Analyzing Social Media

Delivering effective messages is an important part of business communication, especially with the increased use of social media to communicate with customers.  Effective communication through social media can help companies build brand awareness and reach a larger customer base (Shwom 5).  It can also help them persuade new readers into becoming their customers.  How do they persuade their readers?  Through the use of rhetoric.  Rhetoric, according to Aristotle, is “observing, in any case, the available means of persuasion (Newbold).”  The ad below is for a store called Clothes Mentor.  When compared to an ad from their competitor, Plato’s Closet, I would argue that Clothes Mentor is more successful at persuading readers to shop at their store through effective use of written and visual rhetoric.

Before analyzing these ads, let’s discuss the two forms of rhetoric we are going to use.  The first type of rhetoric is visual rhetoric, which is just as important as written rhetoric when it comes to successful persuasion on social media.  Visual rhetoric is a form of communication that uses images to create meaning or construct an argument.  When analyzing visual rhetoric we evaluate how the images stand on their own and how they work together with the written text.  The second type is written rhetoric, which is effective persuasion through the use of speaking and writing.  Both forms of rhetoric try to persuade readers through logic (logos), emotion (pathos), or credibility (ethos).  

               

To begin our analysis, let’s first look at the woman in the Clothes Mentor ad.  Visually,  she is dressed with higher end clothing, looks stylish, and has bold fall colors that create a sophisticated ethos.  The bold colors, warm-weather clothing, and backdrop in the photo invoke a pathos of fall.  These characteristics of the photo work together to create a pathos, or emotional appeal, in the customer to start shopping for fall, which is right around the corner.  The model’s clothes are stylish which also creates a pathos in the reader to visit the store and find a similar outfit.  The written message on the ad mimics the same rhetorical elements portrayed in the photo.  The first sentence mentions “brand-name clothing, shoes, and accessories” the same sophisticated ethos that was noted in the photo.  Also, they advertise clothing for every season, which is one element they are also communicating through their photo.

In comparison, Plato’s Closet does a good job at showing how diverse their client base is, but does not succeed at creating a pathos that makes readers want to shop there.  The models in the ad are mostly dressed in gym clothes, which creates a more laid back and juvenile ethos.  Additionally, the combination of pictures, cropping, color shading, and lines make the photo visually muddled.  The ad appeals more to a younger college demographic, which is also verbally advertised in their written advertisement, “for teens and twenty-somethings”.  One element of their written ad that I think turns off potential customers is the fact that they advertise “gently used clothes and accessories.”  This gives a pathos of lower quality clothing that won’t appeal to customers.

When written rhetoric is used in combination with a similar visual rhetoric, it results in strong and effective persuasion.  This is how Clothes Mentor does a better job at persuading readers to shop with versus Plato’s Closet.  Ultimately, the visual rhetoric created with their photo effectively mimicked the rhetoric created in their written ad.  

Works Cited

Shwom, Barbara Lynne, and Lisa Gueldenzoph Snyder. Business Communication: Polishing Your Professional Presence. Second ed. Print.

Cisnero, Kristina. "10 Benefits of Social Media for Business." Hootsuite Social Media Management. 25 July 2014. Web. 9 Sept. 2015.

Newbold, Curtis. "What Is Rhetoric." The Visual Communication Guy. 2013. Web. 16 Sept. 2015.