The Placebo Product

The advertisement from IcyHot has an image of Shaquille O’ Neal in a gray background theme. Shaquille has a smile on his face. He’s wearing a comfortable shirt. As he points at the product showing that he approves this message. The image is zoomed in to so the product can be noticed clearly. The use the words “ADVANCED PAIN CALLS FOR ADVANCED RELIEF” to express the conditions of the product. It’s expressed in big bold letters to appeal the viewer’s attention. The advertisement distinguishes the usage of ethos, logos, and pathos to convince the viewer to purchase the portrayed product.

In this article released from The Onion the writer uses satirical strategies such as sarcasm, humor, and mockery to show how easily customers fall into the outrageous claims made by marketers.

The first rhetorical appeal which I am going to discuss about this ad is the use of ethos. There are many ethos in this ad and one of them is the use of doctors in the advertisements.During the commercial the audience sees the doctors conducting research, conducting tests, and checking on patients. Due to having complete many years of education to receive a M.D. as well as being able to save lives, doctors are usually referred to as extremely credible characters. and Therefore, by showing doctors the audience become more confident in the overall credibility of the ad. They also show the nurses and doctors being gentle with the children, caring for them, and hugging them, which gives the audience a sense of trustworthiness of the doctors and nurses. Another example of the ethos in this commercial is the expression of good. By donating only $19.00 you can save children's lives which makes you feel good. Due to selflessness of good will, it comes as credible thing to do.

The article released from The Onion, establishes satire through the use of humor and mockery in order to reveal the reality of the process of products being marketed to consumers. The Onion achieves this satire by demonstrating how products such as MagnaSoles can lure in gullible consumers through the outrageous claims that their product is described to do.

MagnaSoles Marketing advertisers always have a specific group of people in which they target their product towards. They use certain strategies designed to appeal to these target groups. In the article from “The Onion,” the writer uses irony and sarcasm in order to criticize the gullibleness of consumers in marketing along with advertisers and their scheming strategies. First, one of the primary rhetorical strategies the author uses is irony.

Do you have sore feet? Do you feel like there is nothing that can stop or prevent your foot pain? MagnaSoles are new shoes inserts for people just like you who have sore feet! Did you fall for these tactics? Companies use these marketing tactics everyday to convince people just like you to buy their product. In The Onion’s press release, the author demonstrates the cohesive rhetorical triangle, bold diction and syntax, and vivid imagery to explain how Americans fall for marketing tactics companies use.

In the article, written by the Onion, it drastically exaggerated the products towards customers with sarcasm, unrealistic data, and humor to elaborate the consistency of advertisers assuming low intelligence of the customers. Marketing is known for its broad way of advertising their products with realistic positive statistics. Bright ways to emphasize the item will be stereotypical motives to draw towards a specific crowd if needed to. Marketing categories is known for trying to bring in all kinds of relevance to their product. However, there is such a thing as crossing the line by subtly implying to the audience to buy this product. The Onion does this by showing bluntly satire motives as a fake company trying to sell the product of a shoe sole to the point it has been established as a joke in a series way. They throw in a shade of puns to draw the corney lovers. Sarcasm to remind the article is fake. As well the fact of hoaxed evidence.

Imagine going to the doctor and being given medication to heal your pain. Now how would you feel if after taking the medication and feeling better you came to find out you were given a placebo? This may sound upsetting to some, however, “ a recent survey of U.S. internists and rheumatologists found that some 50% regular prescribe placebos.” A placebo is defined as a false treatment without any significant chemical properties or active ingredient. The use of placebos as a primary form of treatment with any pathology is not happening anytime soon, but their positive impact and usefulness in the medical field is becoming hard to deny. In the article, “The Magic of the Placebo”, author David Bjerklie attempts to explain the growing change in

In a mock press release from The Onion, the author satirizes how companies may try to sell products and how gullible consumers are. This piece uses humor, satire, and irony to poke fun at how unrealistic marketing actually is. A fake product, called MagnaSoles, is being advertised as this amazing shoe insert that has healing properties. Onion’s take on MagnaSoles highlights how unrealistic marketing is and the gullibility of consumers by using fancy wording, fake experts, and exaggerated claims. The article uses satire to poke fun at how companies use fancy wording like “biomagnetic fields” or “vibrational biofeedback” to try and make products sound believable.

They try to target specific audiences who they believe will be interested in buying their product, and because of this, satirists like the Onion have been picking up the role in mocking such ads.

The article written by The Onion, uses humor and satire to touch on the idea addressed that advertisers force people to think there is always a fix for anything and everything. The author manipulates the use of comedy to make fun of the fact that we humans will buy anything that says it should help. The author of this strongly believes that advertisers are just manipulators that use ridiculous examples to make their product seem like the best thing ever. When first reading the article, one may believe its simply an informative essay telling of the amazing and revolutionary Magnasoles.

The mind has often been referred to as the organ of consciousness. Daily functions such as thinking, breathing, and most any task we do rely heavily on use of this precious organ. However, through the use of placebos, it is becoming clear that the mind may have an even greater influence on our daily lives, influencing our perceptions of well- being. The placebo, which is Latin for to please, is a sugar-pill that is given under the guise of being a medication thought to treat an ailment. The use of placebos has shown us that the mind has tremendous potential to induce physiological changes in our body based solely on its perceptions. In example, as we swallow a sugar pill thinking

Words like “help,” “feel,” and “faster,” are used in this ad to subtly make readers believe that NyQuil will cure Mom’s illness quickly when, in fact, they really only say that the products might make her symptoms briefly subside quicker than another indistinct method of treatment. This subtle method of advertisement is actually very common in all types of ads. Another technique used to attract attention of audiences is the adorable image of a mother and daughter playing dress up together. When someone sees this image, they are expected to feel strong, loving emotion for the seemingly deep mother-daughter connection in the photo. This mode of persuasion, pathos, is used to play on the emotions of viewers who see this ad. By using pathos in advertising, advertisers are also showing the main values of a culture.

Do you have sore feet and feel like there is nothing that can stop or prevent your foot pain? MagnaSoles are new shoe inserts for people just like you who have sore feet! Did you fall for these tactics? Companies use these marketing tactics everyday to convince people just like you to buy their product. In The Onion’s press release, the author demonstrates the use of the rhetorical triangle, bold diction and syntax, and vivid imagery to explain how Americans fall for marketing tactics companies use.

This video used emotional appeal. This video shows emotional appeal because it tells us family and doctors have relied on it because it reduces muscle, back and joint pain. They incorporates family and why you should use it. It’s trying to persuade the people by saying their families will have reduced pain. This commercial persuaded me because it gives me facts about the medicine. It also says that doctors use it,which is trustworthy to me. In the end it says “Relief doesn’t get an better than this,” this line persuaded me the most because it shows that advil is the