How important are advertisements?
Advertisements are a fundamental aspect of media history and they directly portray societal norms, cultural aspirations, and overall ways of thinking during their time periods. Advertisements adapted to print and radio and hit massive integration with the advent of television. Commercials by definition attempt to sell a product, but they perform indirect techniques in order to persuade and condition a certain way of thinking. TV commercials provided windows into perfect lifestyles for people to aspire to, while print advertisements had to paint pictures using clever imagery and word choice. One of the largest industries to take advantage of this was, and still is, women’s beauty and hygiene.
1937 Tampax Ad
During this time, women were still supposed to be stay-at-home wives that looked after children while the husband went to work. Even though there are subtle allusions to being a better woman when using this product, the ad is surprisingly focused on the convenience and application of the product. The appeals are rather logical and don’t entirely rely on certain modes of thinking of that time.
Rhetorical Triangle Analysis
Ethos
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Invented by a doctor
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"ACCEPTED FOR ADVERTISING BY THE JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN MEDICAL ASSOCIATION"
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Has received "unusually enthusiastic" comments from doctors
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"Guaranteed by good housekeeping"
These establish credibility for the company by providing medical sources that back their product.
Logos
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If it’s been made by a doctor and received “unusual” praise, then the product must be astounding and revolutionary
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“Small, made of highly compressed, highly absorbent, surgical cotton”
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“Wonder how you ever existed before this civilized method of sanitary protection was perfected.”
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The need for multiple other products is now unnecessary
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Appeals to odor prevention
Using the pre-established credibility and the supposed comfort it provides over other products, logical conclusions are then made about the quality of the product.
Pathos
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Appealing to the desire for freedom, youth, and comfort
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“Like thousands of others.” You will be missing out on a universally loved product
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The picture shows how “happy, athletic, and free” you could be when you use their product
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“Dainty” appeals to femininity at the time
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“You will not be able to believe in the freedom... the comfort… the poise.” Otherworldly, unlike anything ever seen before
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Odor prevention is tied to the feminine beliefs at the time of being completely clean and untarnished. Things of a sexual nature should not be outwardly presented by women
Most likely the strongest tool within the health and hygiene industry. It appeals to aspects beyond simply what the product does.
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Rhetorical Triangle Analysis
Ethos
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Tampax has already defined itself within the beauty and hygiene industry, so the name and logo itself establish credibility.
Logos
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"40% smaller applicator." Provides a comparison to a previous product to give reasoning as to why the new one is better.
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"Still stops leaks better than Playtex Sport." Provides a counterclaim to rival products
Pathos
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The use of rock-paper-scissors provides a memorable image by using comedic tactics. It also conveys that you will be a "winner" against the all-powerful Mother Nature.
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"Only cuter." Appeals to the expression of femininity
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"Just click it open and it's ready to go." Gives a sense of complete ease-of-use
Comparing Both Ads
This ad is starkly different from the previous one. Even though there is still text, the focus is mostly on the visuals. This ad not only appeals to those desiring comfort but also conveys that their product will provide superiority and triumph over Mother Nature. Self and body positivity of the modern era is clearly reflected within the ad. Also due to the more modern way of advertising, it could be said that the 2010 ad does less explicit work in persuasion. This could be attributed to the fact that many modern advertisements must be quick and easy to digest.
Closing Thoughts
Even though the overall goal of the advertisement industry is to sell a product, their methods of doing that have changed over time. Overall, ads moved from being more text-based with a few accompanying pictures to more image-based with fewer, more concise wording. I believe that the reason for this change is deeply tied to the rapid development of the digital world within society. People are subjected to an incredible amount of data daily, so simple paragraphs of text aren’t enough to grab people’s attention. Larger visuals with fewer, but succinct words suit the modern informational stream far better.
Ads are also incredible signifiers of the ideals and cultural norms of a society at a certain period in time. This is due to the fact that if certain methods of advertisements didn’t mesh properly with the audience, those techniques wouldn’t be used at all. The industry needs to appeal to society at large, and they do that by properly assessing our values. Modern-day culture is heavily technological with a much faster stream of information, so an image-based ad would mesh better within society. Image-based ads wouldn’t mesh as well with the text-hungry society of the past.