ASPCA Commercials

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Recommended: Three modes of persuasion

Although there are various ways to watch television programs today, one thing remains the same on each platform, commercials. The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) commercial, without fail, has the power to depress people in less than two minutes. As the haunting tone of “Angel” by Sarah McLachlan begins to play, many viewers decide to change the channel, mute the TV, or even do other tasks away from the TV to avoid feeling guilty as the images of the mistreated animals flash across the screen. This heartwrenching commercial raises awareness for animal abuse and its attempt to put a stop to it. ASPCA utilizes pathos, ethos, and logos in their commercial to earn donations. This commercial primarily capitalizes …show more content…

One way they get these donations is through their commercial, which enters the homes of TV viewers constantly. Viewers donate money by calling the number shown on screen at the end, and pledging to make a minimum monthly donation of $18. Since their target audience is people who know and love animals, and those who support animals rights, which is what constitutes much of the American Public, they receive over $30 million in donations over the six years this commercial has aired. If the viewers do not donate, they are made to feel as if they are a horrible and unethical …show more content…

The words: “Every day millions of animals are abused and neglected,” (ASPCA) appear on the screen and is followed by images of some of the animals looking mournfully into the camera. This is to show the viewers why the organization needs the fiscal support. Then the text “For some, the help comes too late,” flashes (ASPCA). This is followed by older images of animals, where the quality of the images are not that great, who the viewers can infer are being put down, due to how close they are to death and how miserable they look. Throughout the commercial, she is petting a healthy golden lab to contrast the images of the hurt animals that appear as she talks. Viewers contrast the image of the happy and healthy dog and the images of the injured animals. This creates a logical way for the viewers to see the difference between the animals. Finally, Sarah McLachlan offers a way to help these poor, dying animals, by giving the viewers a number to call and to donate money to. This structure shows the progression of the mistreatment these animals endure, and thus causes the viewers to donate to the

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