Rhetorical Analysis 3

Did you know that the average American is exposed to 247 advertisements during a 24-hour period? That is 247 opportunities to buy your attention, 247 opportunities to communicate a message, and 247 opportunities to convince you that a product has the potential to change your life.

Media and the advertisement industry specifically, have become so integrated into our lifestyles that we have become oblivious to its presence. However, we do not give enough credit to how influential these small lapses of time are. Each of these advertisements has the ability to use an extremely powerful tool called rhetoric. Rhetoric is a term we use to explain our ability to persuade other people. The most common form of rhetoric, the kind we find in the majority of advertisements, is product marketing. Product marketing has led us to believe that if we purchase a material object, it reflects who we are as people. This identifying belief has contributed to the massive amount of wealth that is held in the advertising industry and to ensure its prosperity this business adapts to society and so do the ads.

With these changes in society come different messages in our marketing. These “changes” can explain how ads have evolved from simple slogans to images that provoke deep sexual connotations. This has led many to question: if we believe that sex, alcohol, tobacco, etc. are immoral, then why is advertising them so effective? We can start to understand this question by looking at a Marlboro ad and its rhetoric devices.

The first elements we are drawn to in this Marlboro ad are its vivid color, emphasized product title, and the image of a baby. It seems strange to associate infants with cigarettes because babies are associated as being angelic, pure, and innocent. The ad goes as far as mentioning the word miracle, which is commonly mentioned when regarding the birth of a human being. However, once you notice the dialogue, “Gee, Dad, you always get the best of everything…even Marlboro,” the extreme contrast makes sense.

Here, the advertisers are using the appeals of pathos and logos. Pathos seems to be the most obvious appeal, seeing as how an image of a baby triggers a protective and warm emotion to many audiences. Creating this emotional connection will provide consumers with an excuse that smoking is as innocent as a baby. However, in reality is certainly is not. This ad subtly hides the risks and dangers of tobacco by masking it behind the face of purity.

As we digest the text, we get a more general logos appeal. The baby’s dialogue gives us the sense that he/she is proud of their father for buying Marlboro. It is human nature to want to be admired and looked up to, especially by your own children. By writing this, advertisers are promising that if you buy their product your children will be proud of you also. Not only this, but the ad convinces consumers to believe that they should not feel guilty for smoking around their children either. Once again we find that the truths of reality are being productively blurred.

It is because of these initial persuasions that the relations to tobacco, alcohol, sex, etc. are able to sell. So as to shake off these unreasonable persuasions, in the parody the text implicates the feelings of guilt and irresponsibility. You may notice that this is contradicting the original ad’s arguments. Smoking should not be a recreational activity. It is, in fact, a greater risk than is worth taking that can lead to death. Losing years off of your life is never something you would want to pass onto your kids. To represent this there is an image of a skull and crossbones placed on the face of the cigarette pack. With just these tiny changes, the intentions of the ad are changed dramatically. This just goes to show that with ads, it is all in the details.

We finally come to an ever-present question: how does this reflect our identity as a society? From this advertisement alone, it can easily be assumed that advertisers are playing off of our culture's avoidance of responsibility. As humans, we are uncomfortable with the thought of bearing responsibility and being a role model for fear that we may make a mistake and disappoint others. This is understandable, but there comes a time when it becomes our moral obligation to receive these responsibilities to preserve our future generation. These weak assumptions created by ad makers can be proven wrong. It is only up to us to take the initiative.

Advertisements have 247 chances to speak to us in a single day. A moment where they can tell us exactly what they think of our society. Even though we may have become immune to its presence around us that does not mean that its importance has been diminished. Imagine what advertisements could do for the general benefit for mankind if they advocated for world peace, human rights, or tolerance for that matter? This just goes to show that every ad has the ability to use their powerful rhetoric devices to influence our culture for the better. It is only our job as consumers to look and listen.