Visual Communication

The art of visual communication has been with us just as long as any other form of communicating. Its uses are wide, varying from telling a story, giving directions, or selling you a product. An interesting thing about communication is that everyone does it, but it can take practice and a lot of thought to get your point across and appeal to the viewer. In this Rhetorical Analysis of Advertising and Environment, I have evaluated the appeal of an ad on the side of a bus. I have included how effective the advertisement could be, as well as what they have used to catch the eye of an onlooker.

The Mystery Machine of Iowa State

While sitting on a black-rail bench at a bus stop outside of Physics Hall one Wednesday morning, a festive advertisement for C and K Heating and Cooling caught my attention. The Cyride attached to it had come to a stop to let off the various students and professors, and I was able to snap a picture, so I could later analyze its rhetorical aspects. This advertisement, for C and K Heating and Cooling, had large, white text that boldly stated “Boo.” The ad also displayed a work van dressed in a white sheet, just in time for the Halloween season.
Black is the primary color of this advertisement, followed by white, as well as some orange and green, for extra spookiness. This essay will explore how an advertisement can affect a person, and how companies use strategies such as emotional appeal, color, and images to target towards specific people. I will also discuss in this essay how the world perceives advertising, and how it is used.

One of the most important things to think about while taking this advertisement into consideration is the audience, especially since the company is targeting them for business. Most likely, the majority of the audience includes the busy students and employees of Iowa Sate. This company would want to attract as broad of an audience as possible, so they can gain them as customers. While walking from building to building, the hurried people of a college setting don’t have time to read small, complicated advertisements, such as those on sheets of paper, or at the newspaper stands. The Cyride, in this case, is a great way to advertise to this audience, because they can simply glance at the poster while waiting for a bus or walking down the sidewalk to class. The company must, however, decide if they are indeed targeting the right group of consumers. The bold text and simple graphics are easily noticed by the people, and don’t require a lot of concentration. They are able to continue with whatever they were doing without wasting any time, while thinking about that broken heater at home.

With this advertisement, C and K Heating and Cooling is spreading the word about their services. Since the bus moves all over campus, and Ames in general, all kinds of potential clients are exposed to the ad. Since the ad is catchy and humorous, the chances are increased that they will remember the company when they are having utility difficulties. The short saying in the orange stripe near the bottom gives the viewing audience an incentive for choosing their services-a quick and painless service. They are promoting their promptness and devotion to customers. The heating and cooling company was wise in picking this area to advertise, because they are exposing their name to so many people, who probably appreciate these qualities.

In this advertisement, logos, pathos, and ethos are present to appeal to the audience. Logos, in this case, is presented with the arrangement of the ghostly work van and the color choices used to create an appealing display. Since the van very closely resembles the Mystery Machine from the Scooby Doo cartoons, which several of us have connected with our childhood days, this may touch upon an emotional aspect to grab our attention. In keeping with the Halloween theme, the primary color is dark, which is not unusual for this season. The use of orange and green brighten the poster to provide a visible place for the black text, and a spooky silhouette behind the van, again, reminds us of the Mystery Machine.

The pathos in this advertisement is represented as feelings and emotions. Here, the Halloween theme is a dynamic for pathological feelings. We generally associate this time of year with ghostly things, so it would be a good advertising strategy for a company to appeal to these thoughts to get our attention. When he/she looks at this advertisement, they feel very welcome because C and K is wishing them a happy Halloween. One may wonder, however, why they would advertise with a particular seasonal theme. Perhaps many consumers are attracted to the autumn season, and therefore are captured by the warm, friendly feeling from the advertisement. Also, if they feel the company is very casual and personable (through the advertisement), they may feel more comfortable about hiring them to do the job, rather than if they were stiff and unfunny. Oppositely, if a customer were to associate quality service with a professional, serious company, they probably won’t want to hire one that does not appeal to them in this way.

This advertisement, and its use of public space really can say a lot about the worldview of communication on advertising in general. The purpose of advertising is to effectively communicate to a target audience about something a producer is wanting to sell. An advertisement is usually used by a company to gain a profit that exceeds the expenditure of the advertising costs and the product or service itself. By advertising in public spaces, the companies are getting their products or services “out there”, but do they know who is really watching? They have to pay careful attention to whom or where they advertise because they will not make a profit otherwise, and could even lose money.

Public transportation is a great means of advertisement, as long as you are advertising to the right people. Businesses must take into great consideration to whom they are advertising, and if these people even have a use for the product or service. Since public transportation is used by a great number of people, it usually provides a broad audience. There are also many ways to advertise within public transportation. The side of a taxi cab, for example, or in the London Underground. Advertising in these areas exposes to not only different people, but different cultures as well.

There are many effective ways of advertisement to the public. Several elements play an important role in communicating to consumers and gaining their attention, as well as promoting a good foundation for the advertiser in the public eye. With a potentially broad audience, C and K hopes to attract several types of people.