Thesis Statement and Outline

Persuasive Thesis Statement on Commercial advertising and the messages it conveys to viewers:

Even though advertising in its most benign forms may not be harmful, it is useful to think critically and analytically about the hidden messages that modern forms of advertising may contain.

Introductory Paragraph

Begin with an interesting quotation related to your opinion about Commercial advertising and the messages it conveys to viewers:

Commercial advertising is a dynamic and influential tool, which advertisers use to their advantage everyday when bombarding consumers with flashy graphics and attention grabbing scenarios, all in an effort to attract and entice consumers into purchasing their products...

(You will need a transition here)

- End the Intro paragraph with your thesis statement:

Even though Advertising in its most benign forms may not be harmful, it is useful to think critically and analytically about the hidden messages that modern forms of advertising may contain.

Body Paragraph #1

Topic of the body thesis: It is important to think critically and analytically about the messages and underlying subtexts advertising contains.

Scholes quote: "In the age of massive manipulation and disinformation, criticism is the only way we have of taking something seriously" (623).

Scholes asserts in our modern culture criticism is of vital importance to understanding.

Another example that shows it is important to think critically and analytically about the messages and underlying subtexts advertising contains:

Scholes quote: "we would do well to pause and consider the necessity of ideological criticism" (623).

Tie in Herbals Essences commercial and relate how its content needs to be examined critically according to Scholes.

Body Paragraph #2

An example that shows advertising can contain underlying contexts that convey messages to viewers about everything from politics to gender roles and sexuality is...

Discuss Herbal Essences Commercial and its focus on sexuality.

- Explain how your evidence supports the topic sentence

Another example that shows that advertising can contain underlying contexts that convey messages to viewers about everything from politics to gender roles and sexuality is...

Scholes discussion of the gender roles as portrayed in the Budweiser commercial.

- Explain how this second piece of evidence supports the topic sentence.

Body Paragraph #3

Discuss the "cultural reinforcement" Scholes refers to and how its affects make critical examination necessary (620).

Discuss Herbal Essences commercial and its relationship to "cultural reinforcement" due to the portrayal of female sexuality (620).

Body Paragraph #4

The most important reason it is useful to think critically and analytically about the hidden messages that modern forms of advertising may contain is because everyday television commercials are often meant to evoke an emotional reaction in viewers in an effort to connect those feelings to the product being sold. .

Scholes example of Budweiser commercial catering to the American Dream.

- Explain how your evidence supports the topic sentence

Another example that shows that everyday television commercials are often meant to evoke an emotional reaction in viewers in an effort to connect those feelings to the product being sold is...

Herbal Essences commercial intended to shock the viewer and grab their attention with a sexy scenario.

- Explain how this second piece of evidence supports the topic sentence.

Conclusion

So you can see that although Advertising in its most benign forms may not be harmful, it is useful to think critically and analytically about the hidden messages that modern forms of advertising may contain. For two main reasons: First, advertising can contain underlying contexts that convey messages to viewers about everything from politics to gender roles and sexuality. But most importantly, everyday television commercials are often meant to evoke an emotional reaction in viewers in an effort to connect those feelings to the product being sold. .

- Now you will return to your attention-getter from the introduction

- Then end your essay with a powerful "so what?" statement that shows why the reader should care about this.

Works Cited

"Herbal Essences." Commercial. Youtube. 04 September 2007 <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qAXtXyydzPA>.

Scholes, Robert. "On Reading a Video Text." Literacies. 2^nd ed. Ed. Terence Brunk et al. New York: Norton, 2000. 619-623.