Fallacies & Logic in the Wild: Advertising

It was hard to choose one as I have always been interested in commercials and advertising. I like how these ads tell a story. They connect to the human experience, are visually pleasing and pull at the heartstrings in one way or another- even though that has seemingly little to do with the product or service being advertised. They show little moments of life, waiting in a crowded elevator, giving one’s child a bath, while also touching on the wonder that comes along with culture and creativity.

The apple ad displays a young woman, going through the gloomy, captivating motions of the workday. This crash-on-the-couch, end of a long workday feeling is familiar to many. The effortless voice activation is a contrast to the hard work that left her exhausted. The following special effects, dancing and smiles bring about the sense of wonder and awe that apple strives to evoke in all customers.

The Delta ad shows babies with appearances that represent an array of different cultures across the world doing the same simple, and unifying task- eating at a table in traditional attire, looking at the world with wide eyes. This is very representative of the message Delta is trying to perpetuate- that all humans have pieces of who we are that we share and we should embrace those similarities while still exploring our beautiful differences.

All of these commercials take it upon themselves to grab the viewer and suck them into their narrative. At least for me, when I was watching these commercials, they were all I was focused on, all I could think about. And once they were over, they left an impression that enabled me to think about and then searches for them later on in the day to watch them again. For this assignment months later, years in terms of the apple ad, I could still remember images and emotions triggered by the ads and could quickly find them, getting sucked in again as I watched them for the first time in a while.

I like the clothes of the actors, the lighting, the modern and minimalist color scheme that gives off a nostalgic vibe. I feel like the purpose of these ads was to touch on something, anything that connected to the viewer, making them feel closer and more accepted by the brand.