Ethos: Scot Tissue Towels

The credibility of the author is proven several different ways in this advertisement. The first comes from the publisher, Scot Tissue Towels. This is a well known, respected American company, an expert in the field of workplace hygiene, and one that ought to know the unwanted side effects of improper hand drying. There is also the fact that this was an ad warning against the communist threat, in a time where any such warning was immediately accepted as truth, with little thought as to the sensibility of the argument. Do poor quality paper towels really cause workers to succumb to the red tide? Who knows, but better safe than sorry! The ad also sports examples of well known, well run, major American Corporations, such as RCA and National Lead. Clearly, the deciding difference, the major factor affecting the success of National Lead vs. your friendly neighborhood lead supplier, was the brand of paper towel used. Switch to ScotTissue, and BAM! immediate profit, and the elimination of the red menace! This was, at least, what the ad implied. This along with the knowledge from a reputable source that failing to switch your paper towel brand would create a breeding ground for communists was surely enough to convince many to switch to Scot's.

Comments

  1. Kaitlyn FrancisOctober 8, 2017 at 5:16 PM

    This advertisement definitely shows a lot of different Ethos being used, as the big names and support that the towels are so much better than the other suppliers creates a lot of credibility that will cause more and more people to buy them. The use of connecting this advertisement to the Cold War makes it more powerful and credible because all Americans during this time has a strong distrust for the Soviet Union and making a connection with Scot's being on the American side and against the Soviets creates a deeper trust and therefore supports that it is a better brand. The publisher definitely uses current events to his advantage to create a strong advertisement.

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  2. UnknownOctober 8, 2017 at 7:52 PM

    This is a classic example of an appeal to ethos during the 1960's. By denouncing communism and the Soviets in this ad, Scot Tissue Towels immediately gains thousands of consumers because they are openly supporting their views, for the most part. A vast majority of Americans believed that the concept of communism was wrong and unethical, and they would support anything that believed the same.

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  3. aaliyahthepoetOctober 8, 2017 at 8:54 PM

    I think this particular appeal was common in this time period, resulting in a widespread disdain for communism. This in turn leaves Americans more susceptible to accepting the kind of rhetoric seen in this ad. It definitely reminds me of Orwell's "groupthink" concept from 1984. The desire to conform overrides any capability to think outside of popular belief - in this case, that communism is an enemy to all Americans.

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