During class this week we talked about advertisements and the methods used by companies to get consumers to buy their products. As I reflected on the appeals to ethos, logos, and pathos I recall studying about logical fallacies in high school.
I studied many fallacies varying from “begging the question” to “slippery slope.” The fallacy that rings strongest in my head is appeal to authority. Using ethos, a company, rhetor, or person will appeal to an “authority” figure that supports the product they are selling or the argument they are making. The most common example is “#1 doctor recommended.” This appeal is attempting to convince the consumer, reader, or audience that someone who possesses expertise in a field supports this product. The reader must understand that just because the box says “#1 doctor recommended” does not guarantee the success of the product or the strength of the product. As an informed audience it is our job to make sure that we understand these crucial uses of rhetoric, logical fallacies and appeals to ethos that surround us.
I studied many fallacies varying from “begging the question” to “slippery slope.” The fallacy that rings strongest in my head is appeal to authority. Using ethos, a company, rhetor, or person will appeal to an “authority” figure that supports the product they are selling or the argument they are making. The most common example is “#1 doctor recommended.” This appeal is attempting to convince the consumer, reader, or audience that someone who possesses expertise in a field supports this product. The reader must understand that just because the box says “#1 doctor recommended” does not guarantee the success of the product or the strength of the product. As an informed audience it is our job to make sure that we understand these crucial uses of rhetoric, logical fallacies and appeals to ethos that surround us.
One of my favorite appeals is when a celebrity supports a product. It isn’t enough to see commercial actors say Proactiv clears all their acne, in order to truly see how magical the acne medicine is we need to hear how it changed Katy Perry’s life.
I caught a recent episode of Saturday Night Live and was amazed at how this clip exemplified the use of celebrities to promote products, charities, and even crisis hotlines…
Celebrity Crisis Hotline
