ETHOS (Credibility)
A medical ad shows someone wearing this white coat to look trustworthy.
Lab coat
A pizza ad says their slices are 30% bigger than competitors. This kind of evidence.
Statistics
A puppy looking sad in a shelter commercial tries to trigger this feeling.
Sympathy
A TikTok explaining ancient Rome with zero sources.
Not scholarly
“According to Harvard researchers…” This kind of support.
Expert opinion
A graph showing test scores rising after more study time.
Data
A campaign ad showing a scary crime montage to influence voters.
Fear
An article in National Geographic written by experts and editors.
Scholarly
A YouTuber saying “I’m a certified mechanic” to sell car tools is building this.
Credibility
“If it rains, the ground gets wet. It’s raining.” This kind of reasoning.
Logic
A charity video with emotional music and crying children appeals to this.
Emotion
A blog titled “Why Homework Is Evil!!!” with lots of opinions.
Opinion
A news article quoting a university professor uses this kind of source.
Authority
A chart comparing phone battery life across brands.
Comparison
An ad showing happy families laughing around dinner uses this warm feeling.
Happiness
A research paper with citations, references, and peer review.
Peer review
An author listing their degrees at the start of an article.
Credentials
A step by step explanation of why recycling saves energy.
Reasoning
A commercial showing a soldier returning home to their family.
Pride
A Wikipedia page that anyone can edit.
Open edit