Ethos Pathos Logos

The impact of advertisements over the last few decades has transformed tremendously due to the close relationship between media and pop culture. Ads have switched from simple black-and-white newspaper columns to star-studded, mascot-driven television commercials that engage the viewer on a deeper level. The reason for this switch stems from the producer’s responsibility to impose the correct ethos, pathos, and logos on the consumer to convince them to buy their product in an attention-grabbing way. Ethos refers to the credibility of a source, pathos is the emotion received, and logos deals with the logical, statistical side. In partnership with their bee mascot, the Cheerios commercial from February 2023 utilizes ethos, logos, and pathos to

“The most opportune moment to voice [an] argument” (Smith and Gray is known as the Kairos. There is a stigma around cereal that it is really only eaten by children and older adults, and the Cheerios commercial certifies that belief to an extent. One of the major groups Cheerios is marketing to is those with higher cholesterol and those worried about their health overall. Furthermore, the advertisement was released on February 1st, 2023, twelve days before the annual Superbowl. The commercials interject the football game are a huge part of the Superbowl viewing experience. By releasing the ad around the Superbowl, Cheerios is optimizing top viewing engagement. Their views were most likely much higher in February when everyone is inside watching TV than if they had released the ad in say July when families are on vacation and televisions are less frequently

Brand mascots or characters contribute to brand identity, making the brand more memorable. Brand identity and its overall effect on memorability make consumers more likely to purchase these products (Kanungo 1969; Brown 2010). Advertisements with animal characters have shown to lead to a more positive opinion of a brand, thus affecting purchasing behavior (Aaker and Day 1974). Advertisements using animals have shown to produce feelings of affection in viewers (Upshaw 1995). Such affections towards the mascot could translate to similar affections to the brand (Gundlach, Achrol and Mentzer 1995)….It is then the aim of marketers and advertisers to utilize these characters in order to extend and expand this emotional relationship with consumers.