ArgumentationTheory - Advertorial Analysis

8/7/2019 ArgumentationTheory - Advertorial Analysis

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Introduction

The present advertorial is trying to convince us that the product "The Diet Plate" is the best

alternative to get rid of any extra pounds and adopt a diet based on healthy eating, all in an easy

way.

The advertorial practically begins with the presentation of a situation that many women

face today. It attempts to define this situation starting with a question and that will receive an

answer until the end. The answer is supported by various arguments, starting from the assumptions

both explicit and inexplicit.

The emphasis is on ease of use and obtaining the desired results. Also, to increase

credibility, the idea is appealing to health. It is noted that the product is designed both for women,

men and children. So it shows us that anybody can use it, no matter the sex or age.

Its' “ breathtaking simplicity" (Line 12) tries to remove all other variables known to reach

the same results as the "The Diet Plate" product promises.

Trying to remove any trace of doubt, we deal here with a non-mixed difference of opinion

as there is only one party committed in defending the stand point. And it seems like it is doing a

great job. At first he tries to give arguments why you shouldn’t choose any other option to a have a

healthy body and life and after that he brings to front its product, presents it and explains why it is

so useful, so easy to use and life guarantee. You can use the product with your family and have a

healthy life. Also, because of the material the plate is made, it surely looks good on any table – by

this trying to make the potential client to already visualize it in his home.

Trying to be as convincing as possible, it sustains that the Diet Plate has an international

success and in order to support this statement there are presented two recommendations received

from potential user who seem to be satisfied.

So, we are talking about a plate, “The Diet Plate”, which can help you in the easiest

possible way to lose weight and to eat healthy, without facing the winter cold, the effort from the

gym and without any other restriction. And all of these having your family close, doing the same

thing as you do.

Now, let’s see if all of these are as simplest as it looks by analyzing the difference of

opinion, the arguments, the premises both explicit and unexpressed, the structure of the

argumentation, the soundness of the argumentation and the violation of any rules of critical

discussion (fallacies).



Analysis

I considered this advertorial worth analyzing because the author had a personal stake in its

creation in the sense that he starts off by being a skeptic and ends up a believer. So, I can assert that

in this advert the audience (the people who are going to read the newspaper in which this

advertorial featured) is the antagonist and the writer himself is the protagonist.

The standpoint of the text is: The Diet Plate is the simplest and best way to lose weight and

eat healthy. This standpoint is positive because it justifies the proposition.

Resolving a difference of opinion inquires that one of the two parties revise their original

position. Taking into consideration that only one party is committed in defending the standpoint

above, we deal with a multiple non-mixed difference of opinion.

Like any other differences of opinion, the one to which we refer has different confrontation

stages.

The confrontation stage is the stage where parties establish that they have a difference of

opinion. Regarding our advertorial, the opening stage starts with the description of the first month

of the year, after the holydays, and the women’s problems regarding the weight in this period. The

opening stage it is also revealed by the rhetorical question “- but where should you start?”(4 th line).

This question it is answered taking into consideration multiple choices (gym, diet, jogging), which

means that the party believes that there can be doubt reaction to its standpoint. For each of thesechoices, he brings counterarguments: gym membership – not the best investment, too cold for

jogging, diet – not a long time solution (Lines 5 to 7).

All the arguments presented in the text show that the party decided to try to remove any

source of doubt and tries to solve the eventual difference of opinion. This is the opening stage. It is

obviously followed by the argumentation stage as the protagonist puts forward arguments to

defend his stand point. We have here a progressive argumentation, the stand point being given after

the arguments are presented.

The concluding stage is missing here as there is nothing that indicates in whose favor the

difference of opinion has been solved because we have an implicit discussion – only one party

participates.



The structure of argumentation – Argumentation Scheme

1 The Standpoint: The Diet Plate is the simplest and best way to lose weight and eat healthy.

1.1 January is the month when the problem of getting back into shape appears. Where should

you start?

