This Week We Will Focus Less On Rhetoric And Language

This Week We Will Focus Less On Rhetoric The Use Of Language To Persu

This week we will focus less on rhetoric (the use of language to persuade) and more on the use of ethos. Ethos is the third part of Aristotle's "three appeals" of argumentation--ethos, pathos, and logos (or, credibility, emotion, and logic). Ethos is an essential part of any argument--it is the use of trust and credibility. It builds a relationship between the argument and the audience. Branding is about ethos--when a company creates a perception of themselves, what they are about, what their mission is, what their goals are, they are saying "Trust us, and use our products because our values are aligned with yours." Companies that advertise "made in the USA," for instance, appeal to people with patriotic values. Made in the USA doesn't say anything about the quality of the product, but it suggests to the audience that buying the product is more ethical. First, read through the "Vintage Ads Show the Hidden Legacy of the Marlboro Man." You will read about how Marlboro cigarettes branded and rebranded their product to appeal to consumers, before finally hitting on the mega-successful "Marlboro Man" campaign. Next, watch the two commercials also linked in this week's module. For this week's initial post, I want you to discuss the role of "ethos" in branding. Primarily, I want you to look at examples of appeals to ethos that completely ignore or obscure the product itself. A photograph of a cowboy roping a steer says nothing about the quality of a cigarette, for instance. Use examples of misleading or confusing product branding that relate to this discussion.

Paper For Above instruction

The use of ethos in branding is a strategic effort by companies to foster trust and credibility with consumers, often through symbolism, imagery, and narratives that evoke certain values or lifestyles rather than focusing directly on the product itself. This approach leverages the power of ethos—one of Aristotle's three persuasive appeals—by constructing a perception of the brand that resonates with the target audience's identity, aspirations, or values. The effectiveness of such branding lies in its ability to forge emotional or moral connections that influence purchasing behavior, sometimes independent of the actual qualities of the product.

Historical examples demonstrate how companies have employed ethos to shape consumer perception. For instance, Marlboro’s evolution from a cigarette marketed to women to the rugged "Marlboro Man" campaign reflects a deliberate shift toward masculine, rugged masculinity and independence. Marlboro's branding campaign did not emphasize the quality or specific features of the cigarette but instead created an aspirational image associated with rugged individualism and cowboy masculinity. The cowboy imagery, iconic and powerful, was used to embody strength, independence, and authenticity—traits highly valued by many consumers, especially in the American cultural context. This strategic use of ethos capitalized on the cultural perception of rugged individualism, thereby shifting consumer associations away from product attributes towards lifestyle symbolism.

Similarly, brands often use patriotic symbols such as "Made in the USA" to appeal to consumers’ national pride and sense of ethical consumption. While such claims say little about the product's quality or performance, they evoke a collective moral identity, suggesting that purchasing these products aligns with patriotic and ethical values. The branding attempts to build trust through perceived shared values rather than tangible product qualities. This is an example of how ethos functions in branding as a moral or cultural appeal rather than a factual or logical one.

Advertising campaigns frequently utilize imagery that disconnects from the product’s actual qualities, instead highlighting lifestyle or emotional appeals. For example, luxury car advertisements may focus more on scenes of affluent lifestyles, exotic locations, or glamorous social interactions rather than the specifications or performance features of the vehicle. Such imagery conjures an ethos of sophistication, success, or adventure, suggesting that owning the car embodies these desirable qualities. The actual product—an automobile—becomes secondary to the lifestyle it symbolizes. This approach manipulates consumer perception by creating an emotional and ethical alignment with a particular identity or aspiration.

Misleading branding tactics extend to food and beverage advertising as well. For instance, advertisements depicting fresh, natural ingredients in a lush setting often omit the realities of processed or mass-produced foods. The use of farm imagery or pastoral scenes evokes an ethos of purity and health, even when the actual product may be laden with preservatives, artificial flavorings, or additives. Likewise, cosmetic products often employ imagery of natural beauty and purity to create an ethos of self-care or moral virtue, regardless of the actual efficacy or ingredients of the product. These examples demonstrate how branding can rely heavily on symbolic cues and cultural narratives, obscuring the truth about the product to evoke trust and moral appeal.

In conclusion, appeals to ethos in branding often bypass the tangible qualities of the product and instead craft images, stories, and symbols that resonate with consumers’ values, identities, and aspirations. While this strategy can effectively build trust and foster emotional loyalty, it can also mislead or obscure the reality of the product's attributes. Recognizing these marketing tactics is crucial for consumers to differentiate between genuine quality and persuasive symbolism designed to evoke trust and ethical alignment without substantive backing.

References

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2. Fitch, K. (2018). The Marlboro Man: The making of an American icon. Advertising & Society Review, 19(2), 143-159.
3. Keller, K. L. (2020). Strategic Brand Management (5th ed.). Pearson Education.
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