IMC Hawks Blog

Tag: Pathos

  • Ethics in Advertising

    On Martin Luther King Jr. Day, people are confronted with the enormity of the Doctors actions. The “I have a dream speech” is remembered as one of the most powerful speeches to encapsulate the civil rights movement. On August 28, 1963 Martin Luther King Jr. spoke to millions of Americans on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial. MLK spoke to the millions that marched about struggle and perseverance, about the importance of faith and non-violence. King’s speech resonated with the millions that attended and will be remembered for many years to come. “I have a dream” is in part so powerful because of how emotional it is. MLK spoke from his heart and from his personal experience. Emotion, however, is understood to be a powerful component to public speaking and persuasion in general. It is for this reason that marketing and advertising works to illicit an emotional response in the viewer. Now this doesn’t mean that the “I have a dream speech” is at risk of getting hijacked for marketing gains or that we can expect to see it in advertisements. We must however take time to acknowledge the ethical aspect of emotional ads.

    12 years a slave

    Here we have a movie ad for the critically acclaimed film 12 Years a Slave. The movie takes place in pre-Civil War United States, and focuses on a free African American man who is abducted and sold into slavery. The hardships he endures are demoralizing, taking the film into deep emotional waters. On top of the piece’s obvious ties to the subject and content of King’s widely celebrated speech, the ad for the film took things a step further with implementing bits and pieces of the actual audio into the movie preview.  But doesn’t this raise the question of ethics in these ads? Is it moral to use something as real and as powerful as King’s speech to pull at the heart strings and promote one’s product or service?  With so many variables, the answer’s complexity leaves room for argument on both sides!

    Pathos is a rhetorical appeal and universal form of persuasion that successfully gains the audience’s attention by appealing to the emotions. How many times are we motivated to support something simply because we find it to be “pathetic”? Organizations such as UNICEF, ASPCA, and the Humane Society seek donations by sharing shockingly emotional campaigns. Although we are free to advertise ourselves, our beliefs, and our ideas as we please, the thought of having to guilt someone into believing us appears unethical. As mentioned, 12 Years a Slave uses excerpts of “I Have a Dream” to capture viewer’s attention and obtain financial gain. The film industry is not a charity, non-profit organization, or public relations event… so does it seem to be deliberately toying with our feelings to gain another purchased ticket. Some might argue that with freedom of speech, these persuasive methods are ethical and simply a method to gain our attention, particularly if they are used for the non-profit organizations who seek to benefit society. What do you think? Is it ethical to buy our emotions for financial gain? Is it even ethical to buy our support for others in financial gain?

    -Jami Taylor, Ty Thomas, Austin Johnson

  • Flacco’s “Lovin’ It”

    From his first infamous trip to purchase a 10 piece nugget meal, to now being featured in a full scale McDonald’s advertisement, Joe Flacco is now not only representing the NFL scene, but the fast food scene. Many companies have harnessed and benefitted from the use of the pathos and emotion in their advertising campaigns to attract current and future consumers. McDonald’s has started a new advertisement campaign with Ravens’ quarterback and recent Super Bowl XLVII MVP, Joe Flacco. With the Ravens’ latest win in Super Bowl XLVII, Flacco has become a household name, contributing to a rise in Ravens’ supporters and fans. As the new football season revs up, McDonald’s is appealing to the crazed fans young and old alike who have a passion for their team and what it believes in.

    Although Flacco is a respectable and genuine role model who is described by many as humble and “the guy next door,” this is not just a question of the effect of pathos being used in this campaign, but also ethos. By doing the commercial for McDonald’s, which is well known for their appeal to younger consumers, Flacco could be seen as ethically responsibly for the image he puts out for young children. Young boys and girls may look up to him because of his celebrity appeal and athletic status and think they should eat McDonald’s because he does. In the advertisement, Flacco is shown eating McDonald’s new “Mighty Wings” which are (480 calories and  31 fat grams). As a well known sports icon, Flacco is constantly in the limelight. He is a fit and healthy individual, which will create the image of eating McDonald’s as an attractive and healthy option. This may cause misleading perceptions about the health benefits of McDonald’s and in Flacco losing credibility as a professional athlete.

