Old Spice | Questions
I had typed this entire journal entry and then accidentally deleted it somehow, so here it goes again:
The ad "Questions" for Old Spice body wash is a brilliant commercial. It uses the 3 Aristolean methods of appeal, ethos, pathos, and logos, to sell its product. Ethos is the author's developing of trust with the viewer or reader. The commercial gains the viewer's trust by initially being directed at the "ladies." This not only captures the female viewer's attention, but it grabs the male viewer's attention, too, because after all, a man is interested in what their women are being told by another man. Even more trust is earned by the viewer because the actor is a handsome man with a toned body in nothing but a towel. Ethically good looks shouldn't be a more trustworthy source than someone who isn't too shabby, but people are more willing to listen to the actor in the Old Spice ad because he is sexy and trying to help men be sexy for their women, too. He puts himself on a higher level than the viewer, by saying, "Does your man look like me? No. Can he smell like me? Yes." This helps the viewer see the actor as a credible source because he is on a higher level, but willing to help the viewer get to nearly the same level.
