Rhetorical Analysis

Sony Corporation’s ad, “Listen to your head,” first appeared in 1993. In this illustration, Sony takes a well know landscape, The Easter Islands, puts a creative twist to it, and throws in a catchy slogan to attract its consumers. Sony aims to convince its audience that through a somewhat realistic image, that these headphones can perk up even the most stoned-faced individual. This image will be analyzed using logos, pathos and ethos.

Logos

The reader is drawn into the illustration due to the vibrant colors. The placement of the Sony logo is very clever. It is placed at the upper-right hand corner in bold, white lettering which intentionally contrasts from the rest of the image to make it stand out. Immediately after the viewer has examined the illustration, their attention is drawn to the logo and then to the message below. The message below mimics the color and lettering used on the Sony logo but in a less obvious way. The headphones are up close and highly visible. The use of big, vibrant images and small less visible lettering is more effective at attracting the consumer market than the message. It is colorful, creative and persuasive.

The image is carefully organized and constructed. The creators of this image use scale to emphasize the headphones over the entire composition. The product, the Sony headphones, is upfront where it is easily viewable and the statue wearing the headphones is significantly larger and more noticeable than the other statues.

Pathos

Out of the four statues in this image, only one is wearing headphones and only that particular statue wears a smile. This is an example of pathos because it creates an emotional appeal to the viewer. The image and the message produce a sense of humor and personality through the statues delightful facial expression. The title of the image “Listen to your head” is a playful choice of words, as it refers to the statue heads and also implying to listen to your “headphones.”  The entire message, “Listen to your head. The new Sony Studio Monitor Series headphones. Experience the amazing quality of studio sound. Your head will thank you for it.” strategically supports the advertised product in hopes of subtly influencing the consumer. Additionally, the night-time scene produces a tranquil environment that is more pleasing to the eye. The night reflects a more calming, quiet and joyful environment, whereas, a day scene can reflect a more loud and active environment.  The color palette is kept simple using earthy tones, green grass and a warm-brown for the statues.

The text is contrasted like the logo to also bring attention to it. The image appears to be an ad that can be seen in magazines and on billboards, making it more versatile.

Ethos

Sony is one of the most popular and globally known brands in electronics. Sony has been around for over sixty years and is among the top ranked in customer satisfaction. Whether it is the new HDTV, or HD camcorder, or the Playstation 3, Sony’s products are always the “cutting-edge” technology.

This image portrays a well-known landscape, the Easter Islands. All the statues except for one have neutral expressions. The one without the neutral expression is smiling and is wearing headphones. The viewer assumes that he is smiling because of the “quality” sound of the headphones. However, the image does not provide specifics or details or any type of comparison to other headphones on the market.

Audience

            The target audiences are people whose interests include watching movies, listening to music, watching computer presentations, playing video games, and learning through digital educational programs, like online language learning software’s. Thus, the target audience is of all ages, ethnicities and sex. This is known because Sony is in the business of selling electronics for all age groups.

This Sony advertisement is an effective example of ethos, pathos and logos, primarily through the image versus the message. It attempts to lure in its consumer market through hard-to-resist advertising. Although this is a very attractive image, the audience cannot obtain any product specifics to make an informed decision on whether or not to buy this product. Overall, the image is presented in a very attention-grabbing format.