Running Head: RESEARCH BASED ARGUMENT PAPER

The Art of Written Persuasion through Ethos and Pathos

Kari Jensen
Antioch University Santa Barbara

It has been suggested that nearly eighty-eight percent of consumers

trust online reviews as much as personal recommendations, directly
influencing the potential success of any business. (Anderson, 2014)
Statistically, this correlates with the concept of, the written art of persuasion
through ethos and pathos. Rhetoric is the language of persuasion, verbal or
written. People use it to communicate everyday in both formal and informal
situations, consciously and unconsciously. Persuasive and effective
communication is especially important within the business world as it serves
as the fundamental foundation for any successful organization regardless of
its size. This means being able to identify and understand the target
audience, and then choosing the correct medium for communicating that will
lead to strong relationships. The question is what do potential customers look
for the most in terms of written communication with a company of interest?
Credibility and emotional appeals in the form of ethos and pathos are
common strategies used by companies to reach a desired audience. Happy
Dogs Ranch, a vacation property available in the Swedish Alps, is featured on
two different rental sitesAirbnb and a personal homepageuses two
different two rhetorical appeals, ethos and pathos, to advertise and persuade
audiences to stay there.
Kurt Jensen is the owner of Happy Dogs Ranch, a home away from
home and an Airbnb destination located in the Swedish Alps of Southern
Sweden. Fields of beech trees, wild blueberry bushes, clear blue lakes and
the sounds of farm animals are all things that make up Happy Dogs Ranch.

The property advertises two rentals on the familys ranch, a cabin and a
hayloft apartment where guests can experience the farm-life lifestyle.
As the owner, Kurt is responsible for the upkeep of the property,
advertising, and most importantly communicating with potential guests both
verbally and through written communication. While he has a homepage as
most companies do, Kurt is also a member on many different booking and
travel websites, Airbnb being one of the most prominent websites where a
majority of the informing and communication takes place. I chose this
specific company and Kurt as my interviewee because I am interested in
finding out what elements in written communication can make or break the
success of a small family-owned business.
Happy Dogs Ranch does most of their business through the website
Airbnb, including advertising and communicating with guests. Airbnb was
founded in 2008, it is a website for hosts advertising their rentals and for
travelers who are looking for a unique place to stay. The website functions
through online profiles created by hosts and guests. Hosts profiles include
personal information, prices, details of the space, amenities, visual imagery,
reviews and an option for private messaging. Online profiles also allow
guests and potential customers to read and write reviews, which contributes
to the whole point of the site, which is becoming a reputable host.
Establishing the status of a reputable host is ultimately what contributes to
the success and popularity of a business. In relation, this is why Happy Dogs

Ranch continues to use Airbnb as one of their most important marketing

tools.
As for the website itself, Kurt considers Airbnb to have all the
makings of a good website that allows it to be user friendly. The rhetoric is
simple and straightforward, the layout is neat and interactive and the
pictures are informative not cluttering. In the academic world of writing one
could say that it includes all the conventions of its genre. For example it also
has a very visible logo, a main navigation across the top, button functionality
and most importantly, it is visually appealing to the user.
Does the hosts description match the customer reviews? Airbnb
revolves around customer reviews and the concept of ethos. Ethos is a
rhetorical strategy that displays honesty and credibility through written
communication, a crucial element that determines the success of a business.
Therefore one could consider things like customer reviews as the evidence
for future guests to determine whether or not the host or the entire company
is in fact credible. When viewing Happy Dogs Ranchs online Airbnb profile, a
potential guest might wonder, Does the writer, Kurt, have the experience or
authority to write on this subject? Are all claims qualified reasonably?
(Lunsford, 2012, 100) The language chosen, tone, and visual imagery are all
clues that factor in, in determining the effectiveness of the rhetoric. In Kurts
Airbnb profile he uses words and phrases like relaxed, clean, cozy,
animal-friendly, full-kitchen and Join us for dinner to describe the
atmosphere of the property and what to expect from the rentals. He

