J ILLIAN LEEDY

O C T O B E R 1 1 , 2 0 1 2

Arguments and Persuasion in Print Advertisements

Subject Overview

What? Cigarettes

When? 1930’s – 1970’s

Where? Magazines,

newspapers, posters

By whom? Lucky Strike Marlboro Tareyton Virginia Slims

• The big idea? We’ll explore how the

employment of effective visual & rhetorical techniques can promote & sell a harmful product on a widespread scale using:

Aristotle’s Rhetoric

Gestalt principles

Logical fallacies

Visual arguments & practices

Lucky Strike, 1936

• Aristotle’s Rhetoric Pathos:

Christmas season

Naughty vs. nice

Do good by buying them for someone

Ethos: Santa

Spirit of giving

Lucky Strike, 1936

• Visual Arguments Depth

Foreshortening

Lines

Sharpness “A Gift of Pleasure” heading

“Santa Claus” signature

Lucky Strike, 1936

• Visual Arguments Depth

Foreshortening

Lines

Sharpness “A Gift of Pleasure” heading

“Santa Claus” signature

Lucky Strike, 1936

• Visual Arguments (cont.) Harmony/disharmony

Balance

Eyes scan in “Z” pattern

Lucky Strike, 1936

• Visual Arguments (cont.) Harmony/disharmony

Balance

Eyes scan in “Z” pattern

Lucky Strike, 1936

• Gestalt Principle Closure

Lucky Strike, 1936

• Gestalt Principle Closure

Marlboro, 1950

• Aristotle’s Rhetoric Pathos:

Innocence

Motherly appeal

Empathy

Ethos: Baby’s perspective

Marlboro, 1950

• Logical Fallacies Begging the question

“Before you scold me”

Over-simplification Will all of your problems

go away?

Marlboro, 1950

• Figures of Speech Enthymeme

Correlation implying scolding your children & smoking

Pun

Marlboro, 1950

• Visual Arguments Eye-lines

Worrisome baby

Approving mother

Colors

Red-orange

Pink

Marlboro, 1950

• Visual Arguments Eye-lines

Worrisome baby

Approving mother

Colors

Red-orange

Pink

Tareyton, 1965

• Aristotle’s Rhetoric Pathos:

Fighting

Prideful emotions

Tareyton, 1965

• Logical Fallacies Sweeping generalization

All Tareyton smokers?

False dilemma Where did the fights come

from?

Slippery slope What leads to fights?

Fine print Any medical evidence?

Tareyton, 1965

• Visual Arguments Law of Simplicity

Symmetry

Tareyton, 1965

• Visual Arguments Law of Simplicity

Symmetry

Tareyton, 1965

• Gestalt Principles Similarity

Creates pattern

Group mentality

Proximity Join their team

Virginia Slims, 1971

• Aristotle’s Rhetoric Pathos:

Gender quality

Empowerment

Women’s rights

Ethos: Wonder Woman

Powerful, superhuman

Virginia Slims, 1971

• Visual Arguments “V” for victory

Typography

Stance

“V” shape on chest

Principle of Emergence

“W” within “V” shape

Law of Invariance

Gloves she’s wearing?

Virginia Slims, 1971

• Visual Arguments “V” for victory

Typography

Stance

“V” shape on chest

Principle of Emergence

“W” within “V” shape

Law of Invariance

Gloves she’s wearing?

Virginia Slims, 1971

• Visual Arguments (cont.) Grid formation

Rule of thirds

Virginia Slims, 1971

• Visual Arguments (cont.) Grid formation

Rule of thirds

Virginia Slims, 1971

• Logical Fallacies False dilemma

Women’s cigarettes vs. inferior men’s fat cigarettes

Hasty generalization

Women need their own cigarettes?

Bandwagon effect

Equivocation

Different meanings of “baby”

Virginia Slims, 1971

• Gestalt Principle Figure-ground

Texture of background

Stands defiant, challenges reader

What? Cigarettes

When? 1930’s – 1970’s

Where? Magazines,

newspapers, posters

By whom? Lucky Strike Marlboro Tareyton Virginia Slims

• The big idea? We’ll explore how the

employment of effective visual & rhetorical techniques can promote & sell a harmful product on a widespread scale using:

Aristotle’s Rhetoric

Gestalt principles

Logical fallacies

Visual arguments & practices

ReviewSubjectOverview

ReviewSubject

• The big idea? We’ll explore how the

employment of effective visual & rhetorical techniques can promote & sell a harmful product on a widespread scale using:

Aristotle’s Rhetoric

Gestalt principles

Logical fallacies

Visual arguments & practices

ReviewSubject

• The big idea? We’ll explore how the

employment of effective visual & rhetorical techniques can promote & sell a harmful product on a widespread scale using:

Aristotle’s Rhetoric

Gestalt principles

Logical fallacies

Visual arguments & practices

ReviewSubject

• The big idea? We’ll explore how the

employment of effective visual & rhetorical techniques can promote & sell a harmful product on a widespread scale using:

Aristotle’s Rhetoric

Gestalt principles

Logical fallacies

Visual arguments & practices

ReviewSubject

• The big idea? We’ll explore how the

employment of effective visual & rhetorical techniques can promote & sell a harmful product on a widespread scale using:

Aristotle’s Rhetoric

Gestalt principles

Logical fallacies

Visual arguments & practices

ReviewSubject

• The big idea? We’ll explore how the

employment of effective visual & rhetorical techniques can promote & sell a harmful product on a widespread scale using:

Aristotle’s Rhetoric

Gestalt principles

Logical fallacies

Visual arguments & practices

Thanks for listening