Earlier we saw how products are advertised to appeal to your emotions rather than your intelligence. This happens not only in commercial advertising, but also in politics.
Lets examine this political ad. It was created in order to convince people to vote for John Tyson Jr. in Mobile, Alabama. Let's put it in the form of a logical argument:
Don't sit by... SILENT.
You can SAVE lives.
Therefore, vote for John Tyson Jr.
Do the premises support the conclusion? Are we, the voters, really sitting silently while something goes on? The ad doesn't say what is going on, but it must be something that is killing people. And we don't want people to die, do we? Of course not! Not while we can save them! And we can save them just by voting for Mr. Tyson. Right?
How does this political ad appeal to your emotions, rather than your intelligence?
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Examine this advertisement for dishwasher detergent. You may have noticed, if you have a dishwasher, that sometimes the glasses come out with little white spots on them. That's soap residue which didn't get rinsed properly in the cleaning process. Is it the end of the world? Apparently, according to this ad. In fact, having spots on your dishes is so terrible, it will cause you to lose your husband or boyfriend to another woman.
The thought of losing someone you love is a very serious, emotional thing. But are spotty dishes really going to make someone leave you? What do spotty dishes have to do with romance and love?
Sunlight soap could have just said, "Our soap is designed to dissolve better than other soaps, so you don't get spots." But it just doesn't have the same sort of urgency, does it? Advertisers want to play on your emotions in order to get your attention and convince you to buy their products, even when those emotions have nothing to do with the product itself.