    Logic (Logos) may be factored in when looking at the obvious benefits that McDonald’s will gain from having Flacco in their advertisements.  Having a well known athlete sponsor your brand is a sure fire way to bring in revenue and was a good marketing move by McDonald’s.  On the other hand, logic also tells us that McDonald’s does not provide the healthiest food that we can put into our bodies.  The nutrition facts cannot be hidden by a super fit athlete.  Do you feel as though Flacco lost or gained credibility by endorsing McDonald’s?  How do you think McDonald’s credibility has changed or stayed the same, knowing the type of people they feature in their advertisements (particularly athletes)?

    We can almost be certain that aside from the ethical questions that this ad brings up, there will be a rise in support of McDonald’s by a deeply rooted Ravens’ fan base. This brings about a win-win situation for McDonald’s and Flacco off the field.  So, who knew that a simple 10 piece nugget meal from McDonald’s would land him yet another win?

    -Aaron Love, Kara Zimmerman, Rachel Clay, Rebecca Hobbs

  • The New American “Diet”

    If you haven’t dined out, visited the drive through, or stocked up on packaged foods in the past week, I applaud you.  For the rest of us, with too little time, too much to do, and tight budgets, these can make up the majority of our diets.  Let’s face it, eating and cooking fresh can be pricey, and watching your produce waste away in the refrigerator is a little bit depressing.  In a country overrun with obesity and simultaneously fascinated with eating better, lighter options in stores and restaurants have become relatively commonplace.  So if we’re all buying the low-calorie options, why aren’t we getting thinner?

    Diet Coke, turkey burgers, and yogurt parfaits are only a few of the products often advertised and consumed as healthy alternatives to their higher calorie counterparts, but items like these can be the downfall of our healthy lifestyles.  Coca-Cola is a large offender, especially with their “all calories count” message in a recent anti-obesity ad campaign.  This campaign essentially highlights the improvements to Coca-Cola products and frames their beverages in a way that attempts to diminish their reputation as one of the biggest causes of obesity.

    Along with this beverage super-star, fast-food chains like McDonalds have focused ads on their lighter fare, restaurants advertise low-calorie menus, and snacks are packaged in smaller servings. The problem is, not all calories are equal, and not all low-calorie foods are healthy.  These companies position these products for the average American, looking to make improvements to their diet without much hassle, and it works.  Why you might ask?  It’s not because we don’t think about the choices we make, or are easily fooled.  It’s because advertisers utilize the fundamentals to communicate their messages.

    Advertisers are truly the kings and queens of Aristotle’s appeals of ethos, pathos, and logos.  They appear credible with FDA nutrition facts printed clearly on each label, appeal to our emotions by loading their ads with language and messages about healthy living or weight loss, and petition our logic with facts about what goes into different items and how the calories add up.

    This isn’t to say that most people will be quick to believe that a McDonald’s hamburger is part of a healthy diet because it’s part of the “under 400 calories” menu.  However, for those of us looking to do the best we can with the time and budgets we have, these ads can play powerful roles in decision-making.

    The big question about these types of ads, is whether or not it’s ethical to allow unhealthy products to be represented as the means to a healthier life.  For many people, shopping and eating well is a guessing game, largely impacted by packaging, print, and television ads.  In a world where being overweight or obese can cause health problems, social anxiety, and even death, should companies be required to avoid misleading their consumers?  It’s an age-old question unlikely to be answered anytime soon.

    – Ally Walton

  • It’s all Greek to me…

    The success of a political campaign is rooted in its ability to inspire its audience to believe in their politician’s leadership. They do this through signs, television commercials, various media outlets, newspapers, flyers, and perhaps the most effective means; speech.

    The ancient Greek philosopher, Aristotle, divided the art of rhetorical persuasion into three categories: ethos, pathos, and logos.  Ethos appeals to one’s credibility. In others words, how believable and trustworthy is the speaker? Pathos inspires an emotional response in the audience. It establishes a connection with the speaker and their audience. Logos is how, for lack of a better word, logical and verifiable the message of the speaker resonates with the audience. These three rhetorical devices are used by successful politicians to persuade their potential voters and audiences to support their campaign.

    When a speaker successfully employs these rhetorical devices they can be a effective speaker. This could be seen in the Obama/McCain elections and the current local elections happening now. Obama was successful in his use the ancient Greek method of persuasion and therefore won the elections. At the end of our local elections it will be evident who the successful speakers were and who failed to implement Aristotle’s methods of persuasion.

    What made you vote the way you did? Was their positions on topics enough or did they have to persuade you to believe them? Let us know!

    Breanna Alexander

    Lauren Dehart

    Lauren Smith

    Kelly Wiley