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Visual Argument Analysis

13 February 2016
Successful Advertiesments
Advertisements are the driving force in a free-trade society, as they attempt to entice its
viewer by suggesting that the item being displayed is critical, popular, and important to others. A
successful and effective advertisement should have imagery that can capture viewers attention
quickly and can unleash their imagination beyond the image itself. It should be relevant for its
intended target market, as they should be able to view the image and relate it to the cause or item
being advertised. Hot topics are what people talk about daily, therefore if an ad wants to be seen
it needs to be current to what is popular now. It should also be accessible through various
platforms including social media, print, television, and billboards. Lastly, the intended message
should be understood within the first thirty seconds of viewing it. The advertisement, Humanity
and Nature are One, is effective because it meets the criteria presented in the aforementioned
definition.
Created in 2011 in Curitiba, Brazil by Felipe Precoma, Humanity and Nature are One is
a digital advertisement that attempts to evoke a desire for citizens to focus on the impact and
correlation of and between humans and natural resources. The intended audience is anyone who
has an opportunity to assist in the preservation of nature, including individuals and businesses, as
well. It is a reminder that recycling, using natural resources conservatively, and understanding
how these resources can be preserved is a crucial component to keeping the worlds resources
plentiful. There is also link provided, which directs viewers to a website that provides additional
information suggesting how humanity and nature should coexist.

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The digital advertisement is about humanity and nature. It illustrates that humanity and
nature must coexist because without each other, neither can thrive and both species will be
extinct. It utilizes a real photographic image with the unreal creation. In the digital advertisement
there is an age shrub that has bushy leaves sitting alone in the center of darkness with light
reflecting on parts of it supported by an ancient stem. An aged hand (rippled, old, trench-like
wrinkles with protruding veins that screams tired as if dehydrated) depicts the stem holding up
the vibrant shrub; which is hunter green and healthy with tiny leaves forming a thick dense afro.
The ancient hand with swollen joint fingers has deep, aged wrinkles on the back hand. That hand
holds up the thick hunter green shrub with light reflecting onto the lower and upper right of the
green afro and parts of the forearm. To the bottom right where there is less light, the stem ancient
hand appears much older as if more dehydrated than the mid part of the forearm. The forearm
part of this tree trunk is smaller compared to the evergreen bush shrub, but it does support the
whole bush. This green bushy afro sits securely on the very tip of the old wrinkled crow fingers.
The old fingers spread open like claws to form branches that are connected to the very bottom of
the dense greenery and prickly afro. The stem hand provides sustenance to the healthy, vibrant
green bushy afro. At the bottom right corner of the page it says in white capital letters humanity
and nature are one. Directly underneath that there are tips on how to preserve life in small green
letters. Humanity and nature have been around for millions of years; therefore it is only fitting
that the two are codependent for their independent survival.
Humanity and Nature are One aligns with the definition of what an effective
advertisement should be. The rhetorical situation has been set up very well. The advertisement
serves its intended audience. It also effectively relays its purpose. A viewer looking at it can
easily understand that there is a call to action for citizens to practice humanitarianism and to
consider preserving the worlds natural resources. The picture is very powerful and effective in

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drawing attention to the topic of humanity and nature. There are several rhetorical appeals
presented within the piece, including logos and ethos. Logos is present, in that there is a very
logical appeal in the advertisement. The mere fact that the advertisement focuses on persuading
viewers to take a humanitarian approach, presents a very logical argument. Viewers can
understand the correlation between the aging hand and the greenery and make an assumption on
their relationship. Ethos is also present because, being a responsible humanitarian is the right and
ethical thing to do. The picture of the aging hand shows that life, for humans and plants, has an
expiration date. Therefore, the ethical appeal to preserve nature speaks volumes in the
advertisement. The advertisement is very logical and presents effective reasoning. There are no
logical fallacies presented in this advertisement. Nature is very important and, if people continue
to abuse their resources; they will be extinct and no longer available.
The advertisement meets all the criteria of the definition of its successfulness and
effectiveness. Upon looking at the picture, the image immediately captures the viewers attention
and causes him or her to want to know more about it. At first glance, the image appears to be a
tree. But, after a quick and careful observation, the viewer will notice that the branch is actually a
human hand and arm. The viewer will begin to imagine what the image means, its significance,
and may evoke his or her imagination beyond it. Humanity and Nature are One is relevant for its
intended target audience, which is basically every person and business in society. The message
is relatable to anyone because every person understands the aging process and the fact that
natural resources are scarce and in danger of being depleted. This is certainly a current and
relevant topic to what is popular in society now. There are plenty of advertisements and
campaigns requesting for people to go green and help to preserve the worlds resources. This
advertisement is readily accessible on various platforms. It is available online, can be used in
print via magazines and newspaper advertisements, and would even be effective on billboards. A

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link to a website with further information is also included in the advertisement, which provides
viewers with additional information about the topic and its importance. At first glance, the
advertisement is intriguing and peaks the viewers curiosity. However, after looking closely, it
doesnt take long to understand the intended message of the piece.
When I first looked at this advertisement, it immediately caught my eye. I was captured
for the first few seconds of viewing it and wanted to know more about it. The advertisement was
very fascinating to me and I began to study it in more depth. After a few seconds, I quickly
understood the intended message and considered that I would definitely buy-into the idea. The
advertisement is a very fair and honest representation of the relationship between humans and
nature. The link that is provided gives additional information about the topic, as well. The
advertisement caused me to want to click the link to find out more information about the image.
It also evoked a call to action within me, causing me think about my role as a global citizens and
how the decisions I make affect the preservation of the entire world. The advertisement caused
me to want to recycle more and to save more resources than I normally would.
In conclusion, Humanity and Nature are One meets the criteria of the definition for what
makes an advertisement effective and successful. The definition requires several components
that, overall, cause the viewer to be interested in and want to act on the message. Good
advertisements draw the viewer in and evokes a reaction from them. The vivid imagery in
Humanity and Nature are One makes it a successful and effective piece because each of the
components of the definition is present and its purpose and meaning are clearly spelled out to its
intended audience.

Works Cited

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Precoma, Felipe. Humanity and Nature are One. 2011.Digital advertisement. Curitiba, Brazil.