Magazine ads and commercials are the best ways to sell things. Their main goal is to sell the product and find the best ways to do so. First there is a product and then there is a setting for the product. By trying to bring these two aspects together logical fallacies are formed. For example comparing a comb to a porcupine, which is a false analogy. Through analyzing these magazine ads I will present the logical fallacies within the ads. These ads are from the October 2001 issue of GQ magazine; first ad portrays Michael Vick, quarterback for the Atlanta Falcons.
Michael Vick who is well known in the sports world is wearing designer fit clothing. The Cloths he is wearing is of a stylish fashion something not sporty, which is most athletes commercial look. Michael Vick is known for his fine NIKE apparel and now seeing him in such fancier clothing is contradictory. The Ad is saying that even if one is a sporty person one can where these clothing. What, also can go without saying is that many of our fashion is of someone else. By using Michael Vick in this ad the logical fallacy appeal to popularity (Internet cite) is used.
Appeal to popularity is using Michael Vicks popularity to sell the product. Consumers will purchase this product if Michael Vick is wearing it. The either-or (Seagull Reader) fallacy is presented; which is giving one a choice to choose whether to buy the stylish cloths or the sporty cloths. However, which clothing line one decides to wear he/she is likely to be jumping on the bandwagon (Seagull Reader); another fallacy, which explains the philosophy of doing what popular people do or wear.
Even though one may be getting on the bandwagon another fallacy comes to mind. Non sequitur (Seagull Reader) fallacy presents us with false pretenses: wearing these clothes will not make us look or play like Michael Vick; and false authority (Seagull Reader): what does a football quarterback know about clothes? This next ad is for a movado watch; the watch is celebrating the art of time. The ad also introduces trumpet player Wynton Marsalis, composer-performer, and virtuoso. The product being advertised is the watch and the setting is Wynton Marsalis.
The ad is comparing the watch to Wyntons music, which is an art. Hence both Wyntons music and the watch are in some correlation to the art of time. The first fallacy that comes to mind when viewing the ad is its tintillation (D. Frailey): which is the color of both the watch and Wynton Marsalis, it is of great comparison and the blend is magnificent. Non sequitur fallacy is now referring to: wearing the watch would not make one become as talented as Wynton Marsalis; false authority: what does a Wynton Marsalis know about movado watches.
The ad appeal to popularity: Wynton Marsalis is a well-known artist he is used to manipulate the sale factor of the watch. The next ad is an advertisement of a shoe. The product is a shoe and the setting is a motorcycle wheel. Cleary the ad is comparing the shoe with the wheel; however what characteristics do a shoe and a wheel have in common? Is it there rugged exterior that presents their traction or is it their soft airy interior or is it their garnish design? Non sequitur fallacy is dominant in this ad: this shoe will not get the same properties such as the wheel, nor its function.
The ad is a false analogy (Seagull Reader): how does a shoe and a wheel compare. My next ad is a Budweiser ad; it shows a picture of three women hanging out at night, however there is no picture of the product, just the name of the product at the right hand top corner of the page. This is clearly relating the women to the beer, however in the way it is not being presented. The women are not holding the beverage nor are they wearing any clothing related to the beverage.
One could only draw that drinking this beverage will make you encounter meetings with these women or women of the same caliber. The first fallacy that comes to mind is libido ignoramus (J. Baumann): Using sex to sell this product: the women are a symbolism of drinking the beer so it will sell. The tintillation: the colors of the background are in close relation to the colors of the bottle of the beer; false analogy: what do the women have to do with the beer; non sequitur: the beer will not bring women like these nor will the women come with this type of beer.
Also, this ad is appealing to the popularity of sex by using women in the ad. Magazine ads are used to advertise a product, however to make the products of great influence producers use sale techniques to bring points to their product. Some of these techniques are using sex, sports figures, musicians, mechanics or just popular items in general. These ads appeal to our philosophy through the use of logical fallacies.
