Visual and Rhetorical Analysis
Gregorio Simmons
University of Texas at El Paso
Abstract
The over population of pets in the city of El Paso has been a growing concern of the general public. This visual and rhetorical analysis is designed to help other concerned citizens in the El Paso area understand a specific billboard that has been designed by New Hope Alliance to create awareness of this problem. Located near I-10 East and Piedras, this billboard is a very straight forward approach to inform everyone what the growing death toll of animals is. The death toll includes the number of pets that have either been unclaimed or have not been adopted. My research includes making a few phone calls, online research and my own analysis of this message and how it pertains to its audience. The approach of using billboards can be costly and sometimes does not get the right message across. Overall, I feel by keeping this billboard simple and straight forward, that the New Hope Alliance will create a buzz in the El Paso community.
If driving home from another school day at the University of Texas at El Paso, taking a certain route students might catch the glimpse of a very emotionally provoking billboard. Along I-10 near Piedras heading east is a new billboard that simply has a picture of a cat and dog and it gets updated weekly tracking the death toll of how many pets have been killed this year. So one must ask themselves why this particular billboard says that this year alone already 13,411 pets have been killed in El Paso! This number does not pertain to the total number of pets killed in the massive state of Texas, but in this city alone. The purpose of this billboard is to inform every adult in this city that there are people who choose not to own up to the responsibility of being a pet owner. This billboard also specifically targets the general public that are already pet owners, letting them know they can either spay or neuter their pet for less than they might think.
New Hope Alliance is the author of this billboard. Their intentions are made clear, “Save a Life” by spaying or neutering your pets or do so in the future so our community can stop killing these animals. This organization does not fund the research for this billboard. “13,411 Pets Killed This Year” is the latest number that the New Hope Alliance received from the city government. The El Paso Animal Services give updates weekly to the New Hope Alliance organization so they can add them to the current death toll. Some may criticize and say this billboard is a morbid approach to get pet owners to spay or neuter their pets from the New Hope Alliance. Others may disagree and argue that they are simply using the harsh reality of the community’s problem with over population of pets as a way to get pet owners to spay or neuter their pets for cheap. This is a very effective way to get any passerby’s attention to persuade them to pay less for spay and neuter then providing their phone number.
The organization that created this billboard did not post any pictures of their office or even mention who they are. They simply put a picture of a cat and a dog. This tactic decreases the author’s credibility; they have a lot of room on the billboard and left most of it blank. The red banner at the bottom should have had more than just the services being offered and a phone number. Perhaps they could have included where they get their information from, noting that the statistic is strictly for the city of El Paso. The death toll number would seem more significant if people could easily determine that it is not a statewide statistic, but only city wide.
There are definitely signs that the author is attempting to draw in the audience by using emotion. The intent is to sadden the audience who reads about pets being killed as a statistic. The strategy used in this particular billboard was flawless. Emotions and animals to most people go hand in hand. Boldly stating that many animals have been killed this year can be considered ethically disturbing. The way the organization mentioned at the bottom that people could save a life by calling the listed number was used pretty effectively since this is only way to solve this problem over time.
Visually this billboard isn’t that emotional because it is only a picture of a cat and dog, just looking at you. Although if they had a picture of a dead dog and cat people would want it ripped down from the Billboard. Being how the public can have such an opinionated mind on subjects such as what gets shown to all in public, I think they kept this visually appropriate. Also the background color of this Billboard is black with a red banner at the bottom. Those colors are commonly associated with death, blood, etc. Also, the black background with the bold white letters appeals to the audience. When analyzed the message given is very direct or in “Black or White”. While they yellow behind the numbers is a little off setting it still brings out the actual black colored numbers so it is easy to read.
This Billboard does not have any source cited from whom they get the statistic of deaths. Although through my research, I was informed they get all of their data from the El Paso Animal Services. This resource from the El Paso government is a very strong source. They would have helped their own credibility had they listed their source. New Hope Alliance does have a particular standing when it comes to the over population of pets in El Paso. Through this billboard New Hope Alliance does not even endorse themselves by putting their name anywhere on the billboard. This works to their benefit because they are just providing very direct information from a reliable source. This also provides strength to their side of the argument by not being aggressive; by providing the information given it is a strong statement in itself. It appears as if the New Hope Alliance organization is just trying to inform their audience. By doing this subtly they can actually change the minds of some of the general public on how they feel about this growing issue on whether or not to spay or neuter the pets.
New Hope Alliance decided to use a billboard as their medium. I personally agree with this idea compared to if it was digitally on the web the updates would not be so close to home. The audience would actually have to go out of their way to get this sort of information. Because they decided to go with a billboard on the most driven on road in El Paso, they make sure it is in your face every single day. New Hope Alliance updates this billboard weekly so their audience can actually see the progress the El Paso community is or is not making.
The text is the main focus of this medium while the visual is a minor addition to help grab the emotional appeal of the audience. The text and visual could have complimented each other better; instead of showing cute live animals they could have perhaps had a pet cemetery as the background. In certain ways the visual may deepen the understanding or the overall statement; it just depends on the reader. To some it might trigger the thought that all pets that are being killed are as cute as the two being shown. This billboard would probably not be seen if there was no visual appeal to it. Its location is in an area with many other billboards around it. Without any images the audience member passing by might not even look in the direction of the billboard because it would not be visually appealing as other surrounding billboards.
Through my research and analysis of this billboard I hope that it reaches out to get the attention of students and my peers who are unaware of this growing problem. The persuasive techniques of the billboard are all linked together and applicable to all three rhetorical appeals. Through the appeal of ethos the organization gains credibility because they do not advertise themselves directly, instead they are showing they want to be advocates of awareness and help the community make the difference. To appeal to pathos the billboard makes the audience feel morally responsible to “Save a Life”. New Hope Alliance chose the right medium for this straight forward approach to their audience through a logos appeal. Using a billboard that will be seen every day and updated weekly with such disturbing statistics is the right approach for the message being portrayed.
Work Cited
“Save a Life.” Billboard 8 March, 2010: Advertisement.
