PETA Rhetorical Analysis

On any given day the average American is bombarded with hundreds of advertisements. These can be found on massive billboards while driving, on the internet, on television, and on just about every other medium. Advertisements aim to cause their audience to go out and do one thing or another, whether that be to buy a product or join a cause. Either way, all of these companies and groups who produce advertisements, tend to rely heavily upon the rhetorical appeals, ethos, pathos, and logos, to achieve their goals. PETA or People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, the animal rights activist group, notoriously utilizes rhetorical appeals in the form of strong or shocking visuals in their advertising campaigns. This visual analysis will focus on one such advertisement that PETA has produced. This PETA advertisement, through its liberal use of pathos, along with some assistance from the other two rhetorical appeals, presents its audience with a strong argument as to why one should take action and join in PETA's cause.

It is important to understand the context of this ad before analyzing the appeals within it. This particular advertisement is a subway banner ad. Subways are used within major cities by people getting to work, people going to school, and anyone who is otherwise trying to get around the area. The ad’s purpose is to cause it’s viewer to pick up their …show more content…
Often times, the difficulty of making a difference can lead people to inaction. This banner informs the ad’s audience that, rather than face a series of obstacles, making a difference is as easy as sending a text message. This appeals to the reader’s logic because they are given a simple solution to a problem they’ve just been made aware of. It makes more sense to the reader to text the number on the banner, and help stop the abuse, than to stand idly by. Again, the use of rhetorical appeals works successfully for PETA and their ad