Advertisement Rubric

Ideas and Content

5. The advertisement is clear and focused. The topic and position of the writer is clear. Visual and written techniques successfully convince the intended audience to respond to the authorÕs call to action.

á       Appeal to logos, ethos, and pathos: convinces the audience of the accuracy of the argument, the authenticity of the author, and appeals to the needs, beliefs, desires, and emotions of the audience.

á       Manipulation of a logical fallacy: subtly distorts the ÒtruthÓ through the use of a logical fallacy without undermining the persuasive power of the piece or arousing audience distrust.

á       Hook: grabs attention of the intended audience; creates a sense of relationship, empathy, need or immediacy, arouses curiosity, offers a solution, or evokes curiosity.

á       Position: position is clear; the audience knows how you feel about the issue and your opinion is supported within the text/pictures

á       Call to action: evokes an emotional response and provides a clear first step for the audience to take after reading your ad

á       Visual rhetoric: pictures/art appeal to the audience and support your position about the issue addressed. Bold and colored text is purposeful and adds to meaning of your argument. Colors and lines/patterns add layers of meaning.

3. The advertisement is somewhat clear and focused. The topic and position are present, but support for your argument is disconnected in places and/or lacks sufficient support to convince the audience to act.

á       Appeal to logos, ethos, and pathos: writer appeals to only one; appeals are attempted but fail to relate to the specific audience in mind; appeal to any or all is overdone and discredits the ad.

á       Manipulation of logical fallacy: the use of the logical fallacy is accurate but obvious, which undermines the authenticity of the authorÕs arguments

á       Hook: the hook is present but ineffective; trite, cliche, disconnected to the ad, or difficult to understand

á       Position: the position is stated, but in a manner which lacks rhetorical appeal OR leaves the audience confused or unsure about your opinion about the issue.

á       Call to action: present but lacking luster; implied but not emphasized; the call is present but the ad gives no instruction to the audience regarding the next step to take.

á       Visual rhetoric: pictures and art relate to the topic, but do not add to the meaning of or appeal of the advertisement. Bold text is illogical.

1. The advertisement lacks focus and clarity. The topic may be unclear and the position of the writer is unclear. There is no evidence which supports the plea of the author. The words/visual text do not convince the audience to take action.

á       Appeal to logos, ethos, and pathos: no appeals present or ineffective for target audience or overdone to the point of distraction

á       Manipulation of logical fallacy: absent or obvious to the point of turning the audience away

á       Hook: absent

á       Position: No side is taken on the issue. The advertisement only defines or describes the issue at hand with no visual or textual clues to the author's opinion about the issue.

á       Call to action: no call to action and/or no steps for the audience to take after reading the advertisement

á       Visual rhetoric: no art or pictures; pictures and art are irrelevant to the message of the advertisement

 

Organization:

5. The organization showcases the theme of the persuasive advertisement. The visual and textual order, structure, and presentation appeal to the reader and compel further reading.

á      Hook: grabs the reader and invites them to further explore the content which will follow. Powerful and creatively tied into the visual and textual elements of the ad.

á      Position: stated/implied creatively and at a crucial moment in the text.

á      Persuasive techniques: appeals to logos, ethos, pathos and manipulation of logical fallacy flow together with other text and visual support to move the reader through the piece in a logical and easeful manner. Appropriate time is given to each argument/appeal and they overlap in a seamless manner.

á      Visual Rhetoric: Font manipulation and pictures/art are placed in a purposeful order. The author has obviously given thought to the impact of the placement of these visual stimuli.

á      Conclusion: the conclusion leaves the reader with a sense of gained understanding and knowledge of how to act if convinced to do so.

3. The organization is strong enough to move the audience through the advertisement without too much difficulty. The order of the visual and textual elements is logical.

