Topic > Pathos and Logos in Advertising: Ethics and Ads

Ethos, pathos and logos are ways that an artist can use in their advertising to effectively persuade and convince readers to purchase the sponsor's product. Ethos is used to convince the audience that an ad is credible and that people can believe what they read. Pathos means that an artist or advertisement tries to appeal to the emotional state of the consumer. Logos tries to convince buyers to purchase the company's product using logic or reasoning. First there is the Pepsi commercial. In the center of the page the ad says: "Choose to Refresh America", below this a small paragraph explains what the Pepsi Refresh Project is. The color scheme of the ad is mainly blue; but some letters are red, white and a darker blue, using these colors could be achieved by choosing the language of the advert or by remaining fair and impartial in the advert. First, the Pepsi advertisement uses grade-level vocabulary, making the advertisement easier to understand. Many consumers have graduated from high school or have undergone some type of education, so this is the appropriate vocabulary to use. However, Pepsi's advertisement contains distorted information. The ad is all about Pepsi and wants shoppers to purchase this product over any other soft drink; just because Pepsi donated millions of dollars to fund hundreds of ideas. The ad should try to remain impartial if it wants to appear ethical. The Coca-Cola ad also uses high school vocabulary like the Pepsi ad and is biased in some aspects of the ad. According to the ad, consumers should purchase this product because it contains the "true refreshing taste" and "brightened the holiday season better than any other soft drink." There is no data provided to support this claim made by Coca Cola advertising. Yes, both ads chose appropriate language, but they contain distorted information. Both ads must have an objective point of view if they wish to appear. First, both ads are biased; and both contain easy-to-understand vocabulary. However, Pepsi's advertisement attempts to arouse sympathy in consumers, while Coca-Cola's advertisement wants the viewer to feel relieved. The blue background of the Pepsi advertisement helps create a feeling of calm, while the white background of the Coca Cola advertisement helps create a feeling of relief. Finally, both ads use different ways to appeal to people's logical understanding. First, Pepsi's advertising uses a website to provide information about the advertisement that consumers can visit if they choose. While the coca cola ad provides information about the ad. I think Coca-Cola advertising is the best. This ad uses pathos and logos very well; but only the ethical part is missing. This is because the advertisement cites facts on the poster and appeals to people's emotions, but contains somewhat distorted information about Coca-Cola. In my opinion, Pepsi advertising also uses pathos and logos very well, but abuses ethics. This is because the ad contains distorted information that tells people why Pepsi is the best product and why they should only buy Pepsi. If I had never drank either of these two drinks, I probably would have chosen to drink Coca-Cola based