Project #2 Rhetorical Strategies Used in Informercials

You are channel surfing and you come across an infomercial. You glance around the
room to make sure no one is there, and when the coast is clear, you watch it. When it's over and the number is flashing on the screen, you fight the temptation to pick up the phone and dial. Although many of us don't like to admit it, we are enticed by infomercials on a daily basis. The claims they make draw you in, making it very difficult not to call and order the product. This is because they use many different rhetorical appeals and strategies to make you think that you simply can't go without their product. The above video is an infomercial advertising "The Firm" workout equipment. This video appeals mainly to women through all three appeals of pathos, logos and ethos. This video utilizes almost all of the rhetorical strategies we have learned in class, and at times overlaps strategies. I feel the most predominant strategies used are example and description, through the voice of the narrator, and compare-contrast and cause and effect through the personal success stories.

It is very easy to see that the target audience of this infomercial is young to middle aged women. Out of all of the people seen in this video, there are maybe three men. The entire cast of the actual work out video is comprised of women. All of the success stories are given by women. It is always fairly younger women too. Not once do they show an older woman.

From the beginning, this video relies heavily on narrator to appeal both to logos and ethos by using the strategies of description and example. The voice of the narrator serves to describe how the firm works, provide statistics, and establish credibility by guaranteeing results. He describes how the firm works by using scientific principles of metabolism. This statement appeals highly to logos. A persons logic would say that anything that is developed by using scientific principles must work. He also describes how the firm combines aerobics and weight training. He claims that this reduces fat at a higher rate and builds muscle. He provides many statistics such as, the number of "firm believers" and the rate a which it burns fat. He also establishes credibility by guaranteeing the product. He claims that, "You will see visible results guaranteed in ten workouts or less". This statement appeals greatly to ethos and makes the audience believe that this product truly does work.

They use the testimonies of individual "firm believers" to appeal to ethos and pathos by overlapping the strategies of cause and effect and compare-contrast. Throughout the entirety of the video they interject personal success stories, which I believe to be the greatest strategy used in infomercials. We live in a time when body image is a big deal in people's lives, especially with obesity on the rise. So these success stories really appeal to pathos and "hit home" so to speak. People watch these success stories and relate themselves very easily to these people. The video makes very clear that these are ordinary women that have real lives. It shows these women in there careers as lawyers, teachers and mothers. This shows its audience that the firm is not something that is going to take up a lot of time in your day. It proves that you can lead your everyday life and still stay healthy and fit through the use if their product.

The women are also used to prove how easy the product is to use and how fast results are seen, thus appealing to ethos. The audio and visual components use two different rhetorical strategies at the same time. The visual component uses the rhetorical strategy of compare-contrast, while the audio uses the strategy of cause and effect. The combination of the two components make for a very convincing argument. The visual element consists of two pictures flashing on the screen, one before the use of the firm and the other after the use of the firm. Before and after photos create a great credibility with the audience. While these photographs are on the screen, the women in these photos proceed to describe what their life was like before and after using the firm. This implements the strategy of cause and effect. The women take many different angles when describing how the firm has affected their life. "Before the firm I was a size sixteen with elastic, but now I am a size six wearing a size four," says one woman. As another woman holds up a pair of very large shorts with elastic she says, "I used to stretch these out, but now I fit in one leg." All of these stories illustrate very clearly the results of using the firm. The combination of the visual and audio using two strategies at once form the strongest argument in the entirety of the infomercial.

This infomercial does a wonderful job of enticing its audience by intertwining many rhetorical strategies at once and touching on all three appeals of pathos, ethos and logos. It is now clear why it is so difficult to keep yourself from ordering products presented in these videos. They are carefully crafted and well thought out in order to have this kind of overwhelming appeal. So next time you reach for the phone, don't feel so guilty. You could always just blame it on the rhetoric.

Barack Obama's Plan to Empower American's With Disabilities

“We must build a world free of unnecessary barriers, stereotypes, and discrimination .... policies must be developed, attitudes must be shaped, and buildings and organizations must be designed to ensure that everyone has a chance to get the education they need and live independently as full citizens in their communities.”

In the above clip, Barack Obama explains what he believes needs to happen in America to help people with disabilities. He use many different rhetorical strategies to appeal to his audience. His strongest strategy, however, is the use of pathos created both through narration and example. He begins by telling a story of how disability has affected his family. This establishes great credibility, in letting us know that he has personally experienced the affects of disabilities on a family. He describes the toll it took on his mother and the different challenges the family faced. This narration appeals to our emotions by creating a sense of sympathy for those with disabilities and the difficulties they must deal with everyday. His demeanor gives you the sense that he really cares about this issue and is willing to do anything to make life for the disabled easy and more independent.
He then goes on, giving examples of such difficulties and how he proposes we change things for the better. He not only gives examples of what needs to be changed, but also how he proposes it be changed. He describes the need to make building more accessible, get rid of stereotypes and discrimination, to ensure students with disabilties a quality education, and to ensure them job opportunities.
In providing people with disabilities with an equal education, he express his support of the Individuals With Disabilities Education Act. He also describes the need to test children once as infants as well as after the age of two, because certain disabilities, such as autism, don't fully develop until then.
He plans to give people with disabilities equal opportunity in the workplace as well. He plans to do so by leading by example. He plans to hire disabled people to work in government offices and encourage businesses to do the same. He also wants to create better health care plans for the workers.
By giving so many detailed examples Obama makes it clear that he is serious about helping these people. He is clear that he wants what is best for people with disabilities. The examples he provides make Americans want to get involved in helping these people become more independent.