á       Hook: recognizable but may not strongly compel further reading

á       Position: stated/implied within the text, but could be moved to a more effective place within the advertisement

á       Persuasive techniques: At times the obvious nature of the rhetorical appeals and manipulations distract the reader. The reader may need to pause in order to make connections between thoughts/ideas. For the most part, the pace is well controlled as the writer presents his/her ideas.

á       Visual Rhetoric: Font manipulation and pictures/art make sense but reader may need to make connections or may be distracted by placement and manipulation at times.

á       Conclusion: the conclusion may leave something to be desired. It is sufficient in that it calls the audience to action and provides new information, but may feel disconnected from the body of the text.

1. The advertisement lacks a clear sense of direction. The visual and textual elements require much effort to piece together in a logical manner.

á       Hook: not present or unrecognizable

á       Position: if an argument or statement of opinion is made, it is in an illogical place which distracts from the remainder of the text.

á       Persuasive techniques: the appeals and supporting arguments are disconnected and the sequencing of these techniques makes little sense. The writer spends too much time on some appeals/arguments and not enough time on others.

á       Visual rhetoric: the manipulation of font and placement of pictures/art distracts from the piece, confuses the reader, or is lacking altogether.

 

Voice:

5. The writer speaks directly to the reader in a way that is individual, compelling, and engaging. The writer crafts the writing with an awareness and respect for the audience and the purpose for writing.

á       The tone of the writing adds interest to the message and is appropriate for the purpose and audience.

á       The reader feels a strong interaction with the writer, sensing the person behind the words.

á       The writer takes a risk by revealing who he or she is consistently throughout the piece.

á       Persuasive writing reflects a strong commitment to the topic by showing why the reader needs to know this and why he or she should care.

3. The writer seems sincere, but not fully engaged or involved. The result is a pleasant or even personable, but not compelling.

á       The writer seems aware of an audience but discards personal insights in favor of obvious generalities.

á       The wiring communicates in an earnest, pleasing, yet safe manner.

á       Only one or two moments here or there intrigue delight or move the reader. These places may emerge strongly for a line or two, but quickly fade away.

á       Persuasive writing lacks consistent engagement with the topic.

1. The writer seems indifferent, uninvolved, or distanced from the topic and/or the audience. As a result, the paper reflects more than one of the following problems:

á       The writer is not concerned with the audience. The writer's style is a complete mismatch for the intended reader, or the writing is so short that little is accomplished beyond introducing the topic.

á       The writer speaks in a kind of monotone that flattens all potential highs or lows of the message.

á       The wiring is lifeless or mechanical; depending on the topic, it may be overly technical or jargonistic.

á       The development of the topic is so limited that no point of view is present.

 

Word Choice:

5. Words convey the intended message in a precise, interesting, and natural way. The words are powerful and engaging.

á       Words are specific and accurate; it is easy to understand what the writer means.

á       Words and phrases create pictures and linger in your mind.

á       Language is natural and never overdone (unless for intentional effect); both words and phrases are individually effective

á       Lively verbs energize the writing; precise nouns and modifiers add depth and specificity

á       Precision is obvious. The writer has taken care to put just the right word or phrase in just the right spot.

3. The language is functional, even if it lacks much energy. It is easy to figure out the writer's meaning on a general level.

á       Words are adequate and correct in a general sense; they simply lack much flair/originality.

á       Familiar words and phrases communicate, but rarely capture the reader's imagination. Still, the advertisement may have one or two fine moments.

á       Attempts at colorful language show a willingness to stretch and grow, but sometimes it goes too far (thesaurus overload!)

á       The writing is marked by passive verbs, everyday nouns and adjectives, and lack of interesting adverbs.

á       Words are only occasionally refined; it is more often, the first thing that popped into my mind.

á       Words and phrases are functional—with only a moment or two of sparkle

1. The writer struggles with a limited vocabulary, searching for words to convey meaning. The writing reflects more than one of these problems:

á       The reader hears but doesn't understand; is not engaged.

á       Words are used incorrectly, making the message secondary to the misfires with the words.

