Darrien Adams

Comp II MWF 9:00-9:50

Professor Stephen Burns
Hillary Clintons Ad in 2016 Presidential Primaries
Hillary Clinton has many ads in the 2016 Presidential Primaries trying to pursue people
to vote for her. Each advertisement is different in certain ways; they may have little changes like
a simple change in the color of the background or change of font size, or big changes like the
words on the advertisement. The ads (though a person may not want to vote for her) are
persuasive and cause different emotions and reactions from each individual.
This advertisement for Hillary Clinton has three main points a viewer can understand
from seeing this picture. The purpose for this advertisement would be to make the reader think
more about Hillary Clinton, how she would serve as president and benefit our country, and
potentially vote for her in the election. The target audience would be individuals around voting
age, who maybe dont know anything about Hillary Clinton, or know little about her. This ad
would make the viewer want to research more about this candidate and learn more information
about her. The context of this ad, or where the environment of where this ad would be found,
would be online on a website supporting Hillary (where I found it) or maybe a pop-up or sidebar
advertisement. It could also be found maybe on a large, professionally made poster board at a
rally for the candidate.
This specific ad contains many elements to persuade the viewer or reader to vote for
Hillary Clinton. First, the light blue background fading to white around the lettering is positive to

the viewer. Seeing the light blue makes the viewer feel good and relaxed towards the ad and
Hillary Clinton. Its not a strong color that might cause the viewer feel overwhelmed. The font
and font colors used are perfect for this ad; the background being light blue, with a darker blue
and red font is attractive and looks patriotic. The font goes from bold for the Ready for and
then a different, relaxed front for Hillary. Also, theres a small part of the American flag behind
her name, so this makes Hillary seem patriotic and dutiful maybe. The way Hillary is posed
presents her as proud. She seems like shes confident, secure, and proud to be an American and
to be running for president in this election. She seems confident that she is the right person for
this position and that nothing could stand in her way.
If you think about this advertisement in depth, it uses more rhetorical strategies than
meets the eye. Using the three classical appeals, the viewer could better explain how this
advertisement could persuade anyone looking at it. Ethos appeals to the character, credibility, or
reliability of the writer. The writer in the case of this advertisement would be someone from
Hillarys campaign, maybe even Hillary herself. The picture makes her look proud, confident,
and ready for anything, but her credibility at the moment isnt good, due to her most recent
scandal. If the viewer didnt know much about her though, they might think she was trustworthy
and a good candidate for the position. Pathos appeals to an audiences needs, values, and
emotional sensibilities. The position of Hillary on this ad says everything. It not only provides
reasoning for the argument of ethos, but also pathos. The picture makes her appear powerful and
grand, like the leader America needs. Shes presented in a way compared to a light in darkness;
she looks like could solve any problem placed before her, nothing could slow her down, no
hardship would stop her. With the plight America is in at the moment, we could use a leader that
isnt afraid of anything and would lead us out of darkness.

Syllogistic reasoning can also help explain this advertisement. A syllogism is a famous
logical sequence, developed by Aristotle, which helps writers invent, demonstrate, and prove
arguments. Non-logical arguments are important in argumentative writing, such as appeals to
emotions or values (Purdue OWL). The statement made on the ad implies many different
syllogisms. One syllogism would be America is ready for Hillary. Hillary is meant to be
president. Therefore, America is ready for Hillary to be president. Though the ad never actually
states any of this, a viewer could imply this syllogism based on the statement. It applies to a
readers emotions or values by implying that Hillary would be the right fit for America and
would be the president the country needs. Syllogism is closely also related to one of the three
classical appeals, logos. Logos appeals to reason, relying heavily on logic or reason and though
this ad doesnt have many words, the words that are on it are enough. This advertisement uses
the logical fallacy, begging the claim, because the statement implies that the conclusion that
needs to be proven is validated within the claim. Ready for Hillary implies that the US is
ready for Hillary to be president, that it has been waiting for this time and now that it is finally
here, its time for the people to make a move and vote her into office. The writer doesnt directly
say this, but its implied in the statement.
The argument the statement on this advertisement makes is simple, but gets to the point.
If the viewer is interested in Hillary Clinton because of this ad, then the ads purpose was
fulfilled. The main point is to spark interest in the viewer or reader enough to where he/she will
research more about the candidate and potentially vote for her. The argument is simple to
understand; an average person would be able to come across this ad and understand what point it
is trying to make. The casual yet serious tone of the message conveys to the reader that even
though the topic at hand is serious, the writer isnt trying to force the reader to do anything; they

are simply stating that America is ready for Hillary. The short length and simplistic nature of this
statement also plays into the tone of the message.