College Writing 3-1

Writing Assignment 1 11
ln most textbooks, a
chapter begins with
a general heading.lt
is followed by a
more specific
heading (a general
statement or
generalization that
expresses an idea
about the topic).
A general statement
contains controlling
ideas which direct
the rest of the
paragraph. The
controlling ideas are
supported with
evidence: ads
featuring famous
people, songs, and
funny slogans.
Advertising Methods
Making Stimuli Personally Relevant. Messages tend to be
personally relevant when they (1) appeal to your needs, values,
and goals; (2) show sources similar to the target audience;and
(3) use rhetorical questions.
One of the most powerful ways for a stimulus to be
perceived as personally relevant is for it to appeal to your needs,
values, or goals. lf you are hungry, you are more likely to pay
attention to food ads and packages relevant to that need. You
may pay attention to ads that show young people skateboarding
or roller blading if these activities are consistent with your goals
of having fun and your values regarding exercise.
You are also more likely to notice individuals whom you
perceive as similar to yourself. Many advertisers use "typical
customers," hoping that consumers will relate to these individuals
and thereby attend to the ad.
Another way to capture consumers'attention is to ask
rhetorical questions-those asked merely for effect. No one really
expects an answer to a rhetorical question because its answer is
so obvious. Examples include "What are you, a wise guy?" and
"How would you like to win a million dollars?"These questions
appeal to the consumer by including the word you and by
asking the consumer (if only for effect) to consider answering the
question.They also represent an attempt to draw the consumer
into the advertisement.
Making Stimuli Pleasant. People tend to approach things
that are inherently pleasant. Marketers can use this principle to
increase consumers' attention to marketing stimuli.
o Using Attractive Models. Advertisements containing
attractive models have higher probability of being
noticed than those that do not because the models
arouse positive feelings or a basic sexual attraction.
Ads featuring popular and/or attractive individuals
such as Michael Jordan, Cindy Crawford, Mel Gibson,
and Christie Brinkley have been quite effective in
generating attention.