The twenty second Hubert Humphrey Presidential campaign ad from 1968 is one of the most simple and memorable ads in American politics. Commonly known as “Laughter”, the ad employs humor to smear the Vice-Presidential candidate Spiro Agnew and Presidential candidate Nixon while also making a serious point. Starting with an image of a blank wall with the words “Political Announcement”, a man is laughing as the camera pans toward a television. As the image on the television screen comes into view, the man laughs uncontrollably. The text on the television’s screen says “Agnew for Vice-President?” in bold and the camera becomes fixed on the question as the man loses his breath from the laughter. The ad then goes to a black screen with the text
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Pathos is the first appeal utilized and it remains evident throughout with the use of laughter in the background. The comedic approach makes the ad entertaining and memorable for the viewer. Although it is mostly humorous, the ending shocks the viewer through the statement “This would be funny if it weren’t so serious…” and finalizes with a dreadful cough to end the comedic remark and leave a lasting negative impression on the Republican candidates. Secondly, Humphrey establishes his credibility while also revealing Agnew as an unreliable candidate through the use of ethos. Before running for the Presidency, Humphrey served as Vice-President under Lyndon B. Johnson and therefore has an extraordinary understanding of the role as Vice-President. He uses his background to make a joke of Angew and declare him as unfit for the position. Lastly, Humphrey appeals logically to the viewer by declaring that the question of Angew as Vice-President “would be funny if it weren’t so serious”. This statement is used to reason with the viewer and affirms that Agnew is not the right choice for Vice-President. The use of pathos, ethos, and logos together make Humphreys argument appealing to voters and exposes the Republican candidates as the wrong
Pathos is the first appeal utilized and it remains evident throughout with the use of laughter in the background. The comedic approach makes the ad entertaining and memorable for the viewer. Although it is mostly humorous, the ending shocks the viewer through the statement “This would be funny if it weren’t so serious…” and finalizes with a dreadful cough to end the comedic remark and leave a lasting negative impression on the Republican candidates. Secondly, Humphrey establishes his credibility while also revealing Agnew as an unreliable candidate through the use of ethos. Before running for the Presidency, Humphrey served as Vice-President under Lyndon B. Johnson and therefore has an extraordinary understanding of the role as Vice-President. He uses his background to make a joke of Angew and declare him as unfit for the position. Lastly, Humphrey appeals logically to the viewer by declaring that the question of Angew as Vice-President “would be funny if it weren’t so serious”. This statement is used to reason with the viewer and affirms that Agnew is not the right choice for Vice-President. The use of pathos, ethos, and logos together make Humphreys argument appealing to voters and exposes the Republican candidates as the wrong