5.3 Elements of Persuasion - Strong Position

Descriptive Language

One thing you will also notice in the examples is the use of descriptive language. There are exciting adjectives and more active verbs.There is also the use of literary devices.

Example:

"The Royal 350 bicycle provides the rider with the highest levels of luxury and comfort. Only a select few can afford this level of sophistication and style. The Royal 350 is the king of bikes.”

E.g. The Royal 350 is the king of bikes. This metaphor helps create a picture in your mind.

Alliteration is when the first letter sounds are repeated. (Crazy kids like cool catapults.) Can you find alliteration in one of the ad examples below?

Examples:

“Two out of three veterinarians recommend Fluffy Flakes. With 50% more vitamins and nutrients, Fluffy Flakes are all your furry friends need."

“Vote for change! Vote for an exciting and eventful year for everyone! Vote for me for class president!"

Answer Fluffy Flakes are all your furry friends need.

Using persuasive techniques makes ads more powerful and persuasive. The weaker bike ad mentioned the wheels working:

“Maybe you should buy this bike. I don’t know too much about this model. The wheels look like they work.”

This is not going to catch someone's attention.

The second version used snob appeal with words like "luxury" and "comfort" to make it sound more attractive.

"The Royal 350 bicycle provides the rider with the highest levels of luxury and comfort. Only a select few can afford this level of sophistication and style. The Royal 350 is the king of bikes.”

The third reason is that all modal verbs and weak adverbs were cut out. Words like maybe, might, possibly, etc. were cut out. 

For more details on modal verbs, click to the next page.