Recall from the Week 2 Discussion that all communication begins with a need to convey a message to another person. Whether you, as a member of an audience, are listening to a religious sermon, watching a political debate, participating in a class discussion thread, or watching a commercial on television, the speaker is conveying a message that they hope will influence you, the audience, in some way. Think about how a message you have heard, seen, or read may have influenced you. If that message convinced you to purchase a product or service, then the marketing and public relations groups for that product were effective communicators.
Alternately, a message you encounter may have no impact on you at all. That might be considered ineffective business communication. Whatever the case, there are numerous messages vying for your attention and in some cases your hard-earned dollars every day. What prompts you to you respond to some messages and not others?
In this Discussion, you explore the types of appeals and fallacies used to convey messages in media ads. You also examine how appeals and fallacies make you feel about the product in the ad.
resources
Be sure to review the Learning Resources before completing this activity. Click the weekly resources link to access the resources.
WEEKLY RESOURCES
by day 3
For this Discussion, you get to watch TV, listen to the radio, or browse your favorite websites! Post a two-paragraph response to the following:
- Describe two different ads you saw, heard, or read that influenced you to purchase something and evaluate the ad for the types of appeals or one of the fallacies discussed in this week’s Resources. Explain where you found the ads, what they were advertising, and what appeal or fallacy was used.
- In a second paragraph, describe your reaction to the ads you selected and explain how you feel about each ad now that you recognize the method of persuasion in use.
- Include a link to the ad or upload an image, if possible.
- Sentiment AI. (2021, February 12). Do employers check social media (You bet they do!)Links to an external site.. https://sentimentai.ai/do-employers-check-social-m...
- Maloney, J. (2022, July 13). 10 common logical fallacies everyone should knowLinks to an external site.. Intelligent Speculation. https://www.intelligentspeculation.com/blog/10-com...
- Rajnerowicz, K. (2024, November 22). 7 types of advertising appeals with examples [Marketing & social]Links to an external site.. Tidio. https://www.tidio.com/blog/advertising-appeals
- TechTerms. (2021). Digital footprintLinks to an external site.. https://techterms.com/definition/digital_footprint
- Kelly, C. (2019, April 12). Keeping it civil: How to talk politics without letting things turn uglyLinks to an external site.. NPR. https://www.npr.org/2019/04/12/712277890/keeping-i...