Journal 5-1: Identifying Rhetorical Appeals in Context
Journal 5-1: Identifying Rhetorical Appeals in Context
Journal Prompt
First, choose a pair of television advertisements to watch from the list below.
Pair 1
• Maserati, “Strike” (opens in new window)
• Kia, “Smarter Way” (opens in new window)
Pair 2
• Allstate, “The Best Things in Life” (opens in new window)
• Allstate, “I’m a Teenage Girl” (opens in new window)
After viewing the two television advertisements from your chosen pair, respond to the following prompts in a short journal entry:
• Who is the target audience of this commercial? The answer to this question is never “people who want a car” or “people who want insurance.” The commercials are targeting specific people. Who do you think they are? How old are they? Are they single? Married? Young? Old? Be specific and point to evidence from the commercial to support your claim. Compare the audiences for your two ads.
• What specific rhetorical appeals are being used in the commercial? Are they mostly emotional? Are they mostly logical? Is the commercial trying to prove the credibility of the company? How? Identify 2-3 specific examples of rhetorical appeals from each ad and discuss how they contribute to the ad’s message. Compare the strategies employed by your two ads.
• Is the ad successful? For the most part, commercials are not made with the intention that people will run out and immediately purchase the thing being advertised. Instead, advertising strives to leave an impression and make a mark with the audience so that whenever they are in the market, they might remember the company. Are these ads successful in that regard? Compare the success of your two ads.
Your journal response should be around 350 words long.
