Monday, January 12, 2009

I am a scientific person- there is no doubt about it.  To convince me of anything, I need proof, and lots of it.  I naturally doubt what people try to tell me, unless they are some sort of important figure that has well-established ideas.  Therefore, it is no surprise that the commericals, and ads in general, that I find most convincing are ones that appeal to logos.  Because there is so much nonsense on the television, it's hard to know what is fact versus opinion.  For instance, recently companies like Dodge, Ford, Chevrolet, and Toyota have been creating new designs on their full sized pickups.  Each company claims to have better gas mileage, more power, and more space.  In each commercial, each company is correct only because they compare their tricked-out truck to the base of the other company.  However, the way they portray it is that their average truck beats the average of the other companies.  That's why the most convincing commercials and ads that I have seen recently are anti-smoking commercials.  Recently I saw an ad where a young man read off a response letter from a tobacco company when they were told that smoking causes pregnant women to have under-weight babies.  The letter says in response " Some women may like to have under-weight babies".  This is convincing advertising; it is shocking, true, and attention-grabbing.  It also somewhat appeals to pathos, as it causes us to feel angry towards the tobacco companies.  Combining logos and pathos together, these advertisements really get the point across, and get the viewers to believe what they believe.

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