What Are Three Rhetorical Purposes for Campaign Advertisements?

by Kevin Johnston
You can compete with major advertisers by using rhetorical techniques.

You can compete with major advertisers by using rhetorical techniques.

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When you advertise your small business, you can compete with larger, more expensive ad campaigns by using the techniques big advertisers use. Rhetoric is the artful use of language, and the purpose of rhetoric is to persuade the audience. Scholars of language have developed an impressive list of "rhetorical devices" -- particular ways of using language to create certain effects. Many of the rhetorical devices have become tried-and-true methods that advertisers have used effectively for decades in ad campaigns.


Hyperbole is extreme exaggeration that is not meant to be taken literally. The purpose of using hyperbole is to help people remember your product by imagining it as grand, larger than life, or extremely effective. For example, if you claim, “This little black dress will destroy your enemies,” the audience gets the idea that no one will actually be destroyed, but that the woman wearing the dress will look better than her competition. An ad for house paint might claim, “You’ll have the brightest house on the block.” Accompany this with an image of a glowing house surrounded by dingy, gray homes, and you have an advertisement that uses hyperbole.


You use metaphor when you say that one thing is something else, which creates a direct, vivid comparison in the listener's mind. The purpose of metaphor in advertising is to create a campaign that will associate a product with something that is desirable. For example, if you claim a sports drink will cause the customer to “Be the Big Dog,” you suggest that the user will become as strong as an alpha male in a wolf pack. Suggest that “Your feet are rockets in our shoes,” and you convey the idea that a person will run faster with your sneakers. Use metaphors to link your product with images of power, beauty, courage and joy.

Rhetorical Questions

A rhetorical question, meaning a persuasive question, asks the listener or viewer something in a way that makes him feel positive about your product. The answer may be obvious, or the question may require no answer at all. The purpose of the question is to create an effect. For example, you provide an image of an energetic man walking briskly through a crowd of tired, mopey people, and accompany the image with a question such as, “Do you really want to be like everybody else?” The viewer will most likely be persuaded that your energy drink helps to avoid being like the crowd you depicted. An advertisement for handyman services could show a miserable man fixing his plumbing, juxtaposed with an image of a man in a speed boat. The accompanying copy, “Don’t you have better things to do?” asks a rhetorical question that makes the viewer imagine the benefits of your repair service. A campaign based on a rhetorical question can get your viewers repeating your question, and thus spreading the word about your products.

Knowing Your Audience

When you choose a rhetorical device for your ads, make sure it is appropriate for your audience. While hyperbole can be fun, if your product offers serious medical help, your customers could consider your light-hearted treatment offensive. If your audience appreciates fun, you may want to use metaphors that associate your product with something light-hearted. A thoughtful audience will appreciate rhetorical questions that are more than superficial. Think about who your core customer is, and choose the rhetorical approach for your campaign that best suits that customer.

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