The joy of being an English teacher AND a speech teacher is that no matter what I’m teaching, I get to talk about rhetoric! I’m not kidding—I love the days when I get to introduce Aristotle’s “means of persuasion.” This is because ethos (ee-thos), pathos (pay-thos), and logos (low-gos) are all around us all the time, and it’s fun to watch students start to recognize the ubiquity of these concepts.
My favorite introductory route into Aristotle’s rhetorical appeals is through commercials. I love commercials because there is no mining required to uncover the persuasive tools they employ. Their use of rhetoric is obvious and therefore perfect for students learning to identify rhetorical devices. Plus, they’re short, so you can go through many quickly before launching into the heavier stuff.
Want this lesson in your classroom? Get the handouts and presentation, plus a bonus activity in which students construct their own appeals! Available now on Teachers Pay Teachers.
Before watching any commercials, I first introduce ethos, pathos, and logos to students, as well as the methods we use to develop these appeals in our speaking and writing. To do this, I show them a simplified version of the rhetorical triangle:
See the the whole comic here, including examples of ethos, pathos, and logos appeals.
Using Commercials
Once students have a grasp of the triangle, we can dig into the fun stuff: commercials! Over the years, I’ve used many different commercials. I noticed recently, however, that my examples were a little dated. (How dated, you ask? I had an OxiClean commercial starring Billy Mays.) Thus, I decided to refresh my content with some updated ads.
Below are five commercials from the last three years that I think are great for teaching rhetorical appeals. (Save the YouTube playlist here.)
Robo Dog | Kia EV Commercial
The first two things one notices in this Kia commercial are the use of Bonnie Tyler’s classic song “Turn Around” and an adorable Robo Dog. The dog’s sad eyes paired with the dramatic music pluck at the heart strings, injecting this commercial with emotion (pathos). This is heightened further as we watch the dog chase his desired owner through the city streets, dodging bicycles, knocking over boxes, and jumping over roofs as the music swells. This makes it all the more heartbreaking when the dog, having finally reached the man, “dies” from low battery. But there is hope! The dog is saved after a charge from the electric car. At the end, the dog and the man drive away, presumably to “live fully charged.”
I find this commercial particularly interesting because it is 100% pathos. Kia could have easily incorporated logos appeals with data about the charge capacity of their electric vehicle or the percentage of fuel emissions avoided by driving an EV. I suspect that this choice was fueled (pun intended) by the fact that this commercial premiered during the 2022 Superbowl, and the viewing audience during that event was interested primarily in being entertained.
Close Talker | Colgate
Actor Luke Wilson lends his credibility (ethos) to this Colgate commercial, and we can’t help but smile (pathos) at his “close-talking” antics. However, even when Wilson is inches away from his coworkers’ faces, or walking backwards around the office, he still spouts the benefits of using Colgate toothpaste (logos): It has a breakthrough formula that helps with sensitivity while strengthening teeth, and it kills germs in your mouth. The final list of ailments that Colgate treats, as well as benefits it provides, strengthens the logic of why you should want to use this well-rounded (hence, total) toothpaste.
Sign Spinner | Progressive
This Progressive commercial starts with a pretty standard appeal to our logic with the message on the sign: “Drivers who save with Progressive save over $700 on avg.” Within seconds, however, we are thrust into a scene more apropos of a soap opera. The young man rushing in to declare his love for Caroline creates an awkward situation that lends humor (and pathos) to this otherwise standard ad. Then we hear a monotone voiceover say, “Switch to Progressive, and you can save hundreds. You know, like the sign says?” This is a one-two punch of logos and pathos; it’s logical that we should want to save money on our insurance, but the deadpan delivery of the final voiceover line winks at us, poking fun at the explicit sales part of the ad.
A $500 Ad | Mint Mobile
Here is another commercial that uses a celebrity to lend credibility (ethos) to the product. Unlike Luke Wilson, however, Ryan Reynolds actually owns the company he’s advertising. He boosts his trustworthiness by showing how his company is looking to save money for the consumer. How is he doing this? By presenting a bare-bones commercial made with a “cheap” stock animation. This demonstrates what Reynolds tells us: “At Mint, we’re not into wasting money.” He continues to use logical appeals, including that we can get three months free if we purchase three months of service. Pathos is present with Reynolds’ humorous comments about the “extra hand” that moves on and off camera throughout the commercial.
How to Color at Home | L’Oreal
Actor and spokesmodel Eva Longoria lends her credibility (ethos) to this L’Oréal commercial. After all, if she, a beautiful celebrity with hair we can all envy, colors her hair with L’Oréal on camera, we should trust this product. Her step-by-step demonstration shows how easy it is to use the product at home (logos). This is strengthened when she shakes her hair in our faces, points to her roots, and exclaims, “100% covered!”
Next Steps
After students have watched commercials and identified rhetorical appeals, I challenge them to write appeals of their own. For this I bring household items like whisks, bandaids, envelopes, and frying pans. (The only thing I purposely don’t bring is a pen. This is partially because my example includes a pen, and partially because my university students immediately invoke the scene from The Wolf of Wall Street.) The results are usually entertaining and sometimes downright inspired.
Do you use commercials to teach rhetorical appeals? Something else? What are your favorite activities for teaching rhetoric? I would love to hear from you! Comment below or email maskedmotif@super-ela.com to share how you teach rhetorical appeals in the classroom.