Compelling Advertisements

Worksheet Description

This worksheet, titled “Enthymemes in Advertising,” is tailored to teach students about the application of enthymemes in the context of creating compelling advertisements. The worksheet begins with a space for the student’s name, followed by a detailed explanation of what an enthymeme is—a truncated syllogism where one of the premises is not explicit but assumed—and its purpose in advertising to influence the audience and facilitate inferences.

Students are tasked with choosing one of the provided product images—a cupcake or a house—and creating an advertisement using an enthymeme. They are guided to first construct the complete logical deduction behind their ad by writing out a syllogism and then to distill this syllogism into an enthymeme that implies the key selling point without stating it outright. This process teaches students how to craft messages that engage the audience’s reasoning, prompting them to draw conclusions that are suggested but not spelled out in the advertisement. This worksheet not only enhances students’ understanding of persuasive writing techniques but also encourages creativity and critical thinking in how to subtly influence consumer perceptions and decisions.