Advertisers use rhetorical appeals – Aristotle’s big three – logos, ethos and pathos. They appeal to the brain, gut and heart of the consumer. While our brain tries to sort the facts, our gut tells us whether we can trust the advertisers and our heart makes us want to buy that product. (Heinrichs 40)
Here is an example that shows how those three work together. With help of information that has been collected from our cell phones, iPods and computers, advertisers have monitored every aspects of our life as Kanner said in his assay “The Piracy of Privacy”. One person is undergoing a divorce and he is the father of a young boy. A toy company’s marketing division has flagged his situation; its research indicates he’s likely worried about the relationship with his son (logos). The ad that they send on his smart-phone is showing an overjoyed boy receiving an luxurious video game from his loving father (pathos). Ad has been electronically tweaked, so the boy looks a little like his child (ethos). He orders the game on the spot.(Kanner 590)
adstous 