Ad analysis

“She will

grow five inches,

letter in volleyball,

major in Economics,

marry a man with freckles,

have a career she loves,

have two girls she loves way, way more,

smile more than frown.

She’s going places.

And we’d like to help her get there, safely.”

This advertisement is a persuasive ad for consumers with younger families and children. Toyota uses this photograph and ‘poem’ to grab the audience’s attention and hook consumers into buying a car from them, not other competitors.

First, the advertisement includes a photograph with a young girl as the vocal point who appears calm and makes eye contact with the viewer. The girl is the only section of the picture in focus which draws the audience directly to her. Because the girl is young and positioned in the back seat of a Toyota, families interested in purchasing a car with younger children will be more attracted. Because she is younger the picture appeals to emotions, or pathos, as well.

The ad clearly uses their logo and text to reel in their viewers also. This addition to the ad gives the young girl a story and appeals to pathos. By giving her a back story, Toyota’s audience will empathize with her and relate it to their children and in Toyota’s favor, hopefully purchase from their brand. Further, with the fine print in the bottom corner of the ad, Toyota clearly states more about their company,

“our goal isn't just to build automobiles that are safe for drivers and passengers. We’re also developing technologies that help protect pedestrians, systems that help cars communicate with other cars and a program that allows open collaboration among safety experts from diverse fields and leading research institutions including Stanford University and University of Michigan. Because a safe car is good, but a safer world is even better.”

This information directly from the ad obviously appeals to ethos, credibility, and logos, logic. By reading this statement, consumers are further pulled towards favoring Toyota and their efforts for “a safer world”.

I think this ad is honest, but I think I may be biased considering by personal experiences driving a Toyota. I have been involved in two serious car accidents while I was driving a Toyota, each time carrying at least one other person besides me, and no one was injured in either situation. Nevertheless, I believe the ad to be persuasive and appealing to a wide audience of consumers.