(1.1’) You must do something!

1.1.1 Gym memberships aren’t always the best investment

(1.1.1’)You shouldn’t pick the gym membership solution as it isn’t the best investment.

1.1.2 It’s just too cold in January to slip into jogging bottoms

1.1.3a Moving onto a diet might do the trick for a while

1.1.3b It’s not easy to keep up every day

1.2 What if there was a proven way to eat healthier, lose weight and manage your food?

(1.2’) There is a proven way to eat healthier, lose weight and manage your food.

1.3 What if there was something that was easy to use and could be used time and time again?

(1.3’) There is something that is easy to use and could be used time and time again.

1.4 The Diet Plate is an idea of breathtaking simplicity that’s been a tremendous success

1.4.1a There’s no need to count calories, weight your food or keep a log

1.4.1b All you do is ensure that you eat the amount of each food group marked on the plate

1.4.1c All you do is fill the relevant areas of the plate and you’re on your way to weight loss andhealthier eating

1.4.2 There’s a plate available for men.

1.4.3 There’s a cereal bowl for breakfast which tells you just how much cereal and how much

milk you should have

1.4.4 For the little ones who need a helping hand, there’s a child Magic Plate

(1.4.4’)Little one should use the Diet Plate too.

1.5 An international success

1.5.1 People all over the world have lost weight through these amazing plates

1.5.2 What can be easier?

(1.5.2’)It is very easy to use

1.5.2a They can be used in the microwave

1.5.2b Are dishwasher safe too

1.5.3 It won’t look out of place at the table

1.5.3.1 The plate is made from earthenware.



1.1.1

1. Stand Point: The Diet Plate is the simplest and best way to lose weight and eat healthy.

1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5

1.1.2

1.1.2a 1.1.2b

1.4.1a 1.4.1b 1.4.1c

1.4.2 1.4.3 1.4.4

1.5.1 1.5.2 1.5.3

1.5.2a

1.5.3.1

1.5.2b

1. Standpoint: The Diet Plate is the simplest and best way to lose weight and eat healthy.

1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5

1.1.2

1.1.3a 1.1.3b

1.4.1a 1.4.1b 1.4.1c

1.4.2 1.4.3 1.4.4

1.5.1 1.5.2 1.5.3

1.5.2a

1.5.3.1

1.5.2b



Whatching the below scheme we can say that:

1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 1.4, 1.5 - are subordinate arguments which all sustain the Stand Point 1. There

arguments are in a multiple argumentation structure as they can be taken sepparately and

they can alternatively defend the standpoint.

1.1.1 and 1.1.2 are in a subordinative relation to argument 1.1 and are also multiple

argumnets as they cand sustain 1.1 separately.

1.1.3a and 1.1.3b are coordinative arguments. They must be taken together and are

reinforcing argumnet 1.1.

1.4.1a, 1.4.1b and 1.1.4c are also in a coordinative relation and must be taken togheter.

1.4.2, 1.4.3 and 1.4.4 are arguments subordonated to 1.4 and are multiple arguments. We

can take each one separately and they will be able to sustain alone argument 1.4.

1.5.1, 1.5.2 and 1.5.3 are multiple arguments that sustain 1.5.

1.5.2a and 1.5.2b are coordinative arguments that sustain only together argument 1.5.2.

1.5.3.1 in an argument subordonated to 1.5.3.

(1.1’), (1.1.1’), (1.2’), (1.3’), (1.4.4’), (1.5.2’) are all unexpressen premises.

Strategic Manouverig in the Four Dialectical Stages

“Each stage in the resolution pocess is characterized by a specific dialectical aim.” (Van

Eemeren and Houtlosser, 2000, p. 297). The aim of the advertorial presented is to convince man

and woman, adults and children that the Diet Plate is the bast way to lose weight and to a healthy

diet.

“Strategic manouvering in the confruntation stage aims for the most effective choice among

the potential issues for discussion, restricting the “disagreement space” (Van Eemeren and

Houtlosser, 2000, p. 298). In the confruntation stage, there is presented the beginning of the year

and the idea of losion weight after the hollydays as a New Year resolution. It is a way of inducing

to the other party that he/she should look for a solution.

In the opening stage, that the protagonist believes that he’s standpoint will meet doubt and

tries to create the most advantageous starting point by presenting a solution to the problem form the

confruntation stage that he sais it is the simplest, healthyest and most efficient.

In the argumentation stage, all the alternatives to obtain the same results as with the product

presented are being counterargumentated: gym membership is not profitable, it’s cold for jogging



and the diet is not a good long term option. What the author lacks is evidence: he narrates the

solutions and adds his own opinions (conterarguments) – which are by definition subjective. This

does not make the arguments to carry more weight as they are not supported by something that will

be interpreted in that manner in an objective view.

The concluding stage is missing, but the efforts should have beed directed toward achieving

the result: convincing the other party (in our case, the readers – potential clients) that the solution

proposed in the advertorial is the best way to obtain the desired results regarding your shape and

healthy.

However, “strategic manouvering refers to the efforts arguers make in argument ative

discourse (in our case, the advertorial) to reconcile aiming for rhetorical effectivness with

maintaining dialectical standards of reasonables.”

The imagined antagonist

It is obvious that a difference of opinion logically involves more than one participan. So, to

analyse the advertorial I have treated it as “a pseudo-dialogue between the protagonist and an

imagined anatagonist” (Atkin and Richardson, p. 163).

The protagonist brings arguments in order to sustain his standpoint presuming thatthere will

be an antagonist (probably people who will read the advertotial and won’t agree with the idea that

The Diet Plate is the best tool for a healthy alimentation and a perfect shape) who will bring

counterarguments or will simply bring doubt creating a difference of opinion.

In our case, the antagonist doesn’t really exist, he cannot interact and this is why all the

arguments presented by the protagonist are or try to be as persuasive as possible.

If you look closely at this advertorial you can spot a violation – affirming the consequent -

of the rules of

Annexes

Advertorial transcript:

“Healthy eating on a plate1

January, the month of New Year’s resolutions, post-Christmas diets, getting back into2

shape…3



So many things you need to do – but were should you start? Gym memberships aren’t4

always the best investment, and frankly it’s just too cold in January to slip into jogging bottoms5

and pound the pavement. Moving onto a diet of shakes and soups might do the trick for a while,6

but it’s not easy to keep up every day. 7

What if there was a proven way to eat healthier, lose weight and manage your food? What8

if there was something that was easy to use and could be used time and time again? If this is what9

you’re looking for, then the Diet Plate could well be your answer.10

The Diet Plate11

The Diet Plate is an idea of breathtaking simplicity that’s been a tremendous success with12

men and women everywhere. There’s no need to count calories, weight your food or keep a log – 13

all you do is ensure that you eat the amount of each food group marked on the plate. The plate is14

marked into sections for carbohydrates and protein, so all you do is fill the relevant areas of the15

plate and you’re on your way to weight loss and healthier eating!16

If your man wants to keep you company, there’s a plate available for men as well as cereal17

bowl for breakfast which tells you just how much cereal and how much milk you should have. And18

for the little ones who need a helping hand, there’s a child Magic Plate.19

An International Success 20

People all over the world have lost weight through these amazing plates – which cost just21

22: 19.56 pounds each, while the bowl costs 16.63 pounds. They can be used in the microwave and22

are dishwasher safe too – what can be easier?23

The plate is made from earthenware so it won’t look out of place at the table, and comes24

with a weight loss chart. It is portion control made easy!” 25



1

1http://www.slimmingplate.co.uk/print-you.html

ArgumentationTheory - Advertorial Analysis

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