Rhetorical Techniques Used In Advertising

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Kara Scott Professor Piner ENG 201 28 April 2017 Rhetorical Analysis Paper Most commercial advertisements have good intentions when promoting their company but some end up making it controversial. The most recent Pepsi advertisement is a great example of this. Soon after the airing of this commercial, it was banned and Pepsi sent out an apology. This leads to an ineffective advertisement. Although rhetorical appeals, imagery, and metaphors are used to enhance the purpose, it was taken the wrong way by the audience. Pathos is the most noticeable technique in this advertisement. The commercial begins with scenes of millennials of different races protesting in a city’s street. They are holding signs that are encouraging love and peace but there is a line of police officers blocking their path. More and more people stop what they are doing, painting or playing music, and merge into the rally. One girl sitting at her desk later becomes frustrated with her photography and rushes into the crowd, this helps build up to the climax. Pathos is the appeal to emotions, and this is meant to give the audience a sense of …show more content…

Various young woman look up to Kendall Jenner, she is a model and comes from a famous family known as the Kardashians. Having Kendall Jenner be the star of the commercial helps the popularity largely. Only minutes after this commercial came out, teens were already posting tweets and statuses mentioning this advertisement. Another ethos appeal seen would be the inclusion of the multiple races and hobbies. People are more likely to connect faster with humans that share the same ethnic group and interests as them. The audience will see this and feel as if these people are credible and reliable enough to follow their footsteps. Even though Pepsi is using the techniques well, the usage of metaphors in this advertisement is where it goes

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