Name: __________________ Persuasive Advertising Techniques ­ Pathos, Logos and Ethos How do advertisers convince people to love their product, service, company, ideas, etc. 

Pathos ­ the ad attempts to bring out an emotional response in the viewer. 

Technique Example

Symbols - Words, places, images, songs, etc that represent something else

White Dove = Peace Heart = Love/Caring Your Example:

Fear or the Bandwagon Effect - Sometimes media makes us afraid that if we don’t pay attention, something bad could happen.

“Buy this car alarm, or your convertible will be stolen!” “Lots of popular teens are wearing these jeans! If you don’t jump on the bandwagon and wear them too, you’ll be missing out!” Your Example:

Humor - Making someone laugh is on of the most effective persuasive techniques.

A commercial with dancing dogs is so funny that I want to buy the dog food being advertised! Your Example:

Happy Emotions - Images of people enjoying life while consuming the product.

Seeing a family having fun on a theme park ad will convince people to pay for their families to go (Great Wolf Lodge) Your Example:

Negative Emotions - Images of people going through pain, sadness, stress, inconvenience,etc.

A commercial showing a person having back pain after buying the wrong brand of mattress. Your Example:

Warm and Fuzzies - Cute, sweet images sell products and ideas.

“Those cute cats love that brand of fabric softener, and so will I.” Your Example:

Flattery - Complimenting the viewer so they will connect with the ad or pay-attention.

L’Oreal Make Up “Because you’re worth it” It’s worth spending the money on our make up because you’re beautiful and deserve to look your best! Your Example:

Sex Appeal - Using attractive people or sexual imagery to attract people to your product.

Ax Body Spray ads - filled with sexual imagery...basically stating “If you use this deodarent, you will attract people” Your Example:

Logos - an appeal to logic. The ad will give you EVIDENCE and/or STATISTICS, PERCENTAGES, etc in order to try to prove that it is the best product. The advertiser is trying to CONVINCE you that their product is the best.

Technique Example

Scientific Evidence - Numbers, Percents

“One glass of Florida orange juice contains 75% of your daily vitamin C needs.” “4 out of 5 dentists recommend this tooth brush” Your Example:

Describing facts about the company or product ***Sometimes these are true, sometimes they are not

“Levi’s jeans are made from organic cotton. The Levi’s company has been in business since…” Your Example:

Bribery “Buy one, get one free!” Your Example:

Name Calling - The advertiser makes fun of their competitor or argues that their product is better.

McDonalds comparing the size of their burgers to the smaller ones from another fast food company. Your Example:

Hyperbole - Using exaggeration to state that your product is the best.

“Our hot dogs are the tastiest in the world!” Elf - “World’s best cup of coffee!” Your Example:

Ethos - Trying to convince you that the company is more important, reliable, honest, believable, credible than other so you will be persuaded to buy their product/service.

Technique Example

Expert Testimony (kind of like scientific evidence in Logos)

“4 out of 5 dentists recommend this toothbrush” Movie reviews from critic Your Example:

Testimonials A famous person or customer represents the company and give the product a great review

-Stanley Cup winning hockey players endorse a certain brand of hockey equipment -A video clip of a senior citizen endorsing the seniors home they live in Your Example:

Celebrity Appeal Casting a famous person in the add to draw the attention of the viewer.

Your Example:

Brand Association Linking a known company or brand to your product

-“Cheese Nips Crackers: now with more real Kraft cheese” -New stereo systems linking their product to Beats By Dre headphones - ihome speakers - not an Apple product, but putting “i” in front of their product and making them white makes people think they are made by Apple Corporation. Your Example:

Another strategy… Repetition - Hearing or seeing something over and over makes a product stick in your head so your remember the brand. TV, Internet and Radio commercials often repeat the product name three or more times, because research has shown that it will stick in our mind if repeated over and over. Next time you listen to a radio ad, listen to how many times they repeat the company or product name. :)