Advertisements often determine decisions people make in their lives. An advertisement can be the difference between someone buying and item and not buying the item. If the advertisement does not do a good job of explaining the product people will not purchase it. People often see logos and automatically know what company this logo is referencing, or even hear the jingles and can finish the tune. These companies have created logos and jingles that they know will stay in the viewer's minds. In order for an advertisement to be remembered it needs to be catchy. Some ads are effective because they use pathos, logos, and ethos in their while other companies do not. If the ad is not effective it may not be successful. However, there are many different types of ads. Some ads attempt to sell items while others inform, educate, and even persuade. Advertisements that are very effective in informing and educating people are the "I raced a train and" an advertisements by Norfolk Southern. These advertisements educate people on the dangers of racing a train. One ad in particular shows feet sticking from under a sheet; on one foot there is a toe with a toe tag placed on it. The toe tag reads, "I raced a train and all I got was this lousy toe tag." This ad is effective because it appeals to pathos, logos and ethos. .
The dead body is the first thing that captures the viewer's attention. Typically, the usage of a dead body in an advertisement is very uncommon. Not too many billboards have pictures of dead bodies, but the picture is important in this ad to show people the severity of racing a train. The next aspect that stands out is the toe tag. A toe tag is most closely associated with a morgue or death. This symbol is meant to convince people it is not wise to race or attempt to out-run trains. Those who attempt to race or outrun a train often end up in a morgue with a toe tag. In order for the company to effectively get their point across they use death to get the viewer's attention.
