Review of Rhetorical Appeals

Be sure that your paper labels the rhetorical appeals from the commercial correctly. You can find details on the reviews in the Persuasive Techniques in Advertising text in the Resources section of Scholar as well as in your WAVT textbook on pp. 20-22.

Here's a review of what each term means, with examples from this WWE commercial I shared in class:

Ethos: the appeal to credibility
In the commercial with WWE Superstar The Miz, the mother, father, and son are a model happy family that adds ethos to the commercial. The unspoken argument is that if this family loves these gifts, the viewer's family will too. The family provides credibility to the message that the toys will be fun for the whole family.
 
Pathos: the appeal to emotions or feelings
The surprise and excitement of the family and children at the birthday party in the KMart commercial appeal to pathos. The advertisers show viewers that the WWE gifts will bring happiness and joy to the receiver. The use of a family birthday party as the setting reminds viewers of similar celebrations they have been a part of and suggests that purchasing WWE Action Figures and other gifts will help them create such fond memories for a child they know.
 
Logos: the appeal to logic and fact
The WWE commercial includes few concrete facts, by the facts there are focus on demonstrating how shopping at Kmart is an economical, money-saving choice. The price of the Wrestlemania folding chair in the commercial appeals to logos by listing the cost of the chair in large numbers on the screen and its regular price in smaller print. The chair will cost a shopper only $79.99 with a $30 purchase of WWE merchandise. The regular price of the chair alone is $129.99. The savvy Kmart shopper can save $50 on the cost of the chair simply by spending $30 on WWE presents. Even adding in the required purchase, the viewer can still save $20 on the cost of the chair.