Aristotle was a smart guy, but I doubt he imagined his theories being used to sell sugar-water and subscription software two thousand years later. It’s wild. We think we’re sophisticated consumers, yet we’re basically puppets on the same three strings he identified in Ancient Greece. If you've ever felt a sudden, inexplicable urge to buy a truck because of a husky-voiced narrator or switched toothpastes because a guy in a white coat told you to, you've been hit with ethos pathos and logos in ads.
It’s not magic. It’s just persuasion.
Marketing agencies spend billions every year—literally billions—refining how they poke at your brain. They aren't just showing you a product; they’re building a rhetorical argument. Sometimes they want you to trust them (ethos). Sometimes they want you to cry or feel "manly" (pathos). Other times, they just want to overwhelm you with charts and percentages so you stop asking questions (logos).
The Credibility Play: Why Ethos is More Than Just a Famous Face
Ethos is about authority. It’s the "why should I listen to you?" factor. In the advertising world, this usually manifests in two ways: the "Expert" or the "Celebrity."
Take Sensodyne. You’ve seen the commercials. It’s almost always a person in a crisp white lab coat, standing in what looks like a dental office, speaking directly to the camera. They don't lead with a joke. They don't lead with a song. They lead with their title. When that person says, "9 out of 10 dentists recommend," they are leveraging the ethos of the medical profession. We are biologically wired to defer to authority figures. It’s the Milgram experiment, but for oral hygiene.
But ethos can be subtler. Look at Patagonia. Their ethos isn't built on a spokesperson; it’s built on a history of environmental activism. When they ran the "Don't Buy This Jacket" ad in the New York Times, it was a massive ethos play. By telling people not to consume, they gained the moral high ground. They established themselves as a brand that cares more about the planet than your $300. That’s a long-term credibility move that makes people feel "safe" buying from them later.
Then there's the celebrity endorsement. This is the "borrowed interest" version of ethos. Nike doesn’t need to tell you they know about basketball; they just put LeBron James in the shoes. The logic is flawed—just because LeBron is good at dunks doesn't mean the shoe's foam density is superior—but our brains don't care. We transfer his excellence to the product. It’s a shortcut. A "halo effect."
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Pathos: The Reason You’re Crying at a Gum Commercial
Honestly, pathos is the heavy hitter. If a brand can make you feel something, they own you. Logic is easy to argue with; a feeling isn't.
Think about the Extra Gum "Sarah and Juan" commercial. It’s a two-minute short film about a high school romance where they draw memories on gum wrappers. There is barely any dialogue. The music is a cover of "Can't Help Falling in Love." By the time Juan proposes with a gallery of those wrappers, half the audience is weeping. Does it tell you about the gum’s flavor? No. Does it tell you how long the freshness lasts? Not a chance. But it associates the brand with the most profound human emotions: love, nostalgia, and commitment.
That’s pathos.
It isn't always about being sad, though. Pathos can be fear. Think of those home security ads with the grainy footage of a masked intruder kicking in a door. That spike in your heart rate? That’s pathos. It can also be humor. Old Spice "The Man Your Man Could Smell Like" used absurdism to make people laugh. When we laugh, our guard goes down. We become more receptive to the message because the brand has provided us with a hit of dopamine.
Apple is perhaps the master of "aspirational pathos." Their ads rarely talk about RAM or processor speeds anymore. Instead, they show a creator in a sun-drenched studio or a family capturing a "perfect" moment. They are selling a version of you that is more creative, more connected, and more successful. You aren't buying a phone; you’re buying the feeling of being the kind of person who owns that phone.
Logos: For the Skeptics Who Think They Can’t Be Fooled
Logos is the appeal to logic. It’s the data, the statistics, and the "hard facts." People who think they are immune to advertising usually fall hardest for logos because it feels objective.
Dyson is the king of logos. James Dyson used to appear in his own ads, but the stars were always the diagrams. He’d show the "cyclone technology" and explain exactly how the airflow worked to prevent loss of suction. It feels like a science lesson. You aren't being "sold" to; you’re being "educated."
But here’s the secret: logos in ads is often "pseudo-logic."
Consider Verizon or AT&T maps. They show those big red or blue splashes across a map of the United States. It looks like data. It looks like a mathematical proof of superiority. But the fine print often reveals that the map represents "coverage areas" which might not actually mean you get a signal in your basement. It doesn't matter. The visual of the map provides a logical "reason to believe."
Software companies like Salesforce or HubSpot do this constantly with ROI calculators. "Our customers see a 32% increase in lead conversion." That’s a logos-driven hook. It gives the procurement department a spreadsheet-ready reason to sign the check. Even if that 32% is an average from a specific set of case studies, the number itself acts as a logical anchor.
The Triple Threat: When a Single Ad Hits Everything
The most effective examples of ethos pathos and logos in ads usually combine all three. They don't just pick one; they weave them together into a net you can't swim out of.
Look at a typical Volvo ad.
- Ethos: They have a decades-long reputation for being the "safest" car. They invented the three-point seatbelt and gave the patent away. That’s massive credibility.
- Pathos: The ad shows a parent looking in the rearview mirror at their sleeping toddler. It taps into the primal instinct to protect your family.
- Logos: They mention "Standard City Safety" systems or "collision avoidance" technology. They might cite a 5-star crash test rating from the IIHS.
By the time the commercial is over, you’re convinced that buying anything else is a logical failure, a moral failing, and a danger to your kids. It’s a perfect rhetorical trifecta.
Why This Matters in 2026
We are currently living in the most "saturated" ad environment in history. Algorithms now know exactly which of these three levers you’re most susceptible to. If you’re a data-driven person, your Instagram feed is going to be full of logos-heavy infographics. If you’re a "feelings" person, you’re getting the pathos-heavy video stories.
Understanding these techniques doesn't just make you a better marketer—it makes you a more conscious human. When you see a "limited time offer," your brain wants to react to the pathos of urgency (FOMO). If you can pause and ask, "Where is the logos here? Does this actually make sense for my budget?" you break the spell.
The game hasn't changed since Aristotle’s time; the screens just got smaller.
Practical Steps for Evaluating Ads
Next time you're scrolling or watching a video, try to "deconstruct" the persuasion in real-time. It’s actually kind of fun once you get the hang of it.
- Identify the Core Hook: Is this ad trying to make me feel something (Pathos), trust someone (Ethos), or calculate something (Logos)? Usually, one will be dominant.
- Check the "Expertise": If there’s a doctor or an engineer, look for their actual credentials. Half the time, the fine print says "Actor portrayal" or "Paid consultant."
- Question the Statistics: When you see "30% more effective," ask "More effective than what?" Often, the "control group" is a version of the product that doesn't even exist or a competitor's weakest model.
- Look for the Emotional Pivot: If the ad is about a car but the first 15 seconds are about a puppy, you are being manipulated through pathos. Acknowledge the puppy is cute, then ignore it. Focus on the engine specs.
- Audit Your Own Reaction: If you feel an immediate "I need this," stop. Ask yourself if that's coming from a logical need or because the ad successfully poked an insecurity or a desire for status.
Persuasion is everywhere. Once you see the "skeleton" of ethos, pathos, and logos, you can't un-see it. You start to see the strings. And once you see the strings, you’re a lot harder to pull.
To really master this, start by looking at your most recent "impulse buy." Find the original ad or website that convinced you to click. Figure out which of the three pillars got you. Was it the "verified" reviews (ethos)? The "only 2 left in stock" (pathos/urgency)? Or the "free shipping on orders over $50" (logos)? Understanding your own triggers is the first step toward becoming a truly "un-hackable" consumer.