ANALYZING PERSUASIVE APPEALS IN ADVERTISEMENTS: 2006
ANALYZING PERSUASIVE APPEALS IN ADVERTISEMENTS: 2006
See also "Breast
Cancer Fight Sees Pink" (Michelle Woo, The Arizona Republic)
Mary Culp
Breast Cancer Foundation
Once the Breast Cancer Research Foundation ad has gotten the reader's attention, the full
view of the ad brings the focus to the center of the photo, with a much larger pink ribbon
and the words in white, another striking contrast, reading "Expose the Truth."
The woman in the photo is exposed herself, as she is just barely covering her
bare chest with her arms. The fact that the woman’s head is cut off just below
the eyes puts the emphasis on the woman’s breasts, which, the message suggests, can
be any woman’s breasts. This is an ethical and logical appeal because the woman
pictured is fairly young and very attractive, showing that breast cancer affects everyone.
It is no surprise that an ad for a woman’s disease is placed in a woman’s
magazine.
The compelling statistics of how often a woman dies in the United States alone from breast
cancer is printed in white also. This is an obvious appeal to the emotions of the reader,
or the pathos, because the collective pronoun "we" draws everyone together as
being responsible for the cure, stating, "We must stop this, here and around the
world." Another appeal to emotion is in the corner of the ad. The slogan reads,
"Funding the fight to prevent and cure breast cancer in our lifetime." This
urges the reader to get involved and take action immediately. The text also appeals to
logic, or logos, with the catchy statement that, "Research today saves lives
tomorrow." This also encourages readers to act right away because it suggests
that a cure is just around the corner if more people like them would only contribute to
the funding.
English 5730 is taught by Dr. Richard Nordquist.
Armstrong Atlantic State University
Savannah, Georgia 31419
912/921 5991
15 February 2006