The Effectiveness of Visual Arguments in Persuasion

Introduction

Visual arguments have become increasingly popular in advertising, politics, and media. As a college student, it is essential to critically analyze visual arguments and assess their effectiveness. This essay explores the visual elements, persuasive techniques, intended audience, cultural and social context, and biases and assumptions within a visual argument to evaluate its effectiveness.

Body Paragraph 1

The following visual argument is an advertisement promoting a new brand of organic food. The image depicts a field of green vegetables with a slogan that reads, "Eat Clean, Stay Lean." The visual argument uses color, contrast, and visual hierarchy to draw attention to the product and its benefits. The vivid shades of green attract the viewers' eyes and suggest freshness, health, and sustainability. The contrast between the greens and the white background highlights the products' vibrancy and purity. The visual argument's visual hierarchy places the slogan at the top of the image, making it the primary message and encouraging the audience to associate organic food with weight loss.

The effectiveness of this visual argument lies in its simplicity and universality. The visual elements are easy to understand and resonate with a broad audience. The bulleted benefits on the bottom of the advertisement show that the product is not just for weight loss but also for overall health and well-being. The use of green vegetables in the image is powerful because it conveys the idea of naturalness, which is critical to the target audience. In a world where processed foods are prevalent, people are attracted to anything that emulates the natural and wholesome lifestyle they crave.

Body Paragraph 2

When examining this visual argument's intended audience, we can presume that it targets a niche market. People likely to purchase organic food care about their health, the environment, and animal welfare. The ad plays on the audience's emotions by using persuasive techniques such as emotional appeals, fear appeals, and bandwagon appeals. The emotional appeal is clear in the visual argument's visual elements, which work together to create a welcoming and comforting vibe. The fear appeal is used to keep the audience away from processed foods by making them aware of the toxic effects of pesticides and chemicals in non-organic food. The bandwagon appeal is used to attract the audience to organic food by giving the impression that everyone is eating organic.

The impact on the target audience is successful because the visual argument aligns with their beliefs and values. The advertisement's choice of color, typography, and slogans works together to create a message that resonates with the target audience. The product advertised is a representation of the healthy and moral lifestyle they aspire to live. By purchasing and consuming organic food, the target audience feels that they are making a positive impact on their health and the environment.

Body Paragraph 3

When comparing this visual argument with other similar ones, we can see that advertising for organic food has become a trend in the recent past. Many other brands use similar visual elements such as green vegetables and organic fonts to create an organic aesthetic. Each ad has its unique twist, such as animal welfare or environmental consciousness, to appeal to their target audience. The social and cultural context in which organic food is marketed has changed significantly over time. Years ago, only a small niche of people buys organic foods. Today, organic food has become more available and mainstream, indicating that the cultural and social context is ready to make changes in lifestyle choices.

The possible biases and assumptions of this visual argument cannot be ignored. It assumes that organic food is inherently better than non-organic food, which is not entirely true. Organic foods may contain pesticides that are harmful to the environment. The visual argument also assumes that organic food is exclusively for people seeking weight loss, which is far from the truth. Organic food is for everyone who desires a healthy and wholesome lifestyle. The bias is that the visual argument seeks to appeal to a particular audience within the larger category of consumers interested in organic food.

Conclusion

This essay has explored the effectiveness of a visual argument for organic food in advertising. The visual argument's effectiveness lies in its simplicity, universality, emotional appeals, fear appeals, and bandwagon appeals. The intended audience is a niche market that cares about their health and the environment. The cultural and social context has shifted significantly in favor of organic food in the past years. The visual argument assumes that organic food is inherently better than non-organic food and seeks to appeal to a particular audience, which may not resonate with everyone interested in organic food. Overall, the visual argument is effective in getting the intended message across to the target audience.

1. Burton, S., Kiernan, M., Jobber, D., & Argarwal, R. (2008). Critical edge: Controversial advertising conversations. Journal of Advertising, 37(3), 143–154.
2. Nairn, A., & Fine, C. (2008). Who's messing with my mind? A study into the implications of audience fragmentation for advertising effectiveness. Journal of Advertising Research, 48(1), 62–71.
3. Ranganathan, K., & Smith, M. D. (2012). Organic food consumption in the United States: Analysis of household survey data. Journal of Agricultural Economics, 63(1), 21–40.