Tow #4 Filet-o-fish

This ad was published by McDonald's in 1977. The focus of the picture, a filet-o-fish sandwich is placed front and center in the ad, surrounded by an anchor and ropes. In the background of the ad is a ship next to a dock. These images allow the audience to assume that the environment of this ad takes place at a fishery or dock. In addition, the soft, warm colors establish the tone and are appealing to the audience. The light is  shone on the filet-o-fish and the rest of the colors in the background are dulled to bring attention to the subject. There is also some text on the ad such as the quote "Food for Thought" at the top of the page and "Made from 100% North Atlantic white fish filet" at the bottom. The author makes both stand out by using bright white/yellow colored font to make it stand out against the darker background. The ad also has a USDA grade A stamp at the bottom of the page to convince the audience that their fish is healthy and nutritious and reliable and establish McDonald's credibility. Therefore, the purpose of the McDonald's, to convince the audience that McDonald's has the most appetizing, freshest fish, is established using the contrast of soft and bold colors, appealing imagery of the product, and recognizable symbols. However, even though McDonald's uses many effective rhetorical devices, they ultimately cannot convince all of their audience to buy their product due to their reputation. Most of the audience simply has too much background info about McDonald's unhealthiness and unsanitary conditions even before they see the ad. Although it may convince some people to buy the filet-o-fish, it certainly doesn't persuade people that it is a healthy, reliable product.