The ASPCA: A Guilt Trip Most organizations and companies successfully advertise their ideas in commercials by appealing to the audience most likely to indulge in them. The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) crafts its commercial to target animal lovers. In order to convince this target audience to donate to the ASPCA’s cause, their commercial unfairly plays with viewers’ emotions by using heroic word choice, displays depictions of animals, and utilizes a celebrity endorsement; however, its use of uncertified facts undermines the organization’s credibility.
If used correctly, logos can aid in enhancing reliability. The ASPCA’s commercial attempts to accomplish this and gain sympathy with logos by presenting facts, but the effect is diminished by the lack of numbers and sources. For example, the speaker, Sarah McLachlan, asserts, “Everyday innocent animals are abused, beaten, …show more content…
More specifically, the ASPCA adequately utilizes pathos by unjustly presenting emotional illustrations of animals. In the introduction of the commercial, McLachlan, along with a few of the ASPCA’s workers, is seen cradling and caressing a dog. Then, as the audio components previously mentioned play in the background, videos of animals with forlorn eyes, often sitting in cages, fill the screen. Consequently, viewers’ sentiments are manipulated into feeling sympathy for the neglected animals. Not many people can look into the eyes of a creature that has been abused and feel no pity. Furthermore, once they establish the miserable state of these animals, the ASPCA presents images of them being cared for. This strategy conveys to viewers how their potential donations will be used. Convincingly yet wrongfully, it suggests that the animals are the viewers’ responsibilities and if donations are not made, the animals will not be taken care
If used correctly, logos can aid in enhancing reliability. The ASPCA’s commercial attempts to accomplish this and gain sympathy with logos by presenting facts, but the effect is diminished by the lack of numbers and sources. For example, the speaker, Sarah McLachlan, asserts, “Everyday innocent animals are abused, beaten, …show more content…
More specifically, the ASPCA adequately utilizes pathos by unjustly presenting emotional illustrations of animals. In the introduction of the commercial, McLachlan, along with a few of the ASPCA’s workers, is seen cradling and caressing a dog. Then, as the audio components previously mentioned play in the background, videos of animals with forlorn eyes, often sitting in cages, fill the screen. Consequently, viewers’ sentiments are manipulated into feeling sympathy for the neglected animals. Not many people can look into the eyes of a creature that has been abused and feel no pity. Furthermore, once they establish the miserable state of these animals, the ASPCA presents images of them being cared for. This strategy conveys to viewers how their potential donations will be used. Convincingly yet wrongfully, it suggests that the animals are the viewers’ responsibilities and if donations are not made, the animals will not be taken care