Persuasive Genre

Advertisements are a form of persuasive genre. An example I found is an Oral-B toothbrush poster/banner. This advertisement could be found physically in public places such as train stations or on online banner advertisements. The purpose of this advertisement is to persuade people to buy an electric Oral-B toothbrush. The audience is anyone who wants to have clean teeth or is able to buy an electric toothbrush. The rhetorical appeal used is an appeal to authority. The advertisement pictures a young male dentist wearing glasses and a white coat. The man appears to be a dentist, meaning he is knowledgable in healthcare and taking care of teeth. The advertisement claims that dentists themselves use this specific toothbrush and that if you (the consumer) buy this specific Oral-B toothbrush, then you are using a high quality toothbrush that is best for your dental health. The mode of this advertisement is visual and text based and the media is digital or print. The poster has a blue background which evokes feelings of calmness as well as trust. The text, toothbrush, and lab coat are bright white which is easy to see against the background. There is also a bright white sparkle in the center, indicating shiny/sparkly white teeth. This advertisement could be easily adapted into a commercial with a dentist using the toothbrush and talking about it. Adapting to a commercial would make the argument more persuasive as it would include video, audio, and text.