Ad ethos, pathos, and logos

All over the world, companies spend billions of dollars putting ads in television, magazines, and billboards. For the ads to be effective, however, they need to attract the viewers attention, and this is were ethos, pathos, and logos leaps into play. Ethos establishes the credibility of the products in question, pathos appeals to the emotions of the viewer, and logos gives the facts, often scientific, about the product to convince a viewer that the product is good. Ads that manage to pull together all of these aspects into one image are usually the most effective at winning people over. The ad I am analyzing is an ad for a British motorcycle company called Triumph. This ad very effectively showed examples of ethos, pathos, and logos to convey why a reader should go to Britain or Canada and buy one of these motorcycles.

The Ethos in the ad was one of the elements of the ad that stood out prominently. One example is the ads mention of Formula One technology. Formula One race cars are known to be some of the absolute fastest cars in the world. I mean, you can go so fast in these things, if you crash, you vaporize. The technology is also known as being very dependable and trustworthy. The ad uses the connection to Formula One to ad to their credibility, like saying, "Formula One trusts our motorcycles, so should anyone who buys one." Also adding to the Ethos of the ad is the connection to Star Wars. The main logo on the ad says, "The Empire Strikes Back", meaning the British, but immediately making the reader think of the famous Star Wars movie of the same name. Many of the readers of this ad have probably seen the movies, and many will probably have a deep and emotional connection to them. This may make the reader trust the company more for using the title as their slogan, almost like it makes the reader believe that the company can relate to them as fans and people, gaining them more support for their motorcycles.

The ad also uses Pathos in an effective way. For starters, all of the pictures of a man driving the motorcycle do not show the ground, making it seem like the rider is flying along the ground, instead of just driving. This gives a feeling of excitement to the ad that can cause the reader to want to get the motorcycle to experience the same feeling. The angle of the motorcycle also adds to the excitement and danger presented by the pictures of the driver. The way the motorcycle tilts, almost like it is about to tip over, add to the overall emotional feel of the ad by tossing in a little danger. Many people enjoy putting themselves in danger, and the ad shows how this motorcycle can add to the reader's life with all of its danger. The last element of Pathos is how the text below the motorcycle talks about how you can "choose from the Daytona S55I, the land based version of a tactical fighter...". I mean, a land based version of a tactical fighter? That will easily get an emotional response from anyone who wants their motorcycle equipped with missile launchers.

The last way the ad grabs the readers attention to convince them to buy their product is by using Logos. One example of this is how "every Triumph motorcycle is backed by a two-year unlimited warranty." Whenever a large purchase like a motorcycle is made, it is always a good idea to get a warranty, in case something is wrong with the product. This is just logical, and the company wants to be sure that you know they will take care of you, for two years at least. Also, the ad mentions how all of the Triumph motorcycles are made in the most modern production facility in all of England. If something like a motorcycle, which needs to be in good condition and well-made, isn't made in the best possible facility, people wouldn't buy the motorcycles. But, because the motorcycles are made in the best facility around, you should only buy a motorcycle from Triumph. The last example of Logos is the mention of hand-crafted parts on the motorcycle. When parts are hand-crafted, it gives a shows how the company wants only the best products for its consumers, and how it is willing to give the best for them. While others make everything with a machine, the good folks at Triumph give you only the best in products and service, making them the logical choice from which to purchase your new motorcycle.

Ethos, Pathos, and Logos are very important to advertisements because of their ability to help draw in customers to have an interest in their product. When used effectively, a combination of two or more can really help an argument or a paper to have more of an impact in the world. To look at the ad, here it is
http://adflip.com/addetails.php?adID=12828