Advertising Techniques Classified by Modes of Persuasion

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Advertising Techniques Classified by Modes of Persuasion

http://foxhugh.com/2015/05/03/advertising-techniques-classified-by-modes-of-persuasion/
This article is attempting to establish a relationship between the three modes of persuasion
and particular advertising techniques. Ethos is an appeal to authority. Logos is an appeal to
logic. Pathos is an appeal to emotion. I have added a fourth category, media, because some
advertising techniques dont really fit the modes of persuasion but are media centric.
Marshall McLuhan has argued that the medium is the message. Ancient Greece had
limited types of media and would find this category confusing but media technique is
increasingly important as part of the art of persuasion since the 20th century.
1) Altruism The ad presents an altruistic story and hopes the viewer associates the story
with the product and/or service. The ad ultimately evokes emotions and is therefore a type of
pathos.
2) Analogy A similarity between like features of two things, on which a comparison may
be based. This is a type of logical argument and therefore logos.
3) Arouse Curiosity The ad catches the curiosity and therefore the attention of the
customer. Curiosity is a feeling and therefore a type of pathos.
4) Bandwagon Trying to convince viewers that a product is good because "everyone" is
buying it; encouraging people to "jump on the bandwagon". The people are the authority and
therefore this is an example of ethos.
5) Card Stacking Telling the facts from one side only. This is a manipulation of the logic
of the argument and therefore logos.
6) Cartoon Character An animated character that promotes a product. This is a good
example of a media that did not even exist in Ancient Greece. This is a mass media
technique.
7) Children In most houses, children have a say in every big or small purchase made. Most
parents just give in to the tantrums, a fact well known to the advertisers. Out of ten
commercials one sees through any medium, 8 have children featured in them who are
generally a little more perfect than the target audience. These perfect children then go on to
become role-models that have to emulated by other children. I think this is an example in
which the same commercial persuades the parents using emotion i.e. pathos. However, there
may be an ethos effect on the children watching the advertisement. Finally, in the very
beginning of film the fact that children look good on film was noticed i.e. this is a mass
media issue.
8) Comparison Appeal This brand is better than other brands of the same product. A taste
test between Pepsi and Coca Cola would be ethos. Comparing the products using facts and
figures would be logos.
9) Deal Appeal This technique involves making the audience a compelling offer, and
telling them exactly how to get it. Key words associated with this technique are free and
save. Saving money is logical but these types of ads often involved a lot of titillation i.e.
pathos.
10) Emotional Appeal Writers may appeal to fear, anger or joy to sway their readers. They
may also add climax or excitement. This technique is strongly connected to the essay's mood.
Emotional appeal is the modern way to refer to pathos.
11) Establish Credibility I have the honor of serving as president of the Southern
Christian Leadership Conference, an organization operating in every southern state, with
headquarters in Atlanta, Georgia. Appeal to authority and therefore ethos.

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Advertising Techniques Classified by Modes of Persuasion

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12) Exaggeration Exaggerating products and their uses is another of the good advertising
techniques and examples of the technique can explain how this works in the favor of the
advertiser. Exaggeration of facts and figures is logos. Exaggeration the appeal of the
products to a peer product is ethos.
13) Exigency Creating the impression that your action is required immediately or your
opportunity will be lost forever. A good combination of appealing to both logic and emotion
and a reason this technique works. Acting quickly before an opportunity is lost is logical and
our emotions also kick in.
14) Facts and Figures Statistics and objective factual information is used to prove the
superiority of the product. Statistics are the modern version of logic so this technique is
logos.
15) Fantasy Super athletes, superheroes, movie stars, the beautiful, the rich, the powerful,
or things associated with them are featured with the hope that the consumer will tend to
transfer the qualities of these people to the products and themselves and buy the item.
Fantasy is an emotional experience but I think there is also an element of ethos in that
superheroes and movie stars are beings we aspire to be.
16) Fear Using fear to sell a service and/or product. This is the dark side of pathos.
17) Green If you buy this product then you are helping the environment. The ad can go to
in a feel good direction and therefore pathos. The ad might also be logical in that a dead
world means yours truly is also dead.
18) Glittering Generalities An emotionally appealing phrase so closely associated with
highly valued concepts and beliefs that it carries conviction without supporting information
or reason. An appeal to emotion but can also be an appeal to authority depending on the ad.
19) Humor The use of humor may help people remember the ad and want to buy the
product because of the positive association with it.
20) Hyperbole This is one of the more enjoyable persuasive techniques. It involves
completely overstating and exaggerating your point for effect. (Like when your mom says, "I
must have asked you a million times to clean your room!" Get it?). The effect is ultimately
emotional and therefore pathos.
21) Image Advertising- Presenting a desirable situation or lifestyle in order to convince the
viewers that if they use a product, they, too can have this lifestyle; beautiful people.
22) Innuendo Causing the audience to become wary or suspicious of a competing product
and/or service by hinting that negative information may be being kept secret. Suspicion is an
emotion so this is an example of pathos.
23) Irony Irony is present if the writers words contain more than one meaning. This may
be in the form of sarcasm, gentle irony, or a pun (play on words). It can be used to add humor
or to emphasize an implied meaning under the surface. The writer's "voice" becomes
important here. Humor is appeals to emotion therefore this is an example of pathos.
24) Jingle or Slogan A catchy song or phrase that helps you remember a product. A
song or jingle is the use of media to get attention.
25) Lifestyle Appeal In this technique, an advertisement provides a glimpse from a
particular lifestyle or way of living. The hope is that the audience will desire this lifestyle
and transfer that longing to the product. This is an example of ethos.

