RHETORICAL ANALYSIS-ENG 101

Diagnostic Writing:

The Psychology of Persuasion: A Critical Look at Modern Advertising

In today’s consumer-driven society, advertisements are everywhere, enticing us to buy products we may not need. Marketers have become experts in using psychology to manipulate our thoughts, emotions, and ultimately, our buying behavior. By combining emotional appeals, imagery, and persuasive language, these ads tap into our subconscious desires, making the products seem irresistible. One notable example is the Valorant: Now on Console billboard, which advertises the debut of the well-liked game on the Xbox Series X/S and PlayStation 5. This billboard appeals to the deeper emotional responses that marketers commonly employ to lure customers in addition to merely announcing the game’s release. According to Adam Ferrier, “advertisers play on emotions and our desire to be part of the in-group,” (Ferrier para.1) encouraging us to engage with products we already have some inclination toward. Using emotional and psychological strategies, the Valorant billboard deliberately uses vivid colors, striking imagery, and subtly appealing to societal norms to entice gamers to join the Valorant community and buy into the thrill.

First, I believe the advertisement uses emotional appeals and imagery. Nowadays, most of the ads we see emphasize emotional appeals and vivid imagery. This leads the audience to be attracted to the visuals in the advertisement, thereby forming an emotional connection with the product. The striking use of color and graphics to convey a sense of urgency and excitement is one of the Valorant billboard’s primary strategies. The viewer’s attention is immediately captured by the vivid red background, which is a psychological strategy frequently employed to evoke feelings of vigor and enthusiasm. This supports Ferrier’s claim that “tapping into an emotional benefit often means more to the consumer than the rational benefit” (Ferrier para. 11). This statement holds that emotional requirements frequently take precedence over logical concerns in advertising. Red, which is usually connected to action and excitement, adds to the game’s exhilarating quality. Furthermore, the large black Valorant logo stands out against the red background, highlighting the brand and conveying a sense of strength and energy. In this case, the ad evokes feelings of happiness, safety, and luxury, making people feel that purchasing the product will bring emotional satisfaction.

Second, the ad uses persuasive language and weasel words. In addition to emotional appeals, the ad also employs persuasive language, particularly weasel words to create an impression of excitement and immediacy without making concrete promises. For example, phrases like “new and improved” are classic examples of weasel words. These phrases imply benefits without providing any substantial evidence, making the product more attractive. As Lutz says, “advertisers use weasel words to appear to be making a claim for a product when in fact they aid making no claim at al” (Lutz 62). The phrase “Now on Console” used in our billboard is a key example of this. Although it seems to be a huge announcement, it is purposefully ambiguous, providing no particulars regarding the significance of the game’s console release or any potential new features. Although the billboard doesn’t explain why this release is noteworthy, it allows customers to infer their own expectations from the product by merely mentioning that the game is compatible with well-known consoles.

The Valorant billboard also appeals to social conventions, particularly the notion of following a crowd, as a persuasive tactic. The billboard discreetly conveys that Valorant has attained a new degree of recognition and popularity in the gaming community by displaying the emblems of two of the most well-known gaming platforms, the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series. Marketers, according to Ferrier, “tap into our innate preference to follow the crowd” (para. 12) by portraying a product as popular and generally accepted. The perception that Valorant is now a popular game is reinforced by the prominent positioning of these brands on the billboard, which suggests that participating in this gaming experience is practically a social need for any gamer.

In conclusion, a good advertisement can perfectly demonstrate how psychological techniques are used to attract consumers to purchase their products. The Valorant billboard serves as a potent illustration of how marketers impact consumer behavior by combining persuasive language, social pressure, and visual appeal. The commercial appeals to feelings like excitement and anxiety by tactfully utilizing vivid colors, sparse language, and the recognizable logos of well-known game platforms. Customers are also gently urged to conform to social norms by becoming part of the expanding Valorant gaming community. Additionally, using vague phrases like “Now on Console” heightens the sense of urgency and excitement while vaguely describing the product, making it seem more alluring. Together, the strategies employed in this billboard effectively encourage players to interact with the game, showing how even a basic commercial may have a big influence on our decisions and actions.

Works Cited

Ferrier, Adam. How Advertisers Use Psychology to Entice Us to Buy. 2020.

Lutz, William. With These Words I Can Sell You Anything. 1989.