Behind the rhetorical scenes of offence: A rhetorical analysis of complained-about offensive ads

Studies of rhetorical strategies, and particularly rhetorical figures, in advertising have largely focused on positive contexts and generating positive responses, such as increasing the likeability of ads (e.g. Delbaere et al., 2011; McQuarrie and Phillips, 2005). However, Theodorakis et al. (2015) argue that applying rhetoric in controversial ads may not weaken possible negative responses and could even worsen them. Controversial advertising encompasses a range of predominantly negative responses from distaste and disgust, through offence, outrage and embarrassment, to shock and surprise, from a part of the population (Huhmann and Mott-Stenerson, 2008; Waller, 2005).