Vapor Me Pure
The purpose of this paper is to analyze a text advertising a particular brand of water. It uses methods of pathos, ethos and logos to explain the argument they are using.
Reaction
My first reaction to the aspects of this advertisement are the visual details that generate a sense of purity and a mood of peacefulness. However, what initially caught my eye is the figure of popular American actress and producer Jennifer Aniston. She happens to be one of my favorite actresses, and seeing her face caused me to quickly give a larger portion of my attention toward this particular advertisement.
Nevertheless, other than noticing Jennifer, I had a fairly neutral reaction. The reason behind the neutrality may be that the advertisement does not grab your attention due to bright colors or a bold, eye-catching text. At a glance it seems to just be a simple photo with Jennifer Aniston holding a bottle of Smartwater.
Rhetorical Appeals Used
In Stuart Hirschberg's piece "The Rhetoric of Advertising", he tells us this, "Although the visual and verbal elements within an ad are intended to work together, we can study these elements separately. We can look at how the composition of the elements within an ad is intended to function...We can judge ads according to the skill with which they deploy all of these resources while at the same time being critically aware of their intended effects on us."
Going along with Hirschberg's theory, the advertisement I described previously has rhetorical appeals used as well. It is attempting to convince the audience of the superiority of their brand of water to other brands. This could be due to the vapor-distilled process, the electrolytes they add to enhance the flavor, or the “obvious” purity of their water in general. The light, clean color scheme of this advertisement greatly ties into the implied purity this brand of water apparently ensures. The implied benefits would be a more healthy and uplifting lifestyle and body. If you consume this product you will be slim, trim and beautiful just like Jennifer Aniston. And you will be taking part in keeping the environment clean and cared for.
The dominating appeal of Aristotle in the main advertisement, and also carrying into the other images shown, is greatly using the rhetoric of pathos. The visuals given to you are of beautiful and popular actress Jennifer Aniston. She is relaxing contentedly, surrounded by long waves of textured hair. She is smiling and her eyes are bright, and you get the idea that both the bottle of smartwater resting in her hand and her spa-like surroundings are a good portion of that reason.
By her expression and the way she is presented, drinking this brand of water makes her feel content, calm and collected. This visual rhetoric is greatly pathos, as it is directed toward what you feel and also speaks to what you feel you need, such as health and happiness.
As you can perceive, Aristotle's method of pathos is used here to capture the audience’s attention and offer the opportunity for a healthier, happier lifestyle simply by purchasing this product.
For you as the consumer, you have the opportunity to take a turn at being responsible toward the environment as well. The brand-name itself implies how smart you would be to drink it! These motives or explanations would be a mixture of Aristotle’s appeals of ethos and logos as the environment and air-purity suggests credibility for the company. It also proposes what appear to be solid reasons to purchase it, as you will become a more responsible individual towards the planet’s ecosystem by doing so.
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Description
The advertisement seen above was found in printed form in the 2013 August issue of InStyle magazine. The first thing that really catches your eye is Jennifer Aniston’s smiling face. The setting is serene, non-cluttered and comfortable. It presents Jennifer Aniston in a thin shoulder-strap white slip sitting upright in a relaxed position on a bed with fresh white sheets pulled up to her chest and across her bent leg. Her left hand rests on her neck with her head bent slightly to the side, her highlighted hair draped around her. There is a white blanket with a fringed edge laid across the top sheet. Neutral colored pillows are propped behind her against a solid white headboard, and a short white bed-table sits beside her with a small, white twelve-hand clock and two white candles with black ribbon laced around their circumference. Her slim, manicured fingers rest comfortably around a tall, clear bottle of Glaceau Smartwater.
The background behind this is a view through a large, spotless window to what appears to be the tops of blurry office buildings below. To the right of the window is one tall strip of pristine white curtain, assumingly hanging to the floor. The blue sky stretches from the left top corner of the page and across to the far right, and lightens in the shade of blue as it descends down the page. There are only a few soft clouds hanging in an increasingly darker shade against the top right hand corner of the page, becoming almost black to the center. Written in front of the clouds is the trademarked Glaceau Smartwater®, typed in a precise white serif font. Directly below this you see the white serif font once more through the words “look up to the clouds. that’s where we found the inspiration for smartwater, vapor-distilled purity, just like the clouds.”
Advertising Techniques
The advertising methods described next were pulled from Jeffrey Schrank's "The Language of Advertising Claims." In his short work, Schrank lists the different methods that advertisers use to sell their products by using different claims. In this case, the product is smartwater.
The given visual image implies that in consuming this product, you also will become relaxed, healthy, and content in daily life just like Jennifer Aniston. In addition, because this popular actress is drinking this particular brand of water and it has affected her in such positive ways, it wouldn't be an undesirable idea for us to follow her example and consume it too. In doing so, we can feel one step closer to being accepted into her social group. Being in the same social circle suggests a feeling of celebrity “snob” appeal, which also correlates to pathos. Similarly, she is endorsing this product, and simply seeing her image vouching for this brand should be encouragement toward buying this particular item. Her association with it can greatly enhance the audience’s outlook on this brand.
By the text and color scheme used in the main advertisement and also in the others images shown, you get the notion that this company feels responsible and cares about the environment and the purity of the air. They are instilling this same idea into the production of their water by declaring they use “vapor-distilled” processes and electrolytes to enhance the quality and flavor. They tell you, "Simplicity is delicious", and "Live a life well hydrated", as if their water is more hydrating than other water! This notion of responsibility for the purity of the air encourages you to be green towards the environment, and live a healthier lifestyle as well.
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Sources
Hirschberg, Stuart. "The Rhetoric of Advertising." Essential Strategies of Argument. New York: Longman, 1996. 291-97. Print.
Schrank, Jeffrey. "The Language of Advertising Claims." Web. 01 Apr. 2014. <http://home.olemiss.edu/~egjbp/comp/ad-claims.html>.
Hirschberg, Stuart. "The Rhetoric of Advertising." Essential Strategies of Argument. New York: Longman, 1996. 291-97. Print.
Schrank, Jeffrey. "The Language of Advertising Claims." Web. 01 Apr. 2014. <http://home.olemiss.edu/~egjbp/comp/ad-claims.html>.