A Rhetorical Analysis Of Mcdonalds

This advertisement created by McDonald’s in 1961 is advertising that a family of five fed for $2.25 and that includes a hamburger, French fries, and a shake for each member of the family. I chose this particular advertisement because it came from the 1960’s and life back then was so much simpler than it is now. The original audience for the advertisement is families and generally all of the American people. McDonald has released this ad in June of 1961; just 4 months after the United States had come out of a nationwide recession that had begun in April of the previous year. A typical recession lasts only for one year and consists of large unemployment rates and a decline in retail sales. This means that many people lost their jobs and were …show more content…
When McDonald’s puts an advertisement in the local newspapers, people usually notice and read the advertisement because McDonald’s has been around for so long and people want to know what they are offering next. This general knowledge of the American people just knowing that McDonald’s has been serving people for multiple decades shows how McDonald’s has used Ethos in this advertisement. Even the name “McDonalds’s” gets people’s attention because the American people have heard about and have been to McDonald’s for the past two decades. Another method used by McDonald’s in this advertisement is Logos because they are saying things like “All American” and “Feed A Family of Five for $2.25” which gets people’s attention simply by just putting these few words on the advertisement. These words get the attention of Americans because people are always trying to save money especially at this time, just coming out of a recession. In addition, people at the time want to eat and have American made consumer goods because the country and the world are not as developed as they are now. The combination of Ethos and Logos in this advertisement was very effective, although if they have something connected to their audience’s sense of emotion, it could have been more effective. Ethos and Logos truly made the American people think about spending their money during this period of recovery from the recent recession. The main focal point that most Americans go to is the name boldly printed on the top of the advertisement and the phrase “All American” just below it. These two phrases are not only speaking about the food served at McDonald’s but are also speaking to the American people about how they should come out to eat at McDonald’s to save money for their family to feel secure and