Discussion

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Fallacies in Advertising

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Q1. Find an example of a fallacy used in popular advertising or any persuasive text. Upload the image/words or provide a link

Figure 1: Business Analytics Discussion (2022)

The discussion in the image above contains fallacies. Fallacies are described as reasoning errors that can deviate the logic from one’s argument. They can either be irrelevant arguments or illegitimate points that lack supporting evidence to the claims.

Q2. Identify the fallacy and why you think this particular type of advertisement represents the fallacy you have chosen.

Advertisement fallacies deviate from logic to convince consumers to buy a service or product. According to Aurelia-Ana, (2018), advertisement messages rely on exaggeration to maintain their impressive attention to their target audience. The effect created is referred to as the Munchausen Effect. By exaggerating the truth, businesses can develop efficient contexts of communication as well as advertise to the public. Fallacies benefit advertisers as they offer the ability to communicate a particular message to the customers and discredit their competitors. The document above shows that advertisement is based on several different fallacies.

Appeal to the people.

           As used in the figure, the fallacy of appealing to the people is by arguing that a certain idea is true since other people also believe it to be the truth. The companies in the discussion intend to conduct a survey on their customers regarding their customer satisfaction with using their products. In return, the information collected is to be used to identify the most preferred items. Therefore, it is imperative to recognize the ability to create advertisement material based on the customers’ responses. The fallacy in the message is to appeal to customers to purchase the same items preferred by the majority.

The False Cause Fallacy.

           The advertisement fallacy based on false cause argues that if events relate to each other, they have a common cause-effect relationship. Two events might occur simultaneously despite having no relation to each other, eliminating correlation. In the figure, the businesses intend to promote a certain product based on the assumption that the product generates a good outcome for the customers. On the contrary, it may mean that the customer’s use of the product develops a positive effect (“Fallacies in advertising”, 2021)

Generalization in Haste

The conclusion drawn from the advertisement fallacy is that the products that receive the positive outcomes in the surveys will be the most preferred. The misconception is based on making conclusions based on limited information and evidence. A product’s effectiveness can be generalized as the best to promote based on only evidence produced by available customers. However, other potential customers may create possible counterarguments.

Old Wisdom

           It assumes that a true idea remains true in the present circumstances, the same as in the past. It appeals to the customers by creating nostalgic feelings and emotions. Hence, the assumption is that products that had a positive outcome in the past surveys can determine the result of future promotions based on the previous preference of the customers. The fallacy further appeals to the popular use of the product. Businesses and companies will decide to promote certain products since data describe them as the most popular. Aurelia-Ana, (2018) notes that the exaggerated fallacious advertisements tend to retain an impressive memory as the best ones. However, some advertisement fallacies may contain errors that could fail to create communication.

References

Aurelia-Ana, V. A. S. I. L. E. (2018). The Műnchausen Effect and the post-truth era advertising messages. Critical analysis on fallacious and enthymematic advertising slogan argumentation. ESSACHESS-Journal for Communication Studies, 11(2) 22), 51-66.

Business Analytics Discussion. (2022)

Indeed Editorial Team. (2021, June 2). Fallacies in advertising: Definitions and examples. Indeed Career Guide. https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/career-development/advertising-fallacies