Salem Cigarettes Ads and Rhetorical Appeals Essay

Advertisements incorporate the three rhetorical appeals which are logos, pathos, kairos, and ethos. The ethos analyses the moral principles or the ethics of a given statement or display (Jefkins 88). The pathos, on the other hand, appeals to ones emotion or is inclined towards empathy. As for the logos, it appeals to the logic which means that an advertisement should make total sense (Lyons and Magnus 47). Lastly for the kairos, it mainly pertains to establishing whether it is the right time or place that an appeal to timeliness (Ginzburg 93).

This paper analyses how kairos and the other rhetorical appeals are used in an advertisement with the case study being the Salem cigarettes. In the first advert, there is a handsome gentleman holding a pack of cigarettes in his arms. During the 70s and the 80s, a man was perceived to be handsome when he had a cool hairstyle and an unbuttoned shirt and a pair of jeans. The advert is trying to persuade both the male and female of the tender age that it is fashionable to smoke cigarettes. ‘If one can smoke Salem and look handsome and cool why not me?’ that is the question that the seller of this brand intends the audience, or the public to ask after reading the advert. The advert is meant to insinuate that the guy is this cool just because he smokes Salem. The question posed in the advert also is meant to make the audience associate with this guy especially the phrase “enough fresh menthol to keep things interesting”. Since the guy looks cool, it is expected that he always loves to have fun and is more outgoing; therefore, the phrase that the cigarette makes him make things interesting is appealing to all people of his age. This advert is, therefore, depicting what was considered cool in the 70s and 80s by the young men and ladies. In this advert, one can note that the picture is more appealing than the words.

The second advert depicts a young, attractive blonde lady. She is seated smoking a cigarette and looks to be relaxed and full of confidence. Her beauty is breathtaking to everyone looking at the picture and the word “Salem refreshes naturally” just complements her beauty. For everyone who was a lady in the 70s and 80s this was the look admired by all and for all the young lads she was the perfect lady. Again this was the face of Salem, and it had the perfect timing. Having a beautiful blonde face like this lady complements the cigarette since, the seller wants to assume that the cigarette comes with the beauty, or it is the cigarette that is making her look this fabulous. The writings on this advert and the lady are complementing each other, and this advert is using kairos very well. In the 70s and 80s, this cigarette would have sold due to this advert especially to the young ladies and young men.

In the third advert, it depicts three black teenagers with one holding a basketball who look to be relaxing after a workout in the gym or the court. In the 70s and 80s, for the blacks, there was nothing as cool as playing basketball. This was appealing to all the young black lads and was the targeted group by the seller. This shows that the rhetoric used is kairos in this advert. The advert is using the young lads to show that, after a workout, one may use Salem cigarette to refresh. The writing “Salem refreshes naturally” is complementing the photo as the photo is more appealing in this case. The advert is, however, disregarding the logos as there is no logic in smoking cigarettes and playing basketball as it affects the lungs badly and reduces the performance of the athletes. The advert is, however, effective in relaying its message to all those young black lads playing or not playing basketball.

In the fourth advert, we have a young, attractive couple who are smoking. They seem to be enjoying each other’s company fully and also seem to be enjoying the cigarettes. The seller is using the advert to reach out to all the young couples. The young couple was an ideal couple in the 70s and 80s since they are both attractive and are being complimented by the clothes. This advert is appealing and used kairos as this couple was ideal in the times this advert was released.

In the fifth advert, we have a black couple in an environment where they look to be enjoying a cool breeze as depicted by the trees. This advert has the writing “Salem special high porosity paper air softens every puff”. This implies that the advert is based more on the environment rather than on the couple itself. The seller wishes to communicate an enhancement in the product and show that it gives a freshening taste due to the paper. The couple is simple and is meant to enforce the indigenous natural taste. This advert uses pathos as the rhetoric it shows an environment and a feeling that one should feel after smoking. The writing is, therefore, in connection with the illustration given.

Works Cited

Ginzburg, Natalia. The Advertisement, London: Faber and Faber, 1969. Print.

Jefkins, Frank. Advertisement Writing, Plymouth: Macdonald and Evans, 1976. Print.

Lyons, and W. Magnus. Advertisement Control, Leigh-on-Sea, Essex: Thames Bank Pub. Co,1949. Print.