Introduction
The photo ad is a shot of two side by side photos of an adult male enjoying the view of an ocean. On one photo, the adult is alone while the second photo displays a dog by his side seated and as well enjoying the view. The second photo has a company logo and the top right hand corner and a phrase on top of his head reading “A dog makes your life happier, Adopt.” The author has used a creative photo in the advert that captures the relationship and the importance of having a dog. It clearly demonstrates a happy life with a dog as a companion and in the other one a stale one where the man is enjoying the view alone. This paper will be a rhetorical and visual analysis of the photo to determine how the author used the visual aid to present the argument.
Ethos, Logos and Pathos
There are three rhetorical appeals that an author could use in delivering the argument. They include ethos, logos and pathos. In this case, the author used a combination of the three rhetorical appeals to pass a convincing message to the audiences. As much as the advert id for the promotion of pedigree dog food, the author was able to appeal to the ethos of the audiences in the place where the shot was made. A view of the lake is beautiful to majority of people; the author shows it could be made more enjoyable if you enjoy it in the company of your dog. The author is thus passing an ethos message that can be summarized as follow; a view of the lake is a natural beauty where one can clear their mind, however, you don’t have to do that in solitude. A pedigree dog can be your good companion. This is an ethical message as it is communicating the already known fact that a view of the ocean is certainly enjoyable, but the author wants the audience to consider a second opinion that it would be even better if you were to walk alongside a pet and in this case a pedigree dog.
The poster also appeals to the audiences logos. The photo is in a way attempting to indulge the audience into a world of imagination. It is a comparison of beautiful place in solitude or in a company of a pet. This is further complimented by the inclusion of the phrase “A dog makes your life happier, Adopt.” It is a matter of logic or common sense that given two choices, we will definitely choose the one that makes us happier. In this case, the author is asserting that life without a pet is stale and boring, while owning a dog can transform that into a happy one. The statement in itself is not a question, nor a suggestion, but rather phrased authoritatively bent to tell the audience that the second choice is logical and better than the first one. In essence, it tells the author that enjoying a good view brings in happiness, but enjoying the same company will bring in more joy and thus a logical choice.
Finally, the photo has an element of appeal to pathos/emotions. This is denoted by the age of the man in a photo. In many cultures, men at that age of around 40 are extremely busy with their careers and families. This makes it difficult to have free time, and even if you get some free time, it hardly coincide with when your friends are free. In this case, you will find yourself engaged in some leisure activities alone. The author appeals to the audiences’ fear of being alone and thus offering an alternative. Fear is a strong emotion and can compel us to make certain decisions.
Target Audiences
The targeted audiences in the advertisement are adult men. This denoted in the simplicity of the photo and even the character used in the portrait. In many advertisements, the target audiences are used as actors. In this case, if the audiences were kids, the author would have used a dog and a kid. Instead, an adult male is used suggesting that the ad is targeted to the adults. In addition, the advert is for pedigree dog food; most likely, a parent would be responsible for making the decision on the dog food. Also, the masculinity of the clothing in the photo and the grey hair are likely to suggest a male audience. The author used a black trouser and a grey pullover, thus likely to appeal to an adult male. In addition, the photo was posted in a website with mature contents and thus not likely to be accessed by kids. It is logic for the authors to post their adverts to the places where they could increase the traffics especially for the target audiences.
Success
The advert was a classic example of excellent targeting and use of rhetorical appeals in a photo advert. The author did a good job in combining the ethos, logos and pathos in one photo and then targeting just the right audiences for the product. We can conclude that the advert was successful in the representation of the brand and promoting the product. It is a classic example of how a picture advert can combine the rhetorical appeals to market a product by appealing to their logics, emotions and as well to the ethics. Western cultures value dogs as pets and thus, this is an ideal advert as it captures that very value and culture in the target group. In other cultures, dogs are used for security purposes and thus it would not have been a perfect ad. Thus, it fits well with the targeted culture.
