Advertisements are the foundation of multiple media platforms today. They are a staple in our every day lives. You’ll see them on tv and in magazines, on billboards and in newspapers, even hear them on the radio. And no matter what the subject at hand all the advertisements in the world have only one purpose; to persuade their audience. Surprisingly all advertisements also exhibit and use very similar elements in order to relay their message and disable their audiences logical thinking. This works extremely well in the case of politics and there is no better example of this than political campaign ads. Political candidates use a variety of persuasive techniques in order to sway their audience into voting for them and their party. Take for example …show more content…
Firstly the most obvious technique being utilized is ethos. Ethos can be defined as an appeal to credibility, by having the endorsement of a big well-liked celebrity Obama is promoting a sense of validity. Companies will often use this technique when promoting their products such as having Micheal Jordan be the face for Nike. This particular technique is a fallacy better labeled as an appeal to false authority, where a celebrity is used to create credibility within a topic the celebrity has no specialty in. Micheal Jordan is a basketball player and has no information about shoe construction just like Will Ferrell is an actor and has no experience in politics or being president. But by having an admired individual speak on his behalf Obama hopes the audience will follow in the celebrities opinion. It provides a sense of security to the audience by demonstrating that if Will Ferrell thinks Obama is the right candidate it must be …show more content…
Unlike Obama though who used humor to establish his pathos, Romney uses a fallacy labeled as an appeal to pity in order to gain sympathy from his audience. He does this by displaying a mother in desperation speaking of the debt her kids will have to endure in response to Obama’s previous presidency. By exhibiting a family and an aching mother Romney evokes empathy from the audience as well as creates a hostile stance against Obama and his presidency by portraying him as the cause of this mother’s worry. As a result, Romney displays himself as the better choice between the two, suggesting that if the audience wants to avoid a similar situation as the portrayed family then that they should vote for