Rhetorical Analysis of an Advertisement
The Assignment:The Rhetorical Analysis of an Advertisement was one of two speeches I delivered as part of my Honors Rhetoric and Civil Life class. This speech was designed to be an engaging presentation between four and six minutes long that made and supported a central claim about how an advertisement effectively used persuasion to encourage consumers to buy a product. The advertisement could be in print, audio-visual, or audio format; I chose DKNY’s Be Delicious ad (print form) to analyze.
The chosen ads were supposed to be persuasive, rhetorical, and interesting (not stating the obvious in an obvious manner). Analysis of the ad could address a variety of rhetorical strategies including the ad’s relation to its audience; how the style of the ad worked to create meaning; visual or textual arrangement/design; ethos, logos, and pathos created in the ad; suggestions, references, or connotations in the text; social and historical contexts; ideologies; and the world the ad desires. Of these elements, the speech was supposed to focus on only several to create an effective argument and demonstration of how the ad persuades audiences through rhetorical strategies. Within the speech, I had to create an engaging introduction with a thesis and preview of topics; transitions between the introduction, body, and conclusion as well as between body paragraphs and points;and a conclusion that revisited the points and related them back to the claim. Part of creating an effective argument was avoiding generalizations as well as using concrete details to support my claim. To view my Rhetorical Analysis of an Advertisement outline, please click here or on the title of this page.
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My Reflection: DKNY’s Be Deliciousad is one that I found to utilize many rhetorical strategies in a subtle and effective way. I initially chose this ad because of the way the image worked to draw magazine readers in through the model’s gaze, but I discovered a plethora of other ways the ad’s image and text were effective in persuading potential consumers to consider purchasing Delicious.
In reflecting upon this speech, I think there were several components that worked well. I was able to address the rhetoric of the ad pertaining not only to the visual, but the text. Also, as opposed to looking at just the surface meanings that could draw in readers (aesthetically pleasing sight, soft colors, etc.), I derived deeper meanings from the ad that accentuated the extent to which its designers considered rhetorical strategies. Since I focused on three main elements of the advertisement, I was able to pick out smaller components of each and then relate how those, as well as the three main elements, worked together to persuade potential consumers. This approach of the analysis helped me to draw a conclusion that demonstrated how the ad worked as a whole as opposed to just how parts of it functioned to deliver separate messages. |