Reebok's Fallacy Sale

This Reebok advertisement uses the Thin Entering Wedge fallacy. It implies that if you use their running shoes, your body will look like the one in the ad. However, their logic is missing quit a large step. To look like the model in their ad, you must do more than buy a pair of shoes, you need to use them to work out and run often. Even then, its likely that any brand of running shoe will do the same for your body shape. Reebok knows that people will try to find the simplest ways to look healthy, and uses that to their advantage. They want their customers to believe that looking fantastic is as easy as buying a pair of 'Reebok Easytones'. As well, their slogan "buy this pair, get this pair free" is mimicking the sale signs used in stores. People feel familiar with this saying and unconsciously think positively when reading it because they know it means paying less money.

Notice that the only colours in this ad are the pink on the shoes, and the matching "buy this pair." This helps your brain link together the fact that buying these shoes will give you a free work out. Its likely that the first thing you looked at were the shoes, because of their colour. Then your eyes turned to the shape of the body behind the shoes. The way the light hits the legs flatters the curves and creates a very attractive line for the eyes. The black and white tones make the ad seem very sophisticated and mature. Even the soft reflection below the image gives the consumers a radiant, beautiful feel.