Question Description
english 112 Product Blog:
How Rhetoric & Images Influence Our Buying Habits
Your second major assignment for English 112 is to write a BLOG making observations
and a final recommendation on ONE consumer product that you use and
one that can be found in most grocery stores in America (deodorant,
crackers, shampoo, frozen pizza, etc.). The purpose of this assignment is
for you to think critically about the powerful ways that advertisers use
RHETORIC (color, images, product placement, and language) to sell their
products, and how we are all influenced by their savvy advertising
tactics.
Begin by looking around your home and notice items that you
regularly consume (food or non-food items). Ultimately, youll write a 3-
page blog that tells the story of THE MYTH VS THE REALITY of this product. Before next week,
take pictures/notes on the product(s), paying close attention to:
?
Colors used to promote and catch consumers attention
?
Language and images on packaging (slogans, etc)
?
Shelf placement
?
Varieties available (low-fat, flavors, etc)
?
Nutritional Value
?
Price variations
?
Packaging
?
Look online to note ways that this product is advertised in print and/or
television.
?
Also look online to learn about the process of how this product is made.
Your blog will ultimately be about 3 pages in length, and will follow the same
organizational format as a formal essay, although the tone of your writing may be somewhat
more casual because you are addressing an audience of your peers
(college students). Your final blog will be submitted on Canvas
through the Discussions tab. The purpose of the Discussions
submission is so that 5 other people can respond to your final blog
post.
First, choose a product youd like to write about and then go
to any store that sells that product. Youll need to take pictures of
shelf placement, the nutritional value of the products (if its a food),
and some close-ups of the specific ways that the item catches your
eye (like color and labeling). Note, for example, the ways that
Dampier-Cook 2
advertisers market this item to consumers, and why some products stand out more than
others.
Your final blog will not simply list a summary of this product; instead, you will make
observations and ANALYZE how advertisers encourage consumers to buy this specific product.
For example, your introduction might provide historical company
information on the product and how it has changed over the
decades; and then the body paragraphs may note price and
nutritional information, shelf placement, packaging colors & images
used to catch the consumers eye. Ultimately, your essay will finish
with whether this products rhetoric is factual and logical. (Again,
the focus of your blog will be The Myth vs. The Reality of
____________.
Be sure that your blog includes the critical thinking aspects
of advertising that well be discussing over the next few weeks.
When appropriate, support your ideas with outside sources
(required) to give credibility to your observations, making sure that you cite
all outside sources. Your own pictures are required. The ultimate purpose
of your blog is to educate other college students on whether this is a good
product, or not. Your task is to become an expert on this product,
uncovering the rhetorical tactics used to persuade consumers.
