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Vending Machine Satire

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This advertisement, intended for publication in American family magazines, is a print ad manufactured with the goal of supporting the fight against prescription drug abuse. This advertisement uses a strong visual metaphor, an emotional appeal, and persuasive techniques to positively sell the idea of anti prescription drug abuse. The ad uses the visual metaphor of a vending machine to create the subtext of prescription drugs being easy to access. Vending machines are convenient, widely available, and a fast, easy, and inexpensive method of delivery. The use of the vending machine helps the audience understand why prescription drugs are so widely abused, providing the connection that prescription drugs are everywhere (your “own homes”), inexpensive (“$Free at home”), and very accessible, like products from vending …show more content…

Furthermore, the surrounding products in the ‘vending machine’ are locked in by the circles commonly found in vending machines as a physical barrier to prevent products from falling. However, the pill bottle is not obstructed in any way. This represents the lack of barriers (such as unaccessibility or high cost) preventing the abuse of prescription drugs. Additionally, the ad symbolically uses the text D1, labeling commonly found on vending machines. In America, the place of publication, prescription drugs are now considered the top drug related danger to teenagers, the most common abusers. Rearranged, this becomes Danger #1, or D1. In combination, this visual metaphor of a vending machine provides to the audience the knowledge that prescription drugs are widely accessed and abused. The ad uses an emotional appeal to create a response in the audience of parents to this idea. The ad asks a question and supplies the vague answer, “easier than you think,” creating a sense of unease and the implication that the audience is wrong. This pushes the audience to reconsider their viewpoint on the

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