A voice that commands is a voice that initiates action. This is proven true in language, in rhetoric, and in everyday life. In language, the active voice is given so much preference than the passive voice, either in the classroom or in the office. In rhetoric, the force of a speech lies in its power to convince, to command the audience to take action. In everyday life, we rely on our authoritative voice to compel people to act, either at home or at work. It is this attribute that makes this particular, important voice sustain a great commodity value in sales and marketing.
Entrepreneurs and businessmen utilize this kind of voice to convince the public in purchasing the product or service being sold. Such a strategy is evident in the two print advertisements being discussed in this paper. The first print advertisement offers a laundry service to customers. The second one offers handyman services. Both print advertisements offer one thing in common: to make one’s home life a lot better.
“Let Us Deal with Your Problem!”
The first print ad communicates the idea that one’s problem can be solved by other people. In big, red letters it asks the reader, “tired of doing laundry?”; thus, we clearly see that it appeals to the emotional aspect of the reader, relying on the truth that laundry work is really an exhausting household chore. The solution it offers is convenient; it declares: “let us help!” and so the reader is given the choice to allow other people to help him solve an exhausting household problem.
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The exclamatory form of the sentence commands the reader to take the option of abstaining himself from such an exhausting household chore. The image provided in the ad accurately communicates the emotion being triggered. A woman who appears to be tired and fed up with laundry appeals to the reader’s own experience of exhaustion.
The layout and color of the ad achieve the purpose of effectively communicating the solution to the laundry problem. Colors of striking blue and contrasting yellow stand out vividly, making the print ad visually, pleasing, easy on the eyes.
The second print advertisement communicates the same idea. It convinces the reader that it is a lot better if other people deal with one’s household problems, like painting fences, fixing door knobs and cleaning gutters. The layout of the ad is clean and simple: it uses the form of an organizer page, the popular “to-do” list every reader is familiar with.
It enumerates several tasks needed to be done; tasks that seem so gargantuan that the reader is shown a check mark on the item that points out a solution: the task at the bottom of the list is the only one needed to be done, so that everything will be accomplished. That task is to avail of the services offered by the company, Michael’s Handyman Services.
The image displayed in the print ad shows a reliable handyman that seems experienced enough, as gleaned from his mature age. Further, the claim that the company is a member of the Chamber of Commerce strengthens its credibility.
Both print ads utilize the voice of action earlier discussed in this paper. It commands the reader to act on his household problem by subscribing to the services offered to him by the two companies. It tells the reader what to do. Sentences like “let us help you!” and “call Michael’s Handyman Services” are direct commands that propel action.
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A reader experiencing the household problems pointed out in the print ad can become convinced that such an action is needed for his problems to be solved. The convincing power of the two print advertisements lies in their text, in the commanding voice that resounds with action. The color, layout and image of the ads are also striking, but it is in the textual power that the ad heavily relies on.
It’s All About Pathos
The chosen print ads use the strategy of appealing to the emotions of the reader. It relies on the emotional response of the reader towards problems that he needs to fix. Doing the laundry and taking care of house repairs are tasks too trivial for the busy American; these are chores that could slow him down.
These tasks are therefore problems that need to be attended to. Further, the emphasis on the negative feeling that these chores evoke makes the print ads effective. The use of appropriate words to connote this feeling is an ingenious strategy.
The phrase, “tired of doing laundry” signifies a sentiment being felt by everyone who has experienced doing the laundry. Now that is roughly, every single person in America. The phrase, “from ‘to do’ to ‘done’”, on the other hand, shows the reader the wonderful idea that all the tasks he needs to do may all be accomplished by one action: subscribing to the service offered to him. By placing one single call to a handyman service, he is able to solve several household problems.
Emotions sell well in the market. Once the emotion of the target audience is triggered, the product or service is considered sold. Using emotional appeal to sell a product or service is an ingenious move for any business, because it targets the most powerful aspect in a reader: his heart, his emotions that could propel him into decisive, consumerist action.
Here we can clearly see that the voice of action becomes even more powerful when it is coupled with pathos. Nothing is more potent than a voice that not only tells you what to do, but also tells you that what you are doing is right; that your emotional response is only normal and just.
