Heinrichs in Thank You for Arguing focuses the chapters about ethos in politics, probably the subject where the most persuasion is needed, but almost every aspect of modern life has rhetorics involved. Although business runs partly on the committed demand of consumers, a huge part of selling is made by persuading consumers into buying products. After politics, marketing is probably the subject with the most rhetoric involved.
Politicians have people willing to listen at what they say and get many hours, especially if they have the self-confidence of Chavez or Castro, to give their speeches. Businesses, however, don't have people desperate to hear what they want to say. Aristotle called humans political animals, showing that naturally we want to get involved in politics. Sadly for business, we're not quite consuming animals, so they need to get people to buy their things. Through rhetorics in marketing, businesses make people into shopaholics and consuming animals.
Businesses use all, logos, pathos and ethos, but what they tend to focus on the most is their ethos or reputation. As the market keeps becoming more competitive, companies must make themselves somehow different and attractive to consumers, so they go for marketing their brands and presenting themselves as better than the others. Companies take advantage of the superficial human mind and make consumers believe that their brands are the best. By their use of rhetorics, businesses are able to make their character more important than their products, and consequently, sell more.
In Thank You for Arguing the author tackles the issue of lacking an attentive audience in the chapter "Make Them Listen." Heinrichs describes what one should do to get, well, people to listen. The rhetorical tools he covers on the chapter are bragging, getting others to brag for you, revealing a tactical flaw, and changing your position. Marketing follows those steps almost word by word.
The image above shows and advertisement from BMW in which they basically brag. They use logos in way, as they state as facts the prizes that Audi and BMW won, in order to show the company's reputation. BMW is bragging themselves as they say they were the winners of the World Car of 2006, but since they use someone else's authority, they are also getting someone else to brag for them. They obviously think they're great, but since they got awarded something by who you think might be an unbiased jury, you believe they're great. The company also reveals a tactical flaw in a way. They give some credit to Audi as they BMW didn't win the South Africa prize, but they only do so to further brag.
Like BMW does, Samsung also focuses on building a reputation through rhetorical tools. The advertisement below compares the iPhone 5 with the Samsung Galaxy SIII, and uses logos and pathos for the final purpose of ethos. Companies do want to use logos and pathos, but since these are instantaneous rhetorical tools, they rather develop a reputation that will last for long. This ad shows Samsung bragging about their great new phone as they hint a tactical flaw. Many consumers are aware of the recent lawsuit Apple won against Samsung, so through the Galaxy's advertisement, Samsung hints that they're "mistake," or coping the iPhone, was actually for good and now it's simply better for consumers. The advertisement doesn't show it but Samsung has also switched side because they basically copied Apple. While they tried to have creative and original phones at first, they gradually started copying what actually sold. Unluckily for them, Apple noticed.
Heinrichs in Thank You for Arguing so far has explained rhetorics in a political or personal scenario, but persuasion influences many other aspects of life like business. Economics has developed a lot from just supply and demand. Once relatively unbiased consumers are now obsessed with consuming specific brands and products. Marketing uses rhetorics to get to people's minds and, for the most, establish a company's reputation to create a demand. Especially in places like the US, rhetorics has made the economy become all about consuming.
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