á       Language is vague (It was fun. She was neat. ) Only a limited message comes through.

á       Limited vocabulary and/or frequent misuse of parts of speech impair understanding

á       Jargon or cliches distract or mislead. Persistent redundancy distracts the reader.

á       Problems with language leave the reader wondering what the writer is trying to say. The words donÕt work here.

 

Sentence Fluency

5. The writing has an easy flow, rhythm, and cadence. Sentences are well built, with strong and varied structure that invites expressive oral reading.

á       Sentences are constructed in a way that underscores and enhances the meaning.

á       Sentences vary in length as well as structure, Fragments, if used, add style. Dialogue sounds natural.

á       Purposeful and varied sentence beginnings add variety and energy.

á       The use of creative and appropriate connectives between sentences and thoughts shows how each relates to, and builds upon, the one before it.

á       The writing has cadence; the writer has thought about the sound of words as well as the meaning. The first time you read it aloud is a breeze.

3. The text hums along with a steady beat, but tends to be more pleasant or businesslike than musical, more mechanical than fluid.

á       Although sentences may not seem artfully crafted or musical, they get the job done in a routine fashion

á       Sentences are usually constructed correctly; they hang together; they are sound.

á       Sentence beginnings are not ALL alike; some variety is attempted.

á       Reader sometimes has to hunt for clues that show how sentences relate.

á       Parts of the text invite expressive oral reading; others may be stiff, awkward, choppy, or gangly.

1. The reader has to practice quite a bit in order to give this paper a fair interpretive reading. The writing reflects more than one of the following problems:

á       Sentences are choppy, incomplete, rambling, or awkward; they need work. Phrasing does not sound natural.

á       There is little to no sentence sense; Even after editing for conventional errors, the sentences donÕt hang together.

á       Many sentecnces begin the same way—and may follow the same patterns in a monotonous tone.

á       Way too many connectives (and, and so, but then, because, and then, etc. )or a complete lack of connectives makes the piece jumbled.

á       Does not invite expressive oral reading.

 

Conventions

5. The writer demonstrates a good grasp of standard writing conventions (spelling, punctuation, capitalization, grammar, usage, paragraphing) and uses conventions effectively to enhance readability. Errors tend to be so few that just minor touch-ups would get this piece ready to publish.

á       Spelling is generally correct, even on more difficult words.

á       Punctuation is accurate, even creative, and guides the reader through the text.

á       Capitalization is perfect!

á       Grammar and usage are correct and contribute to style.

á       Paragraphing, if present, tends to be sound and reinforces the organizational structure.

3. The writer shows reasonable control over a limited range of standard writing conventions. Conventions are sometimes handled well and enhance readability; at other times, errors are distracting and impair readability.

á       Spelling is usually correct or reasonably phonetic on common words.

á       End punctuation is usually correct. Internal punctuation is sometimes missing/wrong.

á       Most words are capitalized correctly.

á       Paragraphing, if present, generally works but may be in wrong places.

á       Problems with grammar or usage are not serious enough to distort meaning, but are not always correctly applied.

á       Moderate editing would be required to polish the text for publication.

 

1. Errors in spelling, punctuation, capitalization, usage and grammar, and/or paragraphing repeatedly distance the reader and make the text difficult to read. The writing reflects more than one of these problems:

á       Spelling errors are frequent, even on common words.

á       Punctuation is often missing or incorrect.

á       Capitalization is random and only the easiest rules show awareness of correct use.

á       Errors in grammar or usage are very noticeable, frequent, and affect meaning.

á       Paragraphing is missing, irregular, or so frequent (every sentence) that it has no relationship to the organizational structure of the text.

á       The reader must read once to decode, then again for meaning. Extensive editing (virtually every line) would be required to polish the text for publication.

 

 

* Rubrics for Voice, Word Choice, Sentence Fluency, and Conventions are adapted from the Six Traits rubric from the Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory.