Final Paper Argumentation Theory Anghel Teodor

8/3/2019 Final Paper Argumentation Theory Anghel Teodor

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National School of Political and Administrative Studies

Communication and Public Relations

MA Program - Advertising and Communication

Argumentation Theory

Final Paper

Anghel Teodor

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Table of contents

Introduction..................................................................................................................

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Analysis......................................................................................................................... 3

Conclusions..................................................................................................................

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References..................................................................................................................... 9

Annex............................................................................................................................

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Introduction

The chosen advertorial is one for a yearly golfing event organized by TELUS, a leading

Canadian telecommunications company with an impressive annual revenue, userbase, coverage

and, most importantly, a flawless reputation.

The advertorial does not only invite golf fans to attend the event, but it also invites them

to play the sport themselves, in top conditions. On top of this, the ad also mentions the countless

side-attractions one can enjoy while attending the TELUS Skins Game event held in Ontario,

Canada. Numerous wonderful places are described, so many that it becomes obvious that there is

something for everyone and for all tastes. For those interested in urban exploration there is the

amazing city of Toronto, for those seeking simply to lay back and relax we have the Muskoka

region, just north of Toronto, where one can just forget all of his worries and enjoy the dazzling

scenery and for nature lovers there is of course the Niagara region, where the famous waterfall is

located, as well as countless wineries with only the finest wines. Last but not least, should all of

these aspects fail to attract a large number of golf enthusiasts, the advertorial also informs us that

unlike other golf events, this one will be packed with world class professional golfers, thus

promising an unforgettable show.

The reason why I chose this advertorial is because it seeks to attract a rather demanding

segment of consumers. As everyone knows, true golf players are people with above average

income, who are often intellectuals, have high standards and are most likely hard to please.

Given this, in order to spark their interest, an advertorial must truly be well thought out and must

be built using very sound (or at least seemingly very sound) arguments.

Knowing that the target consumers are so picky, in order to ensure its success the

advertorial most likely resorted to white lies or exaggerations and I expect these to stand out,upon closer inspection, during the analysis.

Before reaching this phase however, I will of course start out by identifying the main

standpoint(s) and the associated sub-standpoint(s) and arguments, as well as the dialectical stages

both missing and present. Once a good picture of the argumentation will be obtained, I will

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present it as clearly as possible through an argumentation scheme, and as expected, will end by

providing certain conclusions.

I expect the main conclusion to be that the argumentation used in this advertorial is

indeed very well thought out and convincing.

Analysis

Because it presents a golfing event organized in the finest conditions by a large company

with a good reputation, it becomes rather obvious that there is no antagonist, and that, even more

so, even if this were part of a discussion, an antagonist would be hard to find. I suppose the

antagonist could be either a person who has something against TELUS or somebody who is

convinced that such events are simply not worth the money. But this is a far-fetched assumption

so I will just stick to the facts and to what is more obvious and logical. The defense provided by

the protagonist, consisting in the large number of arguments included, is most likely not meant to

ward off possible antagonists, but to convince those willing to listen that this event is the best

possible choice.

The advertorial starts out by stating that (you should) Play golf in Ontario. In other

words, it starts by presenting its main standpoint: that Ontario is the ideal place for golfers.

After this, it continues by stating the two sub-standpoints in the text: first, that Ontario is the best

place where one can relax after being doing with golfing and second, that Ontario is the ideal

place for golf related activities.

The first sub-standpointis expressed in the second line of the advertorial: the ultimate

19th hole. Given that a golf game only has 18 holes, by calling Ontario the ultimate 19 th hole

the author is suggestion that it is also the best place where one can relax after being done with

golfing. This claim is upheld by several subsequent arguments: the real attraction is whatOntario has to offer after your game, whether you swing your clubs in Toronto, Muskoka or

the Niagara Region, youll have plenty to see and do, spend some time in Toronto and

experience the worlds most multicultural city, in the Muskoka region, north of Toronto [...]

you can relax by a lake or explore some other green spaces, after golf, you can tour a winery

and compare many of the regions world-renowned wines, and it is also the place where a

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heavily star-packed golf event takes place: see the stars come out and play, Mike Weir, Vijay

Singh, Sergio Garcia and one other professional golfer tee off in the 2002 TELUS Skins Game.

The second sub-standpoint also appears early on, in the third line, where Ontario is

described as one of North Americas most concentrated golf regions. The argument for this

claim is that Ontario has over 650 courses and that, on top of this,

Because the advertorial begins with the main standpoint, it is obvious that the type of

argumentation encountered here is retrogressive standpoint first, arguments after.

