Kal Kan's Pathos Appeal To Consumers

One of the most effective persuasion techniques is Pathos. Per Rosenau, M. (2012), advertisements that are “Pulling on the heart strings”, are using a Pathos appeal. Pet owners are, arguably, influenced most by the emotional appeal of love between themselves and their pets. For pet owners, the safety and care of their pets, which in turn evokes love from the pet, is an effective motivator. The Kal Kan “18 year-old-grandpa” ad targets loving pet owners, using nostalgia, storytelling, and music to make an emotional appeal. In hard times, advertisers look to comfort their consumers, and entice them to depend on their brand. One writer proposes “More often than not, the technique they chose to create such comfort was through nostalgic advertising (Boyle, as cited in Merchant, A., Latour, K., Ford, J.B., & Latour, M.S., 2013). The Kal Kan ad appeals to pet owners by convincing them there is a great need to care for their aging pets, of which they have spent
The idea that their very loved pets need to be cared for properly prompts a consumer to provide for the pet, and storytelling is a great tool in making sure they remember exactly what brand they should be buying. This ad successfully elicits strong emotional pulls from the pet owner towards the pet, placing heavy value on the pet for the owner’s own happiness and peace. The brand will not soon be forgotten by a consumer, after such an emotion rich story, which is exactly the outcome an ad dreams of having. The Kal Kan ad is a great example of emotional advertising, using Pathos, by way of memories and peaceful music, to compel the consumer into caring about the health and comfort of their pet, and storytelling to ensure that the brand people remember, when out buying their future with their beloved family member, is