Persuasion and rhetoric are fundamental aspects of advertising, and are notably exercised in many situations of everyday life. According to Simons (2001), persuasion is “human communication designed to influence the autonomous judgments and actions of others” (Simons, 2001, p. 7). One key feature of persuasion as noted by Simons (2001) is that it always predisposes the other to act or think in a certain way, and never (or on a very minimal scale) imposes . Following this logic, Simons differentiates persuasion from two other types of practices. Inducements for example generally only allow the possibility of a mutual exchange that mostly benefits the inducer. In other words “do x for me, and I’ll do y for you”. Another approach is coercion which relies on a more threatening level, emphasizing the negative consequences if one does not comply to the demands of the coercers. Simply put: “If you don’t do x for me, I will do y to you”.
Simons (2001) traces the first philosophical discussions on persuasion and rhetoric back to, surprise … ancient Greece. There was deemed to be two dominant philosophical and ethical opinions concerning the use of persuasion. Although both agreed that the art of persuasion was rhetoric, Socrates believed that rhetoric had catastrophic potential because it can be used by anyone and has the advantage of (figuratively speaking) throwing a curtain on the worse and making it seem as good. Aristotle on the other hand viewed rhetoric as a means of accessing certain domains of knowledge. Aristotle did not neglect the possible dangers of rhetoric, however he emphasized the positive aspects of it, namely that it can be “an instrument for giving effectiveness to truth” (Simons, 2001, p. 4).
Basing her work on these two philosophical viewpoints, Simons (2001) proceeds by explaining two different modern academic approaches to rhetoric, that is the behavioral approach and the critical studies approach. The behavioral approach involves experimentation performed by social scientists on focus groups. This approach suggests that human judgments and behaviors can be predictable and controllable (Simons, 2001). The critical approach on the other hand considers persuasion as an art or a skill which can be developed and which encompass aspects such as putting yourself in ones shoes and paying attention to other small details.
Sonesson (2013) applies these conceptual approaches to persuasion and rhetoric on a marketing campaign produced and advertised by Absolute Vodka in Europe. This campaign features pictures of a variety of recognizable European cities where a distinct form of a bottle is placed:
Sonesson argues that rhetoric strategies as used by Absolute Vodka, a Swedish company are produced through numerous stylistic and linguistic features that incorporate metaphors as well as hyperbola. Additionally, the reproduction of cultural conventions and codes enable Absolute Vodka to merge themselves into European markets:”Absolut Vodka is being sold as a European product, enriched with the long traditions of the combined European cultures” (Sonesson, 2013, p. 17). For instance as shown in the picture Absolute Paris, the brand’s well known bottle submerging into Paris’ iconic “bouche de metro” (metro entrance) coupled with the phrase “Absolute Paris” have very strategic implications. This form of rhetoric creates the idea that when purchasing or drinking Absolute Vodka, European cultural values can be expressed and experienced.
Sonesson further argues that Absolute Vodka, through this marketing campaign, places strong emphasis on the “oldness” or culturally enriched European cities, in contrast to American cities, which can be perceived as a fairly modern, new culture. His conclusion leads us to understand that this marketing strategy created by Absolute Vodka was essentially to mask the companies Swedish origins in order to gain momentum on European markets.
To further illustrate rhetorical/persuasive strategies visible in advertising, I present here a commercial made by Palm, a has been cell phone company. Studying the effects that this ad produces in the minds of viewers, we see a hand thrown in the air with what seems to be a hole array of “to do” lists on one side, and a simple mobile phone on the other. Upon closer analysis, you see in the background a busy city street, full of cars and buildings. This accentuates the feeling of chaos. This presentation of such a long, disorganized and chaotic picture can be viewed as a wink toward the viewer, saying “we know that you don’t want this happening to you”. Ironically, the product is named Palm which relates to peoples past experiences of writing on their hands due to lack of paper, or time. Through this ad, we are simply presented with two choices: chaos or order. Order of course being achieved through the marketed product.
Simons, H.W. (2001). The Study of Persuasion. In: H.W. Simons with J. Morreale & B.E. Gronbeck, Persuasion in Society (pp. 3-24),
Sonesson, G. (2013). Two strands of rhetoric in advertising discourse. International Journal of Marketing Semiotics, 1(1), 6-24.