Logos: Scott Tissue Towels Ad

There are several logical appeals present in this text; the most powerful are closely tied to its appeal to the strong American sense of anti-communism. This particular appeal aims to justify the ad's bold claim that your washroom is "breeding bolsheviks". It does so by explaining why poor paper towels causes proletarian revolts: lesser paper towels are uncomfortable, and unsanitary, two factors that are proven to lead to discomfort and socialist tendencies. The ad goes on to explain how this is a simple example of "important courtesies", just as important as providing air and light. This is, after all, why those Russian reds overthrew their czar: the paper towels in the factory restrooms were horridly inadequate! In addition to this obvious appeal to the 20th century American businessman--single-handedly freezing communism's advance was a mighty good bar story!--the ad makes use of logical appeals in other ways as well. The ad touts the soft, pliable feel of the towels, as well as their ability to save the company owner money. These paper towels soak up more liquid, and, therefore, fewer are required to dry hands when compared to inferior brands. Overall, these logical appeals work closely with the strong appeal to the average American's anti-communist ideals to effectively advocate for the purchase of ScotTissue Towels.

Comments

  1. UnknownOctober 11, 2017 at 7:23 PM

    The appeal to logic in this case is deeper than when you first look at the ad. You really have to think about it and I like how you brought that to attention. There isn't an obvious logical explanation for why paper towels make someone communist, but the ad works with it. In this time period companies took whatever they could to sell their products, even if that meant blaming communism on their customers.

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