Please note: You may use the same advertisement and the same writing from your discussion if you like! You may also change the information if you prefer.

Topic:

Many of the discussions for our class explore issues surrounding consumption and advertising. One common thread in the readings is how advertisers use rhetoric and our fears/desires to manipulate us into buying their products.
Write a 1000+ word essay in which you select ONE successfully advertised consumer product or idea.

Your goal is to uncover the subtext of the advertisement — all of the messages around the signs and the use of rhetoric. Remember that this is a critical essay; you need to analyze the forces behind the sale of your product rather than writing a series of personal anecdotes. Also, consider how your product is marketed to the masses, including the target audience (gender, race, age) and consumer manipulation.

Please note: The word count does not include your Works Cited, heading, headers, etc. Please add your word count at the end of the paper. Likewise, Carroll and/or Cohn must be strongly integrated into your paper.
Your purpose is to answer the question:

How do advertisers use their tactics (rhetoric, signs and cultural myths) to convince consumers to buy the product or idea?

Respond to these prompts in your essay:

What are the ways in which Ethos, Pathos and Logos are used in the advertisement? You must show examples of at least 2 rhetorical approaches used by the advertiser. Be very specific with your examples and your analysis. You must have cited evidence (quoted or paraphrased) to support all arguments.
Which signs in the advertisement show the target demographic (gender, race, age) and how can you tell? What messages do these signs send to the intended audience of the ad? Signs can be characters, words, objects, images, forms of behavior, music, setting/sets, special effects, lighting—any detail from the ad that takes on meaning based on the context (i.e.—the system) the signs are in. Be very specific with your examples and your analysis. You must have cited evidence (quoted or paraphrased) to support all arguments.

What cultural myths come across in the ad, and how do advertisers use these to convince consumers to buy the product? Cultural myths are any mainstream social ideas, values, or ideals. You can figure out the cultural myth(s) by looking at all the signs in the ad—what idea is being used to sell you this product? Keep in mind that cultural myths in ads often prey on our fears and desires. Ask yourself what specific fears or desires (or both) the ad is speaking to in order to get you to buy the product or idea. Be very specific with your examples and your analysis. You must have cited evidence (quoted or paraphrased) to support all arguments.

Requirements:

Your essay must be at least 1000 words of essay text, not including headers, headings, Works Cited, etc.
Your assignment must be 12 pt. font, Times New Roman, properly paragraphed and double spaced. Please follow all MLA rules for structure and format.
You are required to use either the Carroll text and/or the Cohn text in your essay. The number of quotes you choose is up to you, but I will definitely have a strong presence in your paper from at least one of these authors.
You must also use evidence from your advertisement. How much you use will be up to you, but you must show evidence for each claim.
You are required to have a Works Cited page. On there, you will have Carroll and/or Cohn, and your advertisement. You must also include anything else you have independently chosen to use (i.e. Aristotle’s rhetoric or any other reading from or outside our class). Double check your MLA citations both on the Works Cited page and in your essay. See the Purdue Owl websites for MLA explanations and examples.
Your audience: assume that the reader is intelligent, but that they may know nothing about the topic you’re addressing. Share information accordingly.
Your tone should be professional, unbiased, and polished. Any shared sources should be credible.

You must include a thesis. Your thesis must be an argument, based on research. Make sure you have a clear, direct thesis statement that is guiding the rest of the paragraphs. Your thesis statement should be an arguable claim you make that answers the following question: How do advertisers use their tactics (rhetoric, signs and cultural myths) to convince consumers to buy the product or idea?
Make sure your body paragraphs are properly developed (1. topic sentence, 2. quotes/evidence, 3. analysis, 4. relate back to your thesis).
While there is no paragraph count requirement, you must paragraph the paper effectively and correctly, and follow a “5 paragraph model,” although you will likely have more than 5 paragraphs. Start with an introduction, share your argumentative body paragraphs, and end with a conclusion.

Your essay must demonstrate good writing skills, including control of sentence structure, minimal subject-verb and noun-pronoun agreement errors, consistent point of view, proper punctuation, and correct spelling.
Your writing must be yours. Do not use any AI generated language or anything else that may reflect academic dishonesty, otherwise you may receive a zero on the assignment.

Dig deep and have fun with this. Don’t write arguments that are superficial, obvious or typical. Push yourself to look for the more nuanced arguments!

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