How we seem to be able to link between the available elements in the image, and derived to a particular conclusion without the conclusion being spelled out one by one?
This is what we termed as, ‘Rhetoric’. Rhetoric aims to identify all available means of persuasion in any given case (McQuarrie, 2007, p. 5). Simply put, Blair defines 'Rhetoric' as a method of persuasion – an art of convincing someone into accepting a particular view (2004, p.41). He notes that an Aristotelian enthymeme is an argument in which the arguer deliberately leaves the unstated premise that is crucial to its reasoning so as to draw the audiences to partake in its persuasion by filling in the premise (2004, p.41) This is the strength of rhetoric becasue it corners the other person into reaching a conclusion as you intend it to be.
So, how does rhetoric works in advertisement?
According to McQuarrie and Phillips (2007), the primary goal of advertisement has always been “to cause a specified consumer response” (p. 7). And since this has been likewise the main aim of rhetoric, it seems likely that rhetorical perspectives can provide substantially to the understanding of advertisement.
Let’s see how Rhetoric actually works, by looking at the advertisement below:
1) The first thing you see, of course, is the beautiful, sexy woman.
2) The next thing you see is a pair of shoes floating right next to the sexy woman.
Is there a visual rhetoric?
Some people may not know what the picture is all about (2 out of 3 girls whom I asked thought the girl was actually posing for a nude picture). But, as a media communication student, I say: yes, there is a visual rhetoric. Why? Because there is an unstated argument in the ad above.
Enthymeme
Enthymeme, in layman’s term, is the incomplete argument – the unstated argument that the other person deduce.
Here, the enthymeme is: If you wear these shoes, you will be as sexy as her. This is the unstated argument for the image.
It was not being said out loud, but audiences make the deduction themselves after seeing the shoes, the sexy woman, and made the link between the two.
How the rhetoric was created syntactically and semiotically?
Syntactically, the image satisfies the following rules:
1) Rule of colours: the 3rd rule states that the large area or background of muted or greyish colour will let a smaller, bright colour to stand out dramatically. In this image, the strong brown colour stood out the most from the greyish colour.
2) Rules of composition: larger area but is lighter, together with smaller area but is heavier, when combine creates balance. In this image, the background is of larger area, but the background is empty, which demonstrate lightness. On the other hand, the foreground image i.e. the woman and the shoes are heavier because they are a mixed of different brightly coloured elements, which demonstrate heaviness. When all these are combine, balance is achieved.
Semiotically, the image can give two connotations: sexiness and comfortableness. What is/are the signifier(s) that bring about these connotations?
1) The splash of water that twirls around the woman’s body suggest to the wearers to feel ‘as sexy as wearing transparent clothes’
2) The splash can also suggest to the wearers to feel comfortable ‘as being dipped unto water’.
Overall, this advertisement is rhetoric in a way that it has the unstated premises that the audiences need to fill in that fits in with what the advertisement intend it to be.
References:
Blair, J. A. (2004). The Rhetoric of Visual Arguments. In Hill, C. A., and Helmers, M. H. (eds.). Defining Visual rhetorics (pp. 41-61). New Jersey: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
McQuarrie, E. F., & Phillips, B. J. (2007) Go Figure! New Directions in Advertising Rhetoric. Armonk, NY, USA: M. E. Sharpe, Inc.
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