Atari Vintage Ad Rhetorical Analysis

Atari Vintage Ad

The Atari gaming system changed the way children played games forever. Atari was the first of its kind and children wanted to be the first on their block to own one. The Atari ad appealed to their audience through their use of pathos, ethos and logos, which encouraged the customer to purchase this product.

The ad starts with a big bold title informing the customer that Atari is the number one gaming system and tells them to read on for the reasons why. This ad uses ethos to appeal to the customer’s experiences by showing that this is the only gaming system in which the customer can play their favorite arcade games on. Arcades were the go to place for kids when Atari first came out and many times kids knew the video games by memory. The fact that Atari was the only gaming system to be able to give the kids their favorite video games at home adds to the credibility because of familiarity.

Pathos are emotional connections that people have with an image or in this case, an ad. An emotional connection is made when the ad lists the arcade games available on the system by name, this instantly transports the reader through a mental image to a time when they were playing the specific game and usually it will be the game in which they achieved their highest score. Atari also uses pathos, through their choice in ad color. Red is a color that is known to trigger an emotional response whether that response is good or bad, it is always passionate. The red color immediately brings the customer’s eye to the ad and allows the words and pictures to jump off the page.

The makers of Atari appeal to the customers through reason by showing that the customer can get more product for their money. Money is a soft spot with most consumers and getting more “bang for the buck” is always a chord that can be struck in favor of a product. The ad lists ways this benefits the customer by stating that the customer can purchase more games while reminding the customer...