insecurities. Those of us that
decide to take action on these feelings typically turn to working out and diets to improve our
physical appearance. Others look for shortcuts to reduce time and effort to receive the same
results. Many people fall for marketing tactics that health companies use to increase sales of their
product, but at what point do their marketing techniques become pure lies? In a society where
information spreads like wildfire, we have surpassed the threshold of simple advertisement and
reached a point where companies feed the public effortless lies and take strikes at insecurities so
that people will buy their product. Companies take a seed of truth to bring credibility to a sales
pitch and then wrap it in a plethora of lies to create a completely unethical sales approach,
especially considering that almost all the results they promise are unattainable. Even if you were
to ignore all the lies that an advertisement possesses, there are still many unethical, psychological

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techniques that are consistently used to increase buyer turnout. As a result, the advertisement
industry should have stricter guidelines on what they can and cannot say.
The original academic article analyzes the benefits of protein or amino acid supplements
paired with exercise. The study focuses on examining the issue on the tissue level to determine if
the protein breakdown rate is impacted in response to exercise. The collected data points to the
conclusion that the benefits of the amino acid supplement depend not only on composition, but
also quantity and time administered. However, the study goes on to state that the collected data is
not enough to defend or debunk the helpfulness of these supplements. This is important to take
note of because it correlates to how the advertisement incorporates this information. Specifically,
the advertisement chooses to omit any doubt of the product in an effort to increase sales.
To begin, advertisements for protein supplements usually start off by pandering to a
shortcoming or insecurity. Through a series of specially designed questions, the advertisement
hones in on a specific aspect of life that you may not be completely satisfied with. By taking
Bunns advice on how to read like a writer, we can analyze the authors intent for including
this aspect (Bunn 71). Although this example takes a more drastic approach by asking if all the
ladies laugh when you take your shirt off, it still targets a consumers self-doubt. Such a
question gets the audience thinking about their personal love life and the possibility of improving
it through physical gains. This marketing technique possesses no lies, but it is an unethical strike
at a weak psyche. An approach that focuses specifically on pathos poses a clear distinction
between an advertisement and an academic article that revolves around aspects related to ethos
(Carroll 54).
Once the customer has started believing that a product, such as the one being advertised,
can pose some usefulness, the advertisement brings credibility to its authors. By stating that they

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have hired specialists of the highest qualification to come up with a fast-acting formula
composed of the necessary amino acids for muscle building, a distributor is trying to convince
the potential client that their product has undergone strenuous research and has been perfected
through countless experiments. Building on this, the advertisement adds an element of factual
information to solidify the illusion of credibility. By utilizing the academic articles main
research theme of optimal conditions of enhancement of energy utilization, and an improvement
in the release of your growth hormones, the advertisement integrates its seed of truth. Although
this technique is a researched method of improving a workout routine, the advertisement fails to
mention that it has not yet been proven to provide its intended results. The study simply
researches the potential benefits such a method can have, but it clearly states that more research
must be done on the matter.
To continue, the vendor plays on the psyche so that the customer is more inclined to
buying their product without hesitation. The seller splits up the payment into several increments
because on a psychological level, 4 payments of $19.99 seems to be substantially less than
$80. Again, this strategy is part of Aristotles ingredients of persuasion and it is aimed toward
pathos. This is significant because an academic article stays away from arguments that are
tailored to pathos since it must focus on logos and ethos to prove its point (Carroll 54).
Lastly, the seller ends their campaign by guaranteeing results from their product, having a
memorable sign-off, and then a disclaimer. When a seller offers a full refund for a buyer that is
unsatisfied, a client feels as if there is no down side to purchasing the product. There is, however,
almost always a catch to these conditions. In this case, the disclaimer states that a refund cannot
be given once the vendor receives a payment from the buyer. This disclaimer makes it nearly
impossible to claim your refund. Furthermore, by stating the potential health consequences, the

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company shields itself from liabilities and concerns. This technique is a common practice,
especially by medication and supplement vendors. When the advertisement wraps up, the buyer
wants to leave the audience thinking about their product, much like how a conclusion paragraph
works. The advertisement displays an image of the dream body that the amino acids can provide,
which allows the vendor to leave you longing for their product (McCloud 15).
Just like Zinsser covers the importance of simplicity, the advertisement is designed so
that every word has significance. Through a careful selection of word choice, the advertisement
is able to efficiently target all the desired aspects of a good marketing campaign. Advertisements
are structured so that its audience is convinced that the product they are selling is necessary,
while an academic article aims to inform its constituents on a certain discipline. Although the
advertisement does not possess a substantial amount of information from the original article, it is
not supposed to. One must keep in mind the intention of this genre and the audience that it is
targeting. While an academic article on protein supplements can make an educated analysis to
inform nutritionists and dietary specialists on cutting-edge methods, an advertisement is simply
targeted at your everyday Joe. Nonetheless, the methods of persuasion that advertisements use
are extremely unethical and often times possess more lies in them than truth. As a result, I
believe it is necessary to extend the restrictions on false advertisement and to require the
presentation of more factual information when selling a product.

Works Cited

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Bunn, Mike. "How to Read Like a Writer." How to Read Like a Writer. Vol. 2. N.p.: n.p., n.d. 7185. Print.
Carroll, Laura Bolin. Backpacks vs. Briefcases: Steps toward Rhetorical Analysis. Writing
Spaces: Readings on Writing. N.p.: Parlor, 2010. 46-54. Print.
"The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition." Protein Supplements and Exercise. N.p., n.d. Web.
15 May 2016.
McCloud, Scott. Writing with Pictures. Making Comics: Storytelling Secrets of Comics, Manga
and Graphic Novels. N.p.: n.p., n.d. 8-17. Print.
"Simplicity." Simplicty. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 May 2016.
"Who Is the Most Ripped Player on the Tour? | Page 5." Talk Tennis. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 May
2016.