Friday, October 6, 2017
Ethos: Gender Perspective and Persuasion
It's hard to imagine this Xerox Commercial being aired today with all its blatantly sexist overtones and its use of the sexy secretary archetype, however when Xerox first released this commercial they weren't trendsetters rather than following a well-worn mold of sexist advertisements before them. Although the 1960s saw a burgeoning feminist movement, the "mad men" culture continued to play an important role in media and in advertising. So, why did advertisers make the conscious choice to use this sort of gender dynamic in their advertisements so often? The answer may lie in the employment of ethos through appealing to middle-class businessmen.
In rhetoric, ethos is conveyed in order to establish credibility. The connection between credibility and persuasion seems pretty solid; obviously you believe a person's argument if they have an expertise on the subject. However, ethos has far reaching implications since it is inextricably linked to pathos (emotional appeal) and logos (reason) which also impact the effectiveness of an argument.
In the case of the Xerox commercial, the advertisers use the dumb female secretary as a way to demonstrate how simple their product is. Since the office was dominated by males in the 1960s, the advertisers knew that their target audience would be the middle-class businessmen rather than their minority female coworkers. Xerox establishes their credibility by demonstrating the product in the commercial so that their audience can see for themselves how wonderful their product is. Xerox also conveys ethos by using the male perspective. The product isn't for personal use, but rather for their secretaries to use. In showing this gender dynamic, the Xerox company presents themselves as relatable since they too subscribe to gender roles in their office. Thus, Xerox seems like a company that understands office culture from the inside out which makes their product more appealing.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
I think you make a really good point about the appeal to ethos int he Xerox commercial, especially with regard to the businessman audience the advertisers were targeting at the time. By utilizing the "male perspective" and showing the "dumb female secretary" the appeal to ethos is clear, and the a relatable sense is made toward the businessmen at the time. Awesome job!
ReplyDeleteIt's very true that the Xerox commercial would not be played today, and that in itself shows that we have grown as a society. While it still isn't perfect, keeping blatantly sexist commercials from airing now is a step in the right direction. Companies have started portraying their ethos in a more neutral manner, and that has changed the commercial industry greatly
ReplyDeleteYou bring up a good point that the advertisers knew who their main audience was -- wealthy male business owners. I think the use of a "dumb secretary" appealed to many men's sense of superiority and made them feel like they could trust this brand because it made them feel powerful. There were two cultures in America during the 60s, one that wanted change and one that didn't. This advertisement falls into the latter, the people who wanted outdated gender norms and women to stay subservient to men.
ReplyDeleteGreat analysis of ethos in this post! It's good that you pointed out how Xerox uses the secretary as a source of relatability to middle-class businessmen of this time period. I feel that this relatability strengthened their credibility of their product.
ReplyDeletePelumi Olufuwa
Great job pointing out the target audience of the Xerox commercial, and I would have to completely agree. From a typical middle class businessman's point of view, their female coworkers would need all the help they can get performing rather simple tasks. Such a product that promotes itself in the sense of simplicity hits the bullseye when it comes to appeal and credibility.
ReplyDelete