PB1A

                   One of the most common textual genres known to exist today are advertisements such as billboards on the side of a freeway. There are many reasons as to what and why they encourage a certain behavior from its audience. For example, a billboard may influence drivers passing by to become informed with services offered to the public, purchase goods or services, or perhaps convince them to support a specific cause(e.g. voting, donating to a children's hospital). Whatever the advertisement is achieving, it does so through the proper use of images, word choice, textual patterns, rhetorical appeals, format(etc). One widely recognized billboard spread through much of the busy freeways in California is the famous Chick-fil-A "Eat mor chikin" sign. The rhetorical message being implied here occurs in a specific context, such as a busy freeway or street. Exigence, audience, and constraints also come into play to better understand the context of such a work.

"Exigence is the circumstance or condition that invites a response"(Carroll 40). 

Many times, advertisements try to convince parents to feed their children food that is both enjoyable and healthy for them. This advertisement says to "Eat mor chikin" in comparison to beef because it promises both satisfying and healthier results against its other competition in the fast food market. The audience, in this case, can most appropriately be described as an average American family that glances at this sign after a productive day filled with family-filled activities. Often times these advertisements face constraints such as attention span, size, and language used that limit the way the message is being delivered. People who drive next to a busy freeway know that some billboards stand out more than others by its distinct characteristics that make it unique. "Eat mor chikin" is an example of this because it uses very simplified language, funny images, and personified cows to grab the attention of the spectators driving along the freeway. Also, because billboards tend to be large, it often uses very bold, large, centered words that get straight to the point. We can also see how the words "more" and "chicken" are misspelled to emphasize the silly idea of a cow being able to communicate and advertise a product to the intended audience-this is an appeal to an audience's intellectual side, better knows as logos.
                 This ad also persuades someone through pathetic appeals, or pathos, by its use of three-dimensional sculptures of cows on top of one another using a paintbrush to spell out the message "Eat mor chikin." This type of humor can be very powerful in persuading an audience because an advertisement of this type is not one that we come across very often. It is because of this reason that many Chick-fil-A advertisements have become widely recognizable and remembered. The type of rhetoric used on many related billboards come across as enjoyable and funny which make the message all that more efficient. These billboards are just a few of the many ways Chick-fil-A has been able to successfully promote its products to its specific audience in just a matter of seconds. Below are other examples of advertisements used. Enjoy!