Aristotle: The Originator of Marketing
Believe it or not, Aristotle was one of the world’s first creators of marketing. He created a theory of persuasion in the 4th Century BC — Rhetoric — that forms the bedrock of marketing as we know it.
The dictionary defines rhetoric, as “the art of effective or persuasive speaking or writing, especially the exploitation of figures of speech and other compositional techniques.”. Rhetoric is the art of persuasion, as is Marketing.
His theory is woven around three methods of persuasion or rhetoric:
Pathos: means “emotion” in Greek. It refers to persuasion that tugs on the heart strings and appeals to the emotional side of a human.
Most of the marketing we see around us invokes pathos. Joy of enjoying food with loved ones, romance of offering a chocolate to the girl of your dreams, uncertainty of the future nudging us to invest in insurance, reassurance of a financial service that does not share personal information with anyone. We are all emotional beings, even if overtly we deny it. Emotional marketing works for all of us.
Logos: means “logic” in Greek. This uses rational, fact based arguments to persuade.
Most of B2B selling is focused on logic based conversations around customization of the final product, service level agreements, technology builds and the price. Over multiple discussions, familiarity develops and the final B2B deal might get closed on the back of Pathos.
In B2C marketing, Pathos might bring the consumer to the shop. But then Logos takes over at point of purchase. Packaging and merchandising generally focuses on facts like price, quantity, expiry date, flavor, color, consumer promotion etc. to reassure the buyer that he or she is spending on the right product.
Ethos: means “character” in Greek. It refers to the credibility a person brings along, as an end result of his personality and character. This credibility was thought to be a result of the balance between caution and passion.
In marketing, ethos is the trust, expertise and goodwill a brand enjoys through consistent delivery and by ‘walking the talk’. Whether the appeal of a brand’s persuasion is rooted in logos or pathos, it must also be accompanied by a strong track record of trust and credibility. A brand that over promises, but is unable to deliver via the product or service loses trust.
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