To elaborate, the argumentation in the text appears as follows:

- You should play golf in Ontario

o (because) it is the ultimate 19th hole [1.1]

(because) the real attraction is what Ontario has to offer after your

game [1.1.1]

(because) whether you swing your clubs in Toronto, Muskoka

or the Niagara Region, youll have plenty to see and do

[1.1.1.1]

o (because) you can spend some time in Toronto

[1.1.1.1.1a]

(Toronto is worth visiting because it is) the

worlds most multicultural city [1.1.1.1.1a.1a] (Toronto is multicultural because it has)

many neighborhoods, from Chinatown

to Little Italy, and choose from over 100

types of cuisine [1.1.1.1.1a.1a.1]

(Toronto is also worth visiting because you can)

take in some theater! Or swing by a comedy

club! Its entirely up to you. [1.1.1.1.1a.1b]

o (because) in the Muskoka region, north of Toronto [...]

you can relax by a lake or explore some other green

spaces [1.1.1.1.1b]

(because) Muskoka is home to some of the most

beautiful scenery Canada has to offer, and a

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variety of resort amenities, from luxurious

havens to rustic cottages [1.1.1.1.1b.1]

o (because) you can explore the Niagara region:

[1.1.1.1.1c]

(because) after golf, you can tour a winery and

compare many of the regions world-renowned

wines [1.1.1.1.1c.1a]

(and) While youre here, you can marvel at

600,000 gallons of water that rush over Niagara

Falls every second. And dont forget to try your

luck at Casino Niagara [1.1.1.1.1c.1b]

(and its) only a short drive from Toronto

[1.1.1.1.1c.1c]

(because you can) see the stars come out and play [1.1.1.2]

o (because) Mike Weir, Vijay Singh, Sergio Garcia and

one other professional golfer tee off in the 2002 TELUS

Skins Game [1.1.1.2.1]

o (because) Ontario is one of North Americas most concentrated golf regions

[1.2] (because it has) over 650 courses [1.2.1]

The scheme itself is included in a separate document because it can only fit in a

landscape page.

Given the fact that the protagonist is not confronted by an antagonist or a skeptical

conversational partner, it becomes clear that the argumentation present here is single non-mixed,

like in most advertorials. As highlighted above, the argumentation was developed using a causalrelation:

(You should) play golf in Ontario (because) it is the ultimate 19th hole (also because)

Ontario is one of North Americas most concentrated golf regions.

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http://opt/scribd/conversion/tmp/scratch6291/scheme_arg_theo.docxhttp://opt/scribd/conversion/tmp/scratch6291/scheme_arg_theo.docx


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Due to its one-sided, monologue-like nature, the argumentation found in this advertorial

skips or merely implies some of the dialectical stages:

- the opening stage is missing;

- the confrontation stage is also missing (because there is no antagonist), but like in any

good argumentation it is anticipated, which creates the need for the argumentation

stage;

- the argumentation stage spans from line 1 to line 26;

- the concluding stage, just like in any typical advertorial, is very short, taking up only

three lines of text (26-29).

The strategic maneuveringemployed in this argumentation leans more toward soundness

and less towards effectiveness, as indicated by the fact that the arguments provided are indeed

relevant for the standpoint and sub-standpoints and not really exaggerated.

Being an advertorial that targets people who are 30 years or older, somewhat wealthy and

who enjoy the finer things in life, it does not try to fool its receivers with fake promises and

words of praise that are not justified, as they will most likely see through such cheap tricks and

will not fall for them. Instead, it simply tries to point out well-known strongpoints of the Ontario

region, ranging from surroundings, to cuisine, to means of entertainment and more.

While most advertorials mainly address one category of individuals, this one attempts to

please the entire spectrum of golfers: it points out the fact that the region is just as perfect for

those who simply want to relax as it is for the golfers on the go who feel the need to explore the

surroundings and to make every night as exciting and as memorable as possible.

In a way this is a bit far-fetched because it sounds almost too good to be true and it is

rather unlikely that the Ontario region can truly provide a very satisfying experience for literally

everyone, but this minor exaggeration fades among all the other sound arguments presented.

It is rather unclear why the makers of the advertorial decided to include so many pictures

above the text (there is one of a person playing golf, one showing the Ontario province, one of a

cook presenting several impressive dishes, one of some waterfalls from the region and a map of

the entire Ontario region). On one hand this tends to suggest that the argumentation was not

considered to be convincing enough on its own and that it needed images to increase its

effectiveness, but on the other hand, the pictures may have simply been included to prove that

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the advertorial relies mainly on actual facts and that all the things promised/described in it are

very real. Taking a wild guess, I would say that the pictures were added to boost the

effectiveness of the advertorial, as the soundness of the argument doesnt really need any help at

all.

Given that the advertorial is trying to sell the Ontario region by attempting to convince

as many golfers as possible to visit it, the communicational genre is most certainly advertising.

The advertorial does everything it can to put every single strongpoint and attraction that the

Ontario region has in the best light possible.

Due to the sound nature of the argumentation, there arent really any obvious violations

of the ten rules of critical discussion. The entire argumentation is completely valid from a

logical point of view, nothing is really portrayed as more than it actually is, the premises seem

valid and relevant and the creators did not use an unfair approach to persuade the readers.

To further demonstrate the soundness and overall effectiveness of the argumentation,

several critical questions about it as a whole and its premises will now be answered.

Are the premises included and implied strong from a logical point of view?

Are the premises truly relevant for the argument?

Yes and yes, they are indeed. All of the premises on which this argumentation was built

are highly relevant, wisely chosen and strong, as virtually any person in the target audience can

relate to them. The two main premises would be: that golfers enjoy playing in a region where

there are many after-game activities to choose from and that golfers enjoy playing in a region

with a lot of courses.

Is the argumentation logically valid?

Is it able to convince possible antagonists and skeptics?

Again, double yes, simply because, as stated countless times before, it relies on verifiable

facts and it includes arguments that will manage to persuade a lot of golfers into coming to the

Ontario region at least once.

The only real problem is that for some people it may not be flashy enough, as is the case

of most truthful advertorials but hopefully the pictures provided will manage to lure those

individuals in.

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Conclusion

Overall I can honestly say that this advertorial was a very pleasant surprise. It wasnt

necessarily hypnotizing or exciting to read but one must admire the fact that it did its best to

impress the masses using a very elegant and very factual approach. Honest advertorials are pretty

rare these days and most people just aim for effectiveness while blatantly disregarding

soundness.

It was very well thought out. It has something for almost everyone, it includes a lot of

details about the region and also provides several means of contacting the travel agency to which

it belongs.

Its clever and efficient in regards of information provided, but I am not really thrilled

about its appeal. Then again, this is probably because I am not really part of the target audience: I

am not a big fan of golf, nor am I over 30, wealthy or a connoisseur of the finer things that life

has to offer, so I am probably lacking the proper mindset to fully appreciate this advertorial

The complexity of the argumentation was truly overwhelming and I am sure that to an

experienced golfer who loves to travel it will make even more sense than it did to me, proving to

be quite impossible to resist or counter.

To be completely frank, other advertorial creators can learn a few things from the text

analyzed herein: focusing on actual facts is more likely to convince smart readers that they can

have a good time/enjoy a product than using lots of outdated flashy keywords and/or expressions

meant to dazzle and amaze because I believe that the worst thing that an advertorial can do is to

make you believe that something is too good to be true without having any solid proof for its

statements. This will only fuel the skepticism of many and it will also provide antagonists with

great opportunities to poke holes in the logic used in the advertorial.

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References

Eemeren, Frans, H., van, Grootendorst, R., & Snoeck Henkemans, A.F. (2002).Argumentation: Analysis, evaluation, presentation. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum

Associates.

Eemeren, Frans, H., van (2010). Strategic Maneuvering in Argumentative Discourse:

Extending the pragma-dialectical theory of argumentation (Argumentation in Context)

Slade, Christina. (2002). Reasons to Buy: The Logic of Advertisements. Canberra:

University of Canberra, ACT 2600.

Slade, Christina. (2003). Seeing Reasons: Visual Argumentation in Advertisements.

Canberra: University of Canberra, ACT 2601.

Advertorial source:

http://www.stusilverman.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/OntarioGolf_inside.jpg

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The ultimate 19th hole

With over 650 courses, Ontario is one of North Americas most concentrated golf regions. But

the real attraction is what Ontario has to offer after your game. Whether you swing your clubs in

Toronto, Muskoka or the Niagara Region, youll have plenty to see and do.

See it all in Toronto

Spend some time in Toronto and experience the worlds most multicultural city. Visit Torontos

many neighborhoods, from Chinatown to Little Italy, and choose from over 100 types of cuisine.

After dinner, why not take in some theater! Or swing by a comedy club! Its entirely up to you.

Relax in Muskokas Cottage Country

In the Muskoka region, north of Toronto, once youve had your fill of water hazards and greens,

you can relax by a lake or explore some other green spaces. Muskoka is home to some of the

most beautiful scenery Canada has to offer, and a variety of resort amenities, from luxurious

havens to rustic cottages.

Niagara wine, water and winning

Niagara is the region where you can trade in one score for another. After golf, you can tour a

winery and compare many of the regions world-renowned wines. While youre here, you can

marvel at 600,000 gallons of water that rush over Niagara Falls every second. And dont forget

to try your luck at Casino Niagara. Only a short drive from Toronto.

See the stars come out and play

Plan to be at the Grandview Golf Club in Huntsville, Ontario, (in the Muskoka region) between

June 23-25, and see Mike Weir, Vijay Singh, Sergio Garcia and one other professional golfer tee

off in the 2002 TELUS Skins Game. For ticket information, please call 1-866-SKINS-02 or visit

www.telusskins.com. Come hit the links in Ontario, where the exchange on your U.S. dollar is

way above par, and the drive is way shorter than you think but isnt it always!

For more information on golf in Ontario, call:

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http://www.telusskins.com/http://www.telusskins.com/


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1-800-ONTARIO www.ontariotravel.net

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http://www.ontariotravel.net/http://www.ontariotravel.net/

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Final Paper Argumentation Theory Anghel Teodor