Part 1: Advertisement
Product: Improved Herbal Toothpaste
‘The toothpaste that brings out the best of smiles and healthy teeth.’
Bad teeth usually endanger one’s health, causing a myriad of conditions like heart problems, indigestion, and even impairment of sight. Brushing your teeth with this toothpaste eliminates all those! (Non sequitur).
The toothpaste also helps get rid of unnecessary tooth pain that causes discomfort most of the time! (Bandwagon).
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It also makes teeth whiter and brighter. It leaves users with sparkling teeth and a fresher breath. (Oversimplification).
Part 2: Explanation
The Fallacy of Bandwagon
Evidently, most advertisements in the current times appeal to the fallacy of bandwagon. It is way easier and efficient to focus on what the majority perceive to be correct. Many firms and companies have found this to be a very effective way of swaying consumers’ preferences in cases where they launch a new product. The fallacy of bandwagon alludes to the fact that a claim is deemed correct since it is what most people believe (Law, 2006) . It is also known as ‘jumping on the bandwagon’ or ‘argumentum ad populum’. This fallacy asserts that what most people are doing is what is correct. It leaves very little room for critical thinking because of the perception already in place (Floridi, 2019) . It has fairly been used or applied in politics over the years to attract a following and seduce the masses. It entails more of doing something mainly because other people are doing it. For instance, fashion trends tend to portray a clear picture of 'jumping on the bandwagon'. People want to dress like other people because they want to look flashy and trendy like them. Skinny jeans, rugged jeans, bell-bottoms were all trends that people took up because they were popular at the time. Just like social media challenges that people participate in, most of them have gone viral in recent times and they have attracted a fair share of participants. Since the fallacy relies on very little critical thinking, there are cases involving dangerous challenges that were even harmful to the participants.
In this particular advertisement, there is a need to build on what people already know about toothpaste and what they can do. Kinds of toothpaste have been known to prevent cavities and even help get rid of the pain that causes discomfort. At least this is what most people have come to believe to be true over the years. This in fact might not be entirely true according to industrial chemists and manufacturers who know what specific chemical component is responsible for what specific task. However, the majority of the population does not know this because they put very little thought into it. They believe what has always been perceived to be true. As such, it is easier for them to believe that this particular product helps get rid of unnecessary tooth pain which causes discomfort. They will not have even the slightest of doubts about that claim. It is an efficient way of manipulating the audience.
The Fallacy of Oversimplification
This entails making something appear much simpler than it really is. In this case, we ignore crucial complexities or problems that might be associated with a certain claim or thing. At times, it is required to ignore some information that might put the credibility of a claim to test (Burkett, 2018) . Organizations when advertising will want to use premises that oversimplify the usability of the product. They want their potential customers not to put too much thought into what they are claiming. A good advertisement makes use of such premises, ones that are easy to decipher. This claim can be based on the premise that using this toothpaste whitens the teeth and makes them sparkle.
Oversimplification rather than exaggeration is what can be used effectively to manipulate the intended customers. It may be hard to point out a claim that has been simplified but quite easy to know an exaggerated one. This is why I chose to include this claim in my advertisement. The audience may not question how exactly it whitens the teeth or its chemical component for that. They may not even know about the side effects to the teeth. However, this is what they want from a toothpaste, one that capable of leaving their teeth sparkling.
The Fallacy of Non-Sequitur
It entails supporting a conclusion with extremely weak or irrelevant reasons. I believe the audience will have reason to believe a conclusion if you attempt to justify it. Nowadays people tend to focus more on what will impact their health positively in the long run. People are avoiding things that pose a threat to their overall well-being (Sutherland, 2020) . Using this particular fallacy to promise the audience good health will be effective. It is not clear why and how this product will help prevent heart diseases as well as impairment of sight. However, a promise of overall good health is what the audience will focus on.
References
Burkett, D. (2018). Oversimplification. Bad Arguments , 286-288. https://doi.org/10.1002/9781119165811.ch64
Floridi, L. (2019). Logical fallacies as Bayesian informational shortcuts. The Logic of Information , 162-170. https://doi.org/10.1093/oso/9780198833635.003.0008
Law, S. (2006). Thinking tools: The bandwagon fallacy. Think , 4 (12), 111-111. https://doi.org/10.1017/s1477175600001792
Sutherland, M. (2020). Image and reality: Seeing things in different ways. Advertising and the Mind of the Consumer , 28-35. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003114833-4
