Ethos Logos Pathos in Advertising

Ethos, pathos and logos are techniques of persuasion that form the rhetorical triangle.
A compelling argument,
sales pitch, speech, or commercial ideally uses elements of all three strategies. We’ll show you how to employ
each of the techniques and present some awesome examples along the way.
Persuasion in advertising
What are persuasive advertising techniques? They're how you convince a buyer of your product through visuals.
You can thank Aristotle for inventing persuasive advertising techniques. More than 2,000 years ago, he categorized
how rhetoric is used in arguments into three groups: ethos, pathos and logos.
This is also known as the the rhetorical triangle.
And we still depend on it today.
Each category invokes a different appeal between speaker and audience.
Ethos calls upon the ethics, or what we'd call the values, of the speaker. Pathos elicits emotions in the audience.
Finally, logos puts logic into play by using evidence and facts.
Good persuasive advertising technique is when you balance all three.
But using ethos, pathos and logos in commercials sometimes means featuring one advertising technique
prominently.
ETHOS DEFINITION
What is ethos?
Ethos is the persuasive technique that appeals to an audience by highlighting credibility. Ethos advertisement
techniques invoke the superior “character” of a speaker, presenter, writer, or brand.
Ethos examples aim to convince the audience that the advertiser is reliable and ethical. It’s easier to make a decision
when someone you respect signs off on it, right?
This is broadly the function of ethos in commercials.
When an esteemed public figure endorses a product, it validates it to the end consumer.
An ethos advertisement plays off the consumer’s respect for a given spokesperson.
Through that respect, the spokesperson appears convincing, authoritative and trustworthy enough to listen to. Of the
types of persuasive techniques in advertising, ethos is best used to unlock trust.
USE OF ETHOS IN ADVERTISING

How is ethos used in advertising?
So what does ethos mean?
It’s all about credibility. Famous people enjoy a high status in our society. So they’re the ones selling products to us
-- whether or not they have product-specific expertise.
Example of ethos in advertising: Jennifer Aniston in a campaign for Glaceau Smart Water
For example, a recent Infiniti commercial featured Steph Curry. Even though he’s not known for his taste in
vehicles, his stature validates the product.
This is ethos in commercials at work.
Ethos rhetoric is also invoked to tie a brand to fundamental rights.
Brands build trust with their audience when they stand with an important cause. Anheuser-Busch illustrated this in
their recent “Born the Hard Way” spot.
Of the many types of persuasive advertising techniques in advertising, ethos is best for playing up the strength of a
brand or spokesperson’s character.
THE "PLAIN FOLKS" PERSUASIVE ADVERTISING TECHNIQUE

How is "Plain Folks" used in ads?
Ethos rhetoric often employs imagery of everyday, ordinary people.
Known as the Plain Folks persuasive advertising technique, in this approach a spokesperson or brand
appears as an Average Joe to feel common and sensible. In doing so, they appear concerned and cut from the same
cloth as you.
This approach is very common in political ads. Consider the “Family Strong” ad from Hillary Clinton’s 2016
presidential campaign.
Despite her status and wealth, Clinton draws on imagery of her family and upbringing to make her feel more
relatable. In this way, “Plain” folks is propaganda and also a logical fallacy.
But it’s also an effective and persuasive advertising technique.
Of the types of persuasive techniques in advertising, Plain Folks aligns your brand with the values of the everyday
consumer.
PATHOS DEFINITION
What is pathos?
Pathos is persuasive technique that try to convince an audience through emotions. Pathos advertisement techniques
appeal to the senses, memory, nostalgia, or shared experience. Pathos examples pull at the heartstrings and make the
audience feel.
A quick way to appeal to a viewer’s emotions? A cute animal. A devastated family. A love story. Overcoming great
odds. An inspirational song and imagery. A good zinger.
LEARN MORE LOGOS ETHOS AND PATHOS
Ethos gives power to commercials, corporate videos, TV shows, and feature films. The list of directors and
producers who transition between mediums is a long one. A grasp of Aristotle’s rhetorical strategies will serve you
well, no matter what kind of content you’re making.
1. Understanding Pathos
Inject your video productions with feeling and emotion. Energize your audience to fix their eyes on the screen,
unable to turn away. Make sure they can’t stop thinking about your content long after it’s over.
Keep in mind that pathos is defined twofold: it’s the emotional appeal, as well as the “quality or power” of the
emotional response. In this way, the effective use of this strategy is right there in the pathos definition.
You just have to evoke an emotional response, positive or negative.
What does pathos mean?

Pathos means passion. Emotion. Feeling. Drama.
Connection in its rawest form.
LOGOS APPEAL
Get familiar with logos rhetoric
Clearly and concisely convey to the audience why they should logically buy what you’re selling. Provide evidence
in the form of facts, figures, and statistics. Give customers irrefutable proof that your brand or product is the best.
The general idea behind logos rhetoric is to aim for the head, not the heart. Appeal to reason.
Not everyone is reasonable. The logos appeal has its limits. But when it works, nothing works better. Logic and
valid facts don’t lie. Each of these rhetorical strategies can be effective in its own way. When combined, their
potential effects grow exponentially. To fully understand the power of persusaion, these are the tools you need.

Ethos Logos Pathos in Advertising

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Description:

Original Title

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Ethos Logos Pathos in Advertising

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Ethos, pathos and logos are techniques of persuasion that form the rhetorical triangle.

This is also known as the the rhetorical triangle.

And we still depend on it today.

Each category invokes a different appeal between speaker and audience.

Good persuasive advertising technique is when you balance all three.

This is broadly the function of ethos in commercials.

USE OF ETHOS IN ADVERTISING

So what does ethos mean?

This is ethos in commercials at work.

Ethos rhetoric is also invoked to tie a brand to fundamental rights.

THE "PLAIN FOLKS" PERSUASIVE ADVERTISING TECHNIQUE

But it’s also an effective and persuasive advertising technique.

LEARN MORE LOGOS ETHOS AND PATHOS

You just have to evoke an emotional response, positive or negative.

What does pathos mean?

Connection in its rawest form.

You might also like