Aliyah Sall
Thompson
Block 2/ Skinny B
14 January 2015
Rhetorical Ad Appeals
The average person is exposed to three thousand ads a day according to CBS News and Google Answers. The fact that the human brain is idle 95% of the time makes it easier for emotionally focused ads to resonate with consumers. (Working Psychology/Mindfulness and Mindlessness, pg. 1) The emotional appeal of the non-news Campbell’s Soup ad more efficiently utilizes the rhetorical devices by capturing consumer’s attention with analogies, hyperboles and antiphrasises. The subconscious and intuition of the average person is drawn to more emotional advertisement compared to the news American Express ad that requires focus and effort in understanding. The appeal of the non-news ads is based on subliminal messages invoking a belief, hope dream or expectation of what the product will do for your life. The effectiveness of these ads are proven with the cognitive dissonance theory which is where advertisers showcase tension between opposing views and make their product the solution. This dynamic shows the viewer the superiority of the advertised product to others and how beneficial it would be if they purchased it. Aristotle narrowed all emotions down to a list of fourteen which includes love, confidence, and shamelessness. All these emotions are used in the Campbell’s Soup ad; love of the product, confidence in the ability of the soup to fill you up and shamelessness in showing the product and telling the reader the ingredients. These strategies make up the idea of emotional persuasion of the subconscious mind. The rational persuasion of the news American Express ad requires the target audience to make an active effort to receive and evaluate the information provided. This means a conscious mind which was previously stated to only occur 5% of the time in an average human brain. There are no subliminal messages, just straight, factual information in a generalized marketing plan focused on consumers looking for effectiveness of the product and an appealing price. Drawing consumers with an alluring price might
