Thesis Statements

Mountain Dew appeals to the pathos in identifying the drink with outdoor activities, logos in the need to rehydrate while exercising, and ethos in the brand that most people know and trust to encourage people to purchase this soft drink.


Mountain Dew distinguishes itself from other soft drinks by gearing the ad towards males and their stereotypical tough nature to persuade this crowd to buy their product.

5 Gum

     This ad for 5 gum appeals to the pathos strategy of persuasion by using adjectives to making the reader desire this gum. They describe it as "a chilling experience" which sounds exciting for most people.  The small text starts by asking, "Ever tried skinny dipping during a blizzard?" which most people would consider extreme.  This makes the reader interested and puts them in an emotional state to want to experience something fun or extreme.  This gum is saying that they can give you that experience or feeling.  They are encouraging the reader to "chill" and enjoy 5 gum which is an experience all its own.
     The ethos argument is seen through the reference to Wrigley's gum, which is a brand most people know and trust.  The ad mentions that Wrigley's has been "trusted for more than 100 years" which gives them credibility and familiarity.
     The ad also gives a logical point of view to speak to the logos argument in saying that it has a great taste, is low in calories, and sugar free which is basically everything you could expect from gum.
     An element of kairos can be seen through the fact that this appears to be a magazine ad.  Therefore, it would probably be read by someone who was sitting and reading a magazine which is not a very exciting activity.  This gum is advertizing excitement and experience which may be appealing to some people, but for the others that just want to relax and read a magazine for instance, it is encouraging the reader to, "Pop in a piece of new 5 Gum, and chill".  Also, in today's culture, most people are looking for new things and new experiences and the newest products.  The word "new" appears in the ad five times which might make the reader thing it is the cool new product to go out and purchase.
    The main color in the picture is blue which is a cool or "chilling" color.  Also, there are sparks out light coming out of the gum which alludes perhaps to the blizzard image, but also just emphasize the gum and its extreme sensation.  The sparks of light almost look like snow which can lead one to think of the many extreme snow sports or activities that can be experienced.  This can relate the experience of chewing this gum to being in a blizzard or doing snow sports.  The background is exciting and energetic giving the appearance that it's moving because of the shading.  All of this is emphasizing the gum and the supposedly exciting experience it brings to chew.

Bowflex Bod

          Watch the video! :)

         

          This Bowflex Ad is an example of the media we see every day.  It's persuasive because it is about a woman who claims to be 50 but looks much younger, suggesting that you will look as good as her when you are that age if you buy this product. She says she can keep up with her 5 year old granddaughter and that her 24 year old always wants to borrow her clothes. This is meant as a form of flattery that she and her 24 year old daughter can fit in the same size clothing. The commercial is creating an image of what they think women like her would want. She is lounging by the pool with an attractive guy suggesting that women who use this product will look like this and guys will be attracted to them.

          What makes an ad effective is whether it is appeals to the consumer. The ad should appeal to the consumer by allowing them to see themselves as the young looking attractive people in the commercials. The ad is trying to appeal to an older audience that feel they have lost their youth or have become less energetic as they have aged. This would not be the most effective ad for a guy because they don't want the same things that women want from their exercise equipment. Overall this ad is very effective in persuading the audience to buy this product.