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The truth isn't the truth until people believe you, and they can't believe you if they don't know what you're saying, and they can't know what you're saying if they don't listen to you, and they won't listen to you if you're not interesting unless you say things imaginatively, originally, freshly.

- William Bernbach

Advertising is one of our society's most practical and lucrative manipulators of language. Advertising is a growing industry that thoroughly surrounds us--commercials, billboards, radio ads, pop-up ads, and banner advertisements. We are constantly bombarded by advertising. Therefore, as consumers (and possibly future producers), it is imperative that we understand its key components. Language devices such as grammar, vocabulary, discourse, rhyme, and rhetoric all impact the power of the advertisement. The five fundamental functions of advertising are as follows: attracting attention, commanding interest, creating desire, inspiring conviction, and provoking action. The advertisement's selling power is enhanced by its frequent use of superlatives. Disjunctive grammar, such as clauses, phrases, and one-word sentences, adds to the advertisement's level of effectiveness. Read the following chapter that highlights the effective use of rhetorical devices by the advertising industry.

Reading Assignment: "Rhetorical Features in Advertising"

Click here to read "Rhetorical Features in Advertising."

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