The Rhetorical Triangle

Link to ad: http://wimg.co.uk/uWb.jpg

The ad I shared above uses all three sides of the rhetorical triangle in effort to sell, by today's standards, a fairly unattractive car.

The author appeals to logos by listing the features of the Capri, all of which can definitely be found on the car. One could have made sure of this by planning a visit to the dealership. They also use statistics in the form of the miles per gallon the car can achieve, which at the time was pretty impressive for that size car.

The author relies heavily on pathos in this advertisement, in order to make the car sound more attractive to audience. He lists such luxuries as a turbo-charged motor, a moonroof, upgraded tires and suspension, leather seats, and a top of the line stereo system to make you want to own this car. They also list such qualities as 'sexiness' and 'mysteriousness' to make the reader think that by owning this car, they may become sexy and mysterious. I feel that the pathos angle of this ad is the most convincing, simply because the author uses most of the ad space appealing to the readers' emotions.

Finally, the author does try to appeal to the readers ethical side. One of the subtle parts of this ad is the Ford badge, as Ford is the parent company of Mercury, the manufacturers of this car. Most of the time, people associate Ford with reliability and dependability, so they might purchase the car in hopes that they won't have to have it repaired any time soon. Another less subtle approach they take is by showing a full side view of the car, which shows that it only has two doors. Often, two door cars are smaller than four door cars, so the buyer with little space to store a new car might be more apt to purchase this car. Thirdly, the gas mileage, at 23/38 miles per gallon, is also a reason an ethical person may buy this car. The car offers performance, while delivering a very good MPG rating. Mercury backs the gas mileage up by giving an EPA estimate; an agency so reliable we still use their figures til this day.

The message in this ad is simply that if you're in the market for an affordable, sporty little automobile, then you should definitely consider this Mercury Capri. With the pictures and facts given by the ad, I feel the authors did a very good job presenting their car as one that is sporty, dependable, and affordable.