Targeting a Specific Audience

When Pro-Brush ran advertisements targeting a specific gender or class of people, we began to see some obvious rhetorical strategies intended to manipulate the audience psychologically. Some of these ads focused on the role of the mother instilling good dental habits in her children, and appeared in magazines like "The Ladies' Home Journal" or "Vogue." Some targeted men and their hectic business world, and were included in trade publications and "The Saturday Evening Post," one of Pro-Brush's most successful outlets. Advertising in these magazines allowed Pro-Brush to reach a national audience, and it enabled them to use more sophisticated language. At this time, advertisements in newspapers reached people of every educational background; it was the one outlet that could possibly reach every citizen. Magazines such as "The Ladies' Home Journal" allowed them to reach a more specific audience, and they could appeal to the sensibilities of the wealthier, more educated citizens who had more disposable income. Young boys and girls were even attended to, as Pro-Brush expanded their product line to include smaller sized brushes, even targeting the youths themselves through ads in such publications as "Youth's Companion." Generally, though, the ads for children's toothbrushes came in the form of direct addresses to their parents. With the expansive knowledge we have today about audience analysis and consumer psychology, it is easy to look back and describe the processes and goals associated with each of these advertisements.

• Introduction
• Instructions and Appeals to the Science of Dentistry
  • "All conscientious dentists will tell you..."
  • "The Best Dentists..."
  • "A toothbrush endorsed by a dentist is sure to be good"
  • "Next to a good dentist..."
  • "What happens when you brush..."
• Fear, Vanity & Modernity
  • "Woman at mirror"
  • "Mirror helps millions make vital decisions"
  • "I am the tooth brush..."
  • "They laughed at me in Cairo..."
  • "The Poem"
• Targeting a Specific Audience
  • "Every mother knows that."
  • "Handy book for girls."
  • "Handy book for boys."
  • "The businessman"
• Bibliography

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