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26) Magic Ingredients The suggestion that some almost miraculous discovery makes the
product exceptionally effective. Ultimately this is a logical argument even if the argument is
fallacious.
27) Mascot Mascot the audience can identify with like Smokey the Bear. A costumed
character is ultimately a type of media that appeals to our emotions.
28) Metaphor A figure of speech in which a term or phrase is applied to something to
which it is not literally applicable in order to suggest a resemblance. The metaphor may be
an attempt to make a logical and/or emotional connection. Therefore the metaphor could be
logos and/or pathos.
29) Name Calling Appeal In this technique, the advertiser compares its product or service
to the competition in a way that is favorable to the advertiser. This is the use of names that
elicit emotion and therefore pathos.
30) Nostalgia This appeal implies that this product takes you back to the good old days
or back to nature, etc. Nostalgia is ultimately emotional and therefore this is an example of
pathos.
31) Parallelism When an author creates a "balanced" sentence by re-using the same word
structure, this is called parallelism. Always strive for parallelism when using compound or
complex sentences. Jingles and/or slogans can be improved using parallelism. A
jingle/slogan is media and an improvement on media is a media issue.
32) Patriotism The suggestion that purchasing this product shows your love of your
country. Patriotism is an emotion so this is an example of pathos.
33) Personification This technique gives human characteristics to a product,
or service. Novelty elicits positive feelings so this is an example of pathos but computer
graphics mean this technique is used more effectively and perhaps more often.
34) Plain Folks The product is not elitist and suitable for ordinary people. This is an ethos
argument.
35) Promise a Benefit The ad promises a benefit to the consumer. Does the benefit have
emotional appeal? Does the benefit make sense logically? Will the benefit help you
socially? This technique can be slanted to be ethos, logos or pathos.
36) Red Herring Highlighting a minor detail as a way to draw attention away from more
important details or issues. This is an appeal to logic i.e. using logic to mislead the viewer
therefore logos.
37) Repetition Repeating an element within one advertisement so that viewers will
remember the advertisement and will buy the product. Repetition is an important part of
mass media in which ads are played again and again rather than a type of argument.
38) Reverse Psychology A persuasion technique involving the false advocacy of a belief or
behavior contrary to the belief or behavior which is actually being advocated. This is a
manipulation of both our logic and our emotion in tandem.
39) Rhetorical Question Sometimes a writer will ask a question to which no answer is
required. The writer implies that the answer is obvious; the reader has no choice but to agree
with the writer's point. This is ultimately an appeal to logic so logos.
40) Savings or Free You will save money or get something free if you buy this product.
Saving money is logical if the price aspect is emphasized but emotional if the thrill of the
sale is emphasized.

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Advertising Techniques Classified by Modes of Persuasion

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41) Scale A product looks bigger or smaller in the ad than the actual product. This is a
graphic design trick and therefore media.
42) Sensory Appeal The product tastes good, looks good, or feels good. Sounds or
pictures appealing to the senses are featured. This is generally done with video and is the use
of this media to elicit very basic emotions and therefore pathos and media.
43) Shocking the Viewer An effective method of advertising, shocking viewer gets them
more interested in the product, because it is a shift in their comfort zone. Shock is an emotion
therefore this is an example of pathos.
44) Simple Solutions One product and/or service solves several problems at the same time.
Simple solutions are easy to understand logically therefore this is a type of logos argument.
45) Slice of Life Appeal A problem is presented in a realistic manner by real people.
The real people are an example of ethos.
46) Snob Appeal The use of the product makes the customer part of an elite group with a
luxurious and glamorous life style. The elite group is an example of ethos.
47) Testimonial Appeal In this technique, a celebrity or authority figure endorses the
product. This could be a celebrity, sports star, or professional. Ethos yet again!
48) Transfer Words and ideas with positive connotations are used to suggest that the
positive qualities should be associated with the product and the user. This is the use of the
emotional impact of words and therefore pathos.
49) Weasel Words Weasel words" are used to suggest a positive meaning without
actually really making any guarantee. This is a sneakier version of word choice (50) and
ultimately a manipulation of emotion and therefore pathos.
50) Word Choice Is a person "slim" or "skinny"? Is an oil spill an "incident" or an
"accident"? This is a narrower version of transfer (48) and therefore still pathos.
Conclusion
There were 24 examples of pathos ad techniques. There were 18 examples of ethos ad
techniques. There were 15 examples of logos ad techniques. There were 9 examples of
media techniques. This means most ad techniques make an appeal to emotion.