Transcript Appeals to Basic Values

Persuasive
Techniques
and Examples
Claim

Your main point

Examples: Chocolate
is a healthy snack.
__________is the best
presidential candidate.
Appeals to Logic (Logos)


Takes a reader stepby step through an
argument to present
accurate evidence
(facts, data, numbers,
statistics) to support
an argument.
Example: A Snickers
bar has 280 calories
and 30 grams of sugar
Appeals to Emotions (Pathos)


May take the form of a
brief story or a vivid
image to attempt to
use pity, joy, or
another emotion to win
support.
Example: Your
donation may help find
this puppy a home.
Appeals to Ethics (Ethos)

Trying to convince
your audience that you
are trustworthy and
believable

Example: Believe me!
I’ve been there before!
I’m just like you!
Sense of Urgency (Kairos)


Using pressure to
create a need to “act
now”
Example: This is a
one day sale only!
Hurry in for the best
selection!
Propaganda

is a form of
communication aimed
towards influencing
the attitude of a
population toward
some cause or
position.

World War I poster by Winsor McCay,
urging Americans to buy Liberty
Bonds
Bias

Prejudice in favor of
or against one thing,
person, or group
compared with
another,
usually in a way
considered to be
unfair.
Testimonials

A written or spoken
statement, sometimes
from a person figure,
sometimes from a
private citizen,
extolling the virtue of
some product, idea, or
person.

“It happened to me”
Transfer

transfer: persuasive
technique that uses a
strong pictorial symbol
or general phrase that
arouses the
audience’s emotions
so that they’ll
connect/transfer the
positive emotion to the
product being sold

The setting of this
advertisement is positive,
which transfers positive
feelings / emotions to the
viewer.
Appeals to Basic Values


Speaks to ideas that
all viewers/readers
support
Example: referring to
someone as “just”
(justice is a basic
value), or saying
something is
“wasteful” (thrift is a
basic value)

being patriotic is
another basic value
Big Names


Experts and important
/ respected people
who support your side
of the argument
Example: Former
President Bill Clinton
thinks that junk food
should be taken out of
vending machines.
Plain Folks


When ordinary
people sell or
endorse a product.
Speaker presents
themselves as an
“Average Joe” to
connect to the
audience.
Research


Using studies and
information to make
your argument seem
more convincing using
words, graphs, tables,
illustrations, data.
Example: Nine out of
ten students think that
we should have a
shorter school day.
Loaded Words


Words or phrases that
have strong emotional
impact (positive or
negative connotation
Examples: love,
peace, economical,
prosperity, cheat, pig,
fetus vs. unborn baby
Opinion as Fact



To present beliefs as if
they are factual truths
Example: Animal
testing is cruel and
inhumane. (vs. “I feel”,
“I think”, or “I believe”)
_____ is the best
candidate.
Repetition and Parallelism


Repeating words or
phrases, or the use of
identical sentence
forms
Rhythmic patterns can
be persuasive, and
repetition can enforce
an idea

Example: “I have a
dream”…. begins
many sentences in
MLK’s famous speech
Rhetorical Questions


A question that makes
the reader think;
doesn’t need an
answer
Example: How many
times do I have to tell
you? Or How long
will we need to endure
this injustice?
Superlatives


Using adjectives that
imply the highest or
lowest quality
Examples: best,
smartest, most
qualified, worst, most
dishonest
Pronouns


Using pronouns to
identify the
relationship between
the reader and the
writer
Using the pronouns
“we” and “us” make
the reader feel more
involved

For example: We
can’t afford to make
that mistake again.
Endorsement


Getting famous people
to speak up for your
idea, cause, product,
or candidate
Example: Tiger
Woods doing an
advertisement for
Buick
Flattery


Saying nice things
about the reader/
listener to get them on
your side.
Example: “I know you
are intelligent people,
so you will do the right
thing.”
Bandwagon


Tries to get you to join
the group, to do
something because
everyone else is
Example: credit card
companies who try to
get your business by
claiming that they
already have millions
of customers

(don’t) get aboard the
bandwagon!
Peer Pressure


Similar to bandwagon,
except the persuasion
comes from your
friends and/or people
you know
Example: “Everyone
is going to the party on
Friday. You don’t
want people to think
you’re a nerd!”
Slogans


Clever or memorable
words, phrases or
tunes that cause us to
think of a product,
idea, or candidate
Examples: Just do it,
Got Milk? Yes we can!
Name Calling


Describing the
opponent in a negative
way to bring about a
prejudice among the
public by labeling the
target as something
the public dislikes
Examples: traitor,
coward, inexperienced
Snob Appeal

Uses images, objects
or people who seem
classy, wealthy, or
even cool (cool
appeal) to appeal to
people’s desire to be
classy, wealthy, or
cool through transfer.
Sexual Attraction


The most used
technique in television
and print ads today. It
appeals to the desire
to be attractive to the
opposite sex.
Example: Ads: makeup, perfume, clothing,
deodorant, shampoo,
just about anything!
Card Stacking


Using only information
that is positive to an
idea or proposal and
leaving out anything
negative
Example: A used car
ad that fails to mention
that the car has been
submerged in water
Generalities or
“Glittering Generalities”

Making vague or
general good or bad
statements about
something in order to
appeal to peoples’
emotions.
Guilt

Making the audience
feel bad about
something so they
will take action.
Figures of Speech

Using figurative
language to make
advertising more
interesting and
appealing.



“The best part of
waking up is Folgers
in your cup”
"Sleeping on a Sealy
is like sleeping on a
cloud.“
"Plop plop, fizz fizz,
oh what a relief it is!“
Humor

Humor is often used
as a persuasive
technique because it
relates to our feelings
of happiness (pathos)
and associates
positive feelings with
a product, candidate,
a message, or a
cause.
Persuasive Techniques Tree Map


Create a tree map to categorize all of the
persuasive techniques that we have learned
according to whether they appeal more to
ethos, pathos, or logos. (Your branches
should be labeled ethos, pathos, and logos).
Then, put a P next to all of the persuasive
techniques that are examples of propaganda
(twisting the truth).
Your Task


Working with your tablemates, peruse
various magazines until you find an
advertisement that you all want to analyze.
Have one person record your answers to
the following questions another person(s)
prepare to share out:
Find a magazine ad and answer
the questions below?



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Which magazine did the ad come from?
What is this ad trying to persuade you to do
or buy?
Who is their target audience? In other
words, who are they most trying to reach?
How many persuasive strategies from your
notes can you identify in the ad? List them
and be prepared to explain.