Example Of Ethos Pathos Logos

Thirst for the Extraordinary
We are in contact with marketing tactics daily, even though we may not even realize it; from every print ad, commercial and even product placement in television shows and movies are used to subliminally to make people want it and need it. Per The Mercury Reader assembled by Maren Clegg Hyer, Ph.D. explains the Aristotle‘s art of effective persuasion and the Greek triangle mode of rhetoric of pathos, ethos and logos to determine that this ad is indeed effective. Ads can elicit many emotions and rely on our reactions to make sales quotas. It can send strong emotions to not be left out, and a hurry and join the crowd, it can emote a desire to come along and join the fun. In Perrier’s “Thirst for the Extraordinary” commercial by the directors Fluer & Manu, from You Tube is effective because and relies heavily on pathos and ethos, it lacks any logos although the commercial involves no logos, it has what is called the “bandwagon” fallacy, so it is very effective and extremely persuasive in its purpose to sell Perrier water.

The commercial begins when a giant green hot air balloon that rises from a mystical lake surrounded by a magical forest.

Then the emerald green balloon passes by gorgeous waterfalls, and the camera pulls back to reveal many more hot air balloons. Then in the blink of the eye, the ad becomes a whimsical balloon race up to the top. It becomes an extraordinary journey with baskets filled with waiters, pretty girls, animals, and party goers all in hot air balloons racing up to the top. One balloon caught my eye; it is a balloon that is loaded down with a full band playing music while they ascend. When the balloons get to the top, they morph into glistening bubbles, then the camera pulls back and you see that they are encased in a sparkly green Perrier bottle which then explodes into the air. The ad was very emotional beginning to

end.
The emotional appeal or pathos starts with the overall tone of the ad; its cartoon like with real humans living their wildest dreams. The tone gives this impression of fun, frivolity, festivities, and excitement that one would not want to miss. The music is fast paced and gets the audiences heart going, faster and faster akin to music in a sporting event that gets a group going. The music’s tempo seems to push everyone towards an invisible finish line and really gets the viewer invested. It has several meanings first of which is, it appears to be a race to the finish that calls you to join. Secondly, they show partygoers in a balloon basket having a cocktail party laughing and smiling while being in the race whilst cheering on the race. This is sending the message for those who are planning to have a party, always have Perrier on hand, that is, if you want to have the best party, Perrier makes the party. This ad is extremely effective with its use of pathos and is unforgettable, lively and pulls at you emotionally to be part of the pack.
The ethos in the ad is less conspicuous. The brand name Perrier is one the premier names in French bottled water. The Perrier name sells itself with its goodwill that is has built over the over the years. The product speaks to the values of upper class, not an ordinary life but an “extraordinary life”. Ethos was the Greek word for character, integrity, and expertise and through many years of branding the have accomplished the task (Hyer). Although there appears to be very little ethos in this ad, Perrier has spent years building the trust of its consumers. Even though the ad is lacking ethos it is still effective due to its years of branding.
The ad appears to lack any logos. There are no facts, no data, and no logic. There’s no empirical evidence that is provided to support or to compel the watcher to purchase. No ethical issues are addressed or implied in this commercial. Even though the ad campaign lacked logos it was still very effective in selling its product and this may be due to its large fallacy usage.
Fallacious arguments are very common and can be extremely persuasive like the one featured in this commercial, which is the “bandwagon fallacy”. The appeal is to not miss the boat or in this case the balloon. The saying “bandwagon” or the term “to jump on the bandwagon” is derived from a wagon big enough to hold a band of musicians. The term has come to refer to joining something because of its popularity. “Bandwagon” advertising uses the group mentality to convince the individual that the product is worth purchasing. Was this a coincident that a balloon with a band floats by, it seemed indicate a witty double entendre since the ad appears to be bandwagon. This is an appeal to popularity as you can see everyone has a balloon to race, the cheerleaders, the band, the waiters a crazy pyro-technician. The race takes advantage of people’s desires to be competitive and have fun and while doing so having a cold beverage. Additionally, it’s cool to be in the in-crowd, and that a happy group of friends gathering for a day of fun, helps the ad to be very effective.
To conclude, the Perrier ad “Thirst for the extraordinary” a mini-movie commercial does a consistently good job in selling the product to the consumer. It grabs the audience’s attention and gives them the desire for a bubbly drink. So, it is good to remember when one sees an ad take an extra second or two and see if they can spot the use of Aristotle’s Greek triangle pathos, ethos and logos and beware of the fallacy. First off, Pathos will speak to an emotional appeal for each of that it might have a different meaning. Secondly, Ethos will appeal to ethics, a sense of morality, good judgement it will try to sway by using by being ethical and portraying themselves as honest. Finally, to complete the triangle we need or logical side Logos, it will speak to the analytical sense, giving you unequitable facts for you to base your decision, to persuade you with