Visual Analysis of Truth Anti Tobacco Ad

The visual images that are used in many advertisements are positioned to grab the attention of the ads intended audience. Advertisements are designed to persuade viewers that the argument the ad is presenting is realistic. Rather than simply presenting the product advertised, images are used to draw the attention of the viewers and convince them to buy into the product or message. This particular anti tobacco advertisement released by an anti smoking campaign embeds the use of pathos, ethos, and logos into its visual appeal.

The Truth campaign is the largest youth smoking prevention campaign in the United States.

It has become a popular success health story that educates society about the tobacco industry and the effects of smoking through advertisements. The campaign focuses on the truth about the tobacco industry and the health issues derived from smoking that are affecting the society. The campaign not only focuses on the affects of smoking but also on the affects of second hand smoke.

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In a print advertisement, The Truth displays an image of the horror and reality of secondhand smoke. The image evokes the emotions of the readers by displaying the shocking image of what smoking can cause to an individual.

It appeals to the viewer’s sense of ethical behavior and successfully backs its argument through facts, evidence, and reason that provide the viewer with a feeling that the Truth campaign is reliable in its message. A pathos argument is possibly one of the most persuasive arguments that can be used when trying to convince the reader of an argument.

This is the reason the Truth campaign has a very strong appeal to pathos. At first glance of the ad the reader might develop a sense of shock. The image displays the body of a boy with a burning cigarette tip as his head.

His arms and feet are replaced by images of ash and smoke is seen overtaking his body. Truth created this advertisement in attempt to shock viewers of the advertisement into realizing the harmful effects secondhand smoke has on individuals who possibly might not be the ones smoking the cigarette. After examining the image of the boy, the viewer might feel a link between himself and the image of the boy. The contents of this Truth ad can emotionally grab the attention of both smokers and non-smokers.

Smokers might come into realization that they are harming those around them that they love. The mage of the boy might draw out the idea that it could be a son, brother, or nephew that the viewer’s secondhand smoke is affecting. Nonsmokers might be convinced by this image that secondhand smoke is serious and is affecting the viewer’s own individual health. Not only does the ad appeal to pathos through imagery but also to the text that surrounds the image. The viewers are drawn to the image and after observing the boy turn to the words to learn more about the image. The bold words “Just Don’t! ” suggest that the ad is of serious nature. This causes the viewer to feel interested in what is going on in the picture.

The text also invokes shock in the viewer by informing the viewer of a very alarming statistic. By stating, “In the U. S. , about 50,000 die each year from secondhand smoke related dieses” the Truth campaign intends to educate and shock the viewer into seeing the reality of the high number of deaths caused by secondhand smoke (The website of the Truth). The use of the word “die” in the factual sentence is also something that should be noticed. By using this particular word the Truth organization highlights the seriousness of secondhand smoke and invokes a sense of fear into the minds of the viewer.

The Truth Campaign appeals to the viewer’s sense of ethical behavior through the image that the ad is centered around. As previously stated, the image is of a boy who is being taken over by secondhand smoke. The ethical part of the argument is raised in the obvious meaning of the image. Truth is telling viewers that this is what smokers are doing to people who choose not to smoke. Both in the picture and in the text, Truth is trying to show the viewer just how unethical it is for smokers to harm others who do not give any input into smoking.

They want to convince the viewer that it is unethical for smokers to make health decisions that are harming innocent bystanders. It can be seen in the image of the boy’s head that the smoke has taken over his face. The Truth campaign is reveling to viewers that the boy has no mouth, no voice, and specifically no say so in the actions of others that are affecting him. The Truth campaign establishes authority with the viewers through the text to the right of the image of the boy. Clearly, the name of the organization speaks for what they want to convince the viewer they are arguing, which is truth.

By the name of the campaign, the viewer develops a sense of trust that the ad and words are truthful. The organization provides the established website of the campaign where viewers can go to learn more about the organization and gain credibility. The Truth campaign’s ad argues to persuade viewers that secondhand smoke is harmful. By using appeals to logos, Truth provides the viewer with an argument based on facts, evidence and reason. Truth displays facts in the statement on side of the image. This is raw evidence to viewers that secondhand smoke is killing individuals.

By stating facts and pairing it with an image, Truth puts into logic that if viewers smoke or are around smoke, they too will experience the effects of secondhand smoke. This form of print advertising created by The Truth Campaign intends to argue the consequences of tobacco usage. It also attempts to persuade the viewer by appealing to the viewer’s emotions, ethics, and logics. By use of a disturbing image supported by statistics, The Truth campaign successfully persuades viewers of the argument that smoking and secondhand smoke is a serious issue.