Post 1: What rhetorical roles do/should visuals play?

As some of the previous posts have pointed out visuals play an important role in advertisement and persuasion, however one aspect we have not touched on is credibility. When trying to sell a product there can be a lot of fluff written or spoken about the product, but having a visual to back it up allows a product to reinforce its legitimacy.

For example, before and after photos and spokespeople can make a product legitimate. Kirstie Alley is the spokeswoman for Jenny Craig and has given Jenny Craig some credibility. Jenny Craig can be grouped into a number of diet programs that promise the same results. The difference with the Kirstie Alley campaign is that Jenny Craig made Alley’s before photos available on their commercials, website, and anyone could have access to a tabloid and see what Alley looked prior to Jenny Craig. Once Alley lost all the weight she appeared on Jenny Craig commercials and website, as well as her appearance on Oprah. Alley appeared on Oprah in a bathing suit and proved the weight she lost was real. The visuals Jenny Craig used in the Kirstie Alley campaign provided credibility that other diet programs do not have.