Jack Solomon claims that different advertisements may express different things dependent on their target audience, but because he insists they all speak to something primarily American in meaning or belief. If we look at two advertisements from Sports Illustrated, we see that these ads say different things to different audiences but they both convey the hopes, fears, desires and beliefs referred to by Solomon. This advertising analysis will use the Toulmin model of argument to explicate each of these ads to validate SolomonÆs claim that while different ads may say different things to different audiences, all ads appear to convey values that are distinctly common and shared in American culture.
The first advertisement is for Dockers brand clothes. This advertisement appeals to an upscale audience of professional males who hope that by looking good they will not only achieve economic success but win a beautiful woman. The ad features a handsome, early thirties male in dress clothes by Dockers with his jacket mainly off and an attractive female clinging to his tie. He is seated in what looks to be a comfortable living room and she is leaning over him with her lips puckered and offering a welcoming style. The adÆs tag line reads ôDress to live,ö (Dockers, p. 2). Informational also, the ad lists nine categories of clothing and accessories offered by the company and the fact that Dockers is ôAvailable at JCPenney,ö (Dockers, p. 2). The ad is trying to convey that by wearing Dockers brand clothing; you will be successful and win a beautiful woman.
The second advertisement is for WendyÆs fast food restaurant. This ad is targeted at a younger, high-school and college-aged male, featuring the picture of a twenty-something male in a mod dress shirt, mouth open-wide, about to take a bite of an enormous triple-burger from WendyÆs. The ad is meant to convey that WendyÆs allows you to crea
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