For essay 1, analyze an advertisement OR pair of advertisements on similar or the same products. Offer a thesis that explains how the advertisement attempts to persuade its audience to purchase the product. CHOOSE THREE OF CIALDINI”S PRINCIPLES and SHOW HOW THE AD ILLUSRTES THEM. Include answers to the following questions, not necessarily in this order:
1) Who is the audience for the advertisements, and how do you know?
2) What does each advertisement do that corresponds to a strategy for selling products that was described in the readings or videos for this unit? For example, one video suggests that humans can be appealed to by suggesting that the item being advertised is scarce or rare; does your advertisement suggest that the product is scarce or rare by offering discounts “for a limited time”?
3) How do the images in the advertisement appeal to the specific potential buyers?
Your thesis must be the last sentence of the introduction. If you are analyzing a single advertisement, your thesis should summarize all of the ways you see the advertisement appealing to potential buyers (in other words, a summary of all the paragraphs in the body of the essay). If you are comparing/contrasting two advertisements for the same or similar products, your thesis should summarize the similarities and differences in the strategies the ads used (still summarize all the paragraphs in the body of the essay). Your essay should be between 2 full pages and 3 full pages. In the second draft I will help you with putting the paper in MLA Format, .
MANDATED STRUCTURE:
1. Introductory paragraph
2. Paragraph defining Cialdini’s principles.
3. Paragraph describing the commercial.
4, 5, 6, 7 Paragraphs describing how each principle operates in the commercial.
8. Graceful Concluding paragraph, summarizing what you have said and pointing out its usefulness to reader.
NOTE THAT YOU ARE TO AVOID USING THE WORDS “you” and “I’ in this paper in order to keep the voice objectuive.
Content & Development possible earned
Develops a clearly written thesis/argument which the whole essay supports 15
Paragraphs are organized around a central argument in support of the thesis and are well-developed with reasons and explanation and examples. 15
Strong introductory strategy 8
Strong conclusion 5
Meets minimum page requirement without unnecessary repetition and does not exceed maximum page allowance 10
Format & Organization
12 pt double-spaced Times New Roman; 1” standard margins; no title page; name, date, class/section, and a title on first page; page numbers starting on first page. 5
Integrates sources well (uses sources where appropriate, leads into quotes properly and quotes at reasonable lengths, paraphrases and summarizes well) 8
Provides in-text and works cited material according to MLA citation style 8
Editing & Proofreading
Uses Commas correctly 2
