Logical Fallacies In Advertising

Unbeknownst to many individuals, the advertisements one may view in any given day have the capability of containing numerous logical fallacies in both their print and imagery. Logical fallacies referring to a list of coherent errors that renders one's argument illogical and thus, ineffective. Everyday one experiences a multitude of advertisements that attempt to persuade one to purchase its product. Although a vast majority of advertisements are created with the involvement of economists, psychologists, and artists alike, they can also contain logical fallacies. Although most of these fallacies remain undetected to a vast majority of people, a competent critical thinker will have the tools needed to deduce them. These print advertisements

The fallacy of unwarranted assumption known as the fallacy of inappropriate appeal to authority is one less found in many advertisements today. Defined as, an appeal bases on the testimony of an authority in a field other than that under investigation, inappropriate appeal to authority can be applied to multitude of circumstances. Its logic based upon the fact that in most circumstances one should not address a medical doctor for automobile work or a lawyer for cooking advice as it is not in their field of expertise. Advertisement two asks its viewers to buy Dos Equis brand beer because the “ Most Interesting Man in the World” chooses to drink it. Most individuals faced with the add will fall for the mystique and sophistication that the most interesting man conveys, even as going far as calling the readers “my friends”. Behind the mystique, the man has no real authority on drinking alcohol, nor did he create or sell it. Rather, he acts as a figurehead for the Dos Equis beer company to sell their product behind. His credibility on the topic of drinking beer is even further dismissed with his famous catchphrase found in video advertisements, “ I don't always drink beer, but when I do its Dos Equis”. He admits that he doesn't always drink beer himself, thus making him less credible. The most interesting man in the world featured in

Hasty generalizations are fallacies defined as, a conclusion based upon atypical cases. These generalizations are generally representative of the stereotypes found in a particular population (Boss, 2015). It could be the equivalent of stating that, “ Cops are all racist”, “ Trump supporters are incompetent”, or , “ All liberals hate guns”. Each of these statements being incorrect as not all cops are racist, not all Trump supporters are incompetent, and not all liberals hate guns. These statements being general stereotypes of each perspective group. Similar generalizations can be found in advertisements such as add three which is one against the use of marijuana. The advertisement by an anti-drug foundation features a list of statements next to its imagery. Each of these statements are typical phrases a frequent marijuana user( stoner/ pothead) might say including, “ Sniffed a cat's butt”, and “ I forgot...something”. Popular culture often portrays marijuana users as incompetent sloth like individuals who do nothing more than sit around, eat, and smoke. Advertisement three plays upon those media driven stoner stereotypes with its featured statements as each is “typical” to a stoners vocabulary. This becomes a fallacy when understanding that not all marijuana users act in the typical stoner fashion. Perfectly normal, hard working individuals also choose to regularly consume