describes himself as a spontaneous sometimes too spontaneous but an

honest writer. However to ensure a sense of credibility customer reviews
need to verify that this is an accurate description. For example Bende from
Denmark concurred by saying, The flat was nice and clean and everything
was there for cooking. Another guest, Heather from Seattle Washington
contributed kindly by expressing, We had an absolutely wonderful stay at
Kurt and Lis' Cozy Hay Loft! ...The accommodations were very comfortable
and we had a great time meeting the animals, especially Lucy the llama and
Soda the dog. The best part was joining Kurt and Lis for dinner in their
home By emphasizing customer reviews through the creation of online
profiles, Airbnb ensures a greater sense of ethos for both parties, meaning
the guests and the hosts. It especially allows the guests to feel safe in a
trusted living space and most importantly respected while still being able to
enjoy a unique living experience. Overall Kurt believes that websites such as
Airbnb are very much a Social media type site that promotes a lot of
communication prior to guests arriving. Specifically in the form of quick
informal emails regarding information queries, directions and further
explanation of the policies for renting and staying at the ranch. In doing so
he estimates that Airbnb has provided him with nearly half of his customers.
A personal homepage in this technological-dependent society seems
like a necessity for all companies; HappyDogsRanch.se was created
specifically for those who are interested in staying somewhere unique in their
travels and possibly educating themselves on a different type of lifestyle.

Kurt notes that the target audience or his ideal guests are strictly people that
enjoy, nature, animals and relaxation. Academically speaking, this type of
audience or group of readers is referred to as the intended audiences, those,
the writer wishes to address. (Lunsford, 2012, 23)
The layout of the homepage is then a perfect reflection of the intended
audience. It is casual, semi-informal and very info-graphic. There are six
tabs, home, our story, rentals, the animals and the blog. At first
glance one would notice the sites vibrant colors, which are attention
grabbing yet welcoming. There are also a lot of pictures on the homepage, of
the rentals and all the farm animals (2 llamas, 16 sheep, 8 pigs, 10 chickens,
3 dogs, and 4 cats) that Kurt says really brings the story to life. Kurt also
emphasizes that he created this not so slick homepage to promote a
relaxed casual environment but also to not get peoples hopes up to high
like some professional travelling sites might do through misleading photos
and fictitious writing. This leads to a change in the relationship between the
sender and the receiver, in this case between the host and the guest;
therefore it ultimately defies creating effective content for social media, such
as a successful webpage (Ch. 7. Crafting Messages for Electronic Media PDF. ,
176).
Happy Dogs Ranchs homepage in comparison to Airbnb features
rhetoric that revolves more so around the concept of pathos, which makes it
appear more intimate and personal. It has been suggested, that pathos or
emotional appeals are what add, real muscle to an argument by raising

emotions like anger, fear, love and joy that support the writers claim
(Lunsford, 2012, 99). When asked if he was familiar with the concepts of
ethos and pathos, Kurt responded that he was very fond of pathos both as a
writer and a reader. Kurt prefers to take on a laidback and friendly tone in a
majority of his communication in the sense that he views new and potential
guests as friends who he wants to make feel at home, if they choose to
stay at Happy Dogs Ranch. Home being the key word here ties into what
makes people feel comfortable, happy, and relaxed. The most prominent
example of this is Kurts love for the animals that can be felt throughout the
written context of the homepage. For example he emphasizes, for those
missing their four legged friend, we have several sizes for you to choose
from, that I am sure would love your company. This strategic use of pathos
is what leads to effective communication, as it is probably very emotionally
appealing to animal lovers. Again this also relates back to being able to
correctly identify your audience and decide what type of rhetoric and written
communication will build the strongest relationships and bring success to the
business.
In conclusion, which rhetorical strategy is more effective, ethos or
pathos? Personally it seems as though it fully depends on the audience and
what convinces them the most, facts in the form of ratings or emotional
connections through the use of personal stories. While the homepage is
without a doubt an essential tool for any company to have, it serves more
like a place where one would find additional information or learn more about

the history of the ranch. Airbnb however focuses primarily on the concept of
ethos and it feels like a more wholesome approach. Online profiles and
customer reviews ensure the credibility; they also provide emotional insight
through guests experiences while simultaneously playing a huge role in
determining the growth, reputation and success of a business.

References

Lunsford, A., Ruszkiewicz, J., & Walters, K. (2012). Everythings an Argument.

Boston, MA: Bedford/St. Martin.
Ch. 7. Crafting Messages for Electronic Media PDF. , P.176
Home. (n.d.) Retrieved June 12, 2015, from http://www.happydogsranch.se/
Vacation Rentals, Homes, Apartments & Rooms for Rent - Airbnb. (n.d.).
Retrieved June 12, 2015, from https://www.airbnb.com/
Anderson, M. (2014, July 7). 88% Of Consumers Trust Online Reviews As
Much As Personal Recommendations. Retrieved June 12, 2015, from
http://searchengineland.com/88-consumers-trust-online-reviews-muchpersonal-recommendations-195803