Persuasive Appeal In Advertising

Today in advertising companies tend to use persuasive appeals. Persuasive appeals are pity, humor, warmth, sex or patriotism. One of the most successful appeals is pity. In most advertisements, there will be a stand out appeal and other appeals evident. Most non-profit agencies use pity as a persuasive appeal in their advertisements. Pity has been proven to be one of the most effective persuasive appeals. Appeal to pity uses emotional values to gain compliance. The SPCA is a Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals is a common name for non-profit animal welfare organization around the world. Because they are a non-profit, a large portion of the finances to run their business must come from donations. The fundraiser teams for the SPCA

The first credible appeal is SPCA as an organization. Before even watching the advertisement, we know that all the facts, information and basic message are going to be credible due to the source. SPCA is the top rated organization in their field, therefore making them very credible. It is a common household name. The next credible source in the advertisement is Sara McLachlan. Ethos or the ethical appeal means to convince an audience of the author’s credibility or character. The use of celebrities and musicians builds credibility in the viewers. Her emotional and moving lyrics can almost bring the viewer to tears. The words that she uses in her song and the gentle way her voice sounds allows the audience to feel as though she is a credible representative for this advertisement. Additionally, they also feel that she too loves these animals and gives her own money to the charity. The final credible source for the advertisement is the SPCA workers, veterinarians and facilities featured in the ad. The viewer is drawn in and literally watches the animals being cared for and loved, while receiving medical treatment. As viewers, we feel that these people are the best of the best and that makes them very credible to us. Guilt in conjunction with pity is a persuasive mechanism used in the SPCA advertisements. Guilt is commonly known as emotional blackmail and it ultimately used to change minds. If you are a pet lover, and you do not donate to the SPCA, you are left with a feeling of shame for your inability to donate. Guilt like pity, go hand in hand to achieve the same ultimate goal. A monthly donation that turns into a yearly donation, that turns into hundreds and thousands of dollars to save animals from