argument 232 求拍 有拍必回 多谢多谢！！

tianze0716UID: 2770455

TOPIC: ARGUMENT232 - The following appeared in a memo from the sales manager of Eco-Power, a company that manufactures tools and home appliances.

"Many popular radio and television commercials use memorable tunes and song lyrics to call attention to the products being advertised. Indeed, a recent study of high school students showed that 85 percent could easily recognize the tunes used to advertise leading soft drinks and fast-food restaurants. Despite our company's extensive advertising in magazines during the past year, sales of our home appliances declined. Therefore, to boost company profits, we should now switch to advertisements featuring a distinctive song."

WORDS: 482

TIME: 00:37:00
DATE: 2010/8/7 15:47:21

In this well-presented but not well-reasoned argument, the speaker draws the conclusion that the company, producing tools and home appliances, should make advertisement with distinctive song. To justify his deduction, he cites a survey of the attention drawn by the advertisement with songs. He also points out the fact that the company had advertised on magazine in past year with declined sales. The argument appears to be somewhat convincing, but further consideration reveals that this argument is fraught with logical flaws, which render it unconvincing.

To begin with, in that survey, only high school students were investigated. The author assumes that the students are fully representative of all the consumers. It's entirely possible that the effectiveness of the songs on the adult is much less than that on the students. Besides, we are not informed about the size of the sample in the study, the smaller the specimen, the less representative the study's sample. In a word, without enough evidence that the survey is representative enough, it's difficult for us to accept his conclusion.

Even though the sample of the survey can represent the consumers, the manager also assumes too hastily that songs used in the advertisement of soft drinks and fast-food restaurants can lead to same impression on the consumers of tools and home appliances. Perhaps, the condition that the songs in the advertisement of drinking and the food might be much lighter than that of tools and appliances results in that it's much more impressionable. Lacking evidence that songs can have the same effect in the tools advertisement, the manager's conclusion is unwarranted.

Even if all of the foregoing assumptions are true, a final major assumption is still needed to justify his recommendation. He groundlessly assumes that people, having impression on the advertisement, should buy its products. It's often the case that we just watch its advertisement without purchasing it. Without stronger evidence that people, capable of recognizing the tunes, would buy its commodity, the manager’s conclusion that impression leading to better sells cannot convince me.

Even if switching to advertisements featuring a distinctive song can have the sells augmented, the profits of the company would not necessarily increase. Profitability is a function of both revenue and expense. Thus, it’s entirely possible that the cost of making such advertisement might render it unprofitable despite its popularity. Without weighing revenue against expenses the argument’s conclusion is premature at best.

Overall, although the argument seems logical at first glance it has several flaws as discussed above. Therefore it has not convinced me that it's necessary to advertise with a song. To strengthen the argument, the manager should show that the attention drawn from the songs is significant in the area of tools as well and it can switch to the sells。To better assess his recommendation, we should also know that the revenue can outweigh the cost of making such advertisement.