Fallacies In Advertising Essay

Within my project I used illustrations of different fallacies that are commonly used to argue, persuade, and advertise to people. The three fallacies that I used were ad populum, ad verecundiam, and false cause (post hoc ergo propter hoc). While they were subtly used, they are able to illustrate what those specific fallacies are and why they are used in everyday advertising or arguments. The first fallacy I used in my advertisement for First Glitter was ad populum. This is simply stated as a way to “persuade someone to accept a desired conclusion on the grounds that many people evidently agree.” I illustrated this by uses the phrase “Dr. Z says it’s the best, so buy it like the rest!” which implies that many people have been purchasing First Glitter and someone would essentially be missing out on something fantastic if they neglected to purchase the product. It is also a way of stating that people are only focused on this specific …show more content…
I believe however, that some of these fallacies are easier to use than others, and among that, are more effective to an untrained or unaware listener. At the top of this, is the fallacy of ad populum. I believe that for advertising purposes, this is used the most due to its ability to make someone feel left out, to feel inadequate, or out of sync with the rest of society. It is used to make people realize that they do not have something that someone else does, and because they do not have it, they are not able to feel included within a specific group. Another way it is used is to try and provide a sense of security about a product or service. If lots of people are using it, then surely it is safe. At least that is what advertisers want you to think. You see it used in advertisements from joining yoga (everyone’s doing it!) to watching specific TV shows (America’s #1 show!). It’s used everywhere, all the