The Rhetoric of Advertising

The Rhetoric of Advertising

The Rhetoric of Advertising

The left two thirds of the page show a picture of a dark blue ocean that blends into a lifeless sky. An old rusty tanker floats diagonally in the blue like a scar. The sun is nowhere to be seen but a golden glare on the water makes it seem like it is setting off to the left of the tanker. There are a few fluffy clouds in the distant which blend into the dull, gray hues of the sky. The air looks polluted, so thick and dirty you would have trouble breathing. On the top left corner of the page in large, white, bold letters is the simple request “Free us”. Such an important message, it takes up the top third of the page. The letters shine bright against the contrast of the dull dirty air. The right third section of the page is white and almost halfway down is a message addressed to our leaders from the American people which I have summed up. Save us from our addiction to oil and the climate crisis. Give us clean energy by using the wind and sun. We demand a better future and 100% clean electricity within 10 years. Then a web address, in a healthy shade of green, wecansolveit.org. We are instructed to join the fight, repower America, and solve the climate crisis.
I found this ad in the October 2008 edition of Time. The sponsor for this ad, The Alliance for Climate Protection, put a lot of thought into how they presented the issues important to them. The readers of Time are usually adults who are concerned about America, its politics, and events around the world that would affect either. Through their choice of words and a strong visual image, they convince the reader to take part in the growing movement for a cleaner more independent America. This ad is an effective message to the readers of Time to pressure our leaders into freeing us from our oil addiction, and to save our economy and climate buy using clean energy. It is even more of an effective of a message because they include broad solutions and a deadline.
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