Ad Analysis
One of the largest and most controversial issues we as humans face, includes the protection and preservation of the natural world we call home. When a small group displays the potential to damage or destroy our beautiful land, the task lies with the people to eliminate such a threat. Between the years of 2004-2009, Greenpeace, the Natural Resources Defense Council, and others established the Kleercut campaign against Kimberly-Clark in order to prevent the destruction of the Boreal forest (Kleercut campaign, 2009). Kimberly-Clark is the world’s largest manufacturer of tissues; their most prevalent brand being Kleenex. Accusations were made against Kimberly-Clark noting that the virgin fiber used in its product is derived from wood pulp from the ancient trees of the Boreal. Sometime throughout the duration of the Kleercut campaign, an advertisement was released. This “call to action” style ad appealed to all three elements of rhetoric. The Kleercut advertisement, created by Greenpeace, corroborated a firm argument against Kimberly-Clark’s means of production through the textbook balance of logos, pathos, and ethos appeal, and convinced millions to follow its instructions. The first notable detail of the advertisement is the black and white color display. The top-left portion of the ad contains the text message as follows: “HOW TO DESTROY CANADA’S ANCIENT BOREAL FOREST, IN 3 EASY STEPS:” it continues in a slightly smaller font, “STEP 1: PULL OUT A KLEENEX FACIAL TISSUE. STEP 2: PUT IT TO YOUR NOSE. STEP 3: BLOW.” To the right of the 3-step statement, lies an image of a Kleenex tissue box. Stacks of numerous logs and dead trees make up the picture on the side of the box. The bottom-left section of the advertisement accommodates a short paragraph of factual information in a small, black font: “Canada’s ancient Boreal forest, essential in the fight against global warming and home to woodland caribou and billions of migratory birds, is being clearcut to
References: Kleercut Campaign. (2009, August 5). Kimberly-clark and greenpeace agree to historic measures to protect forests. Retrieved from http://www.kleercut.net/en/