Crafting Thesis Statement Workshop

1. CRAFTING THESIS STATEMENT
NUTS AND BOLTS

2. Strong thesis statements are specific, arguable,
and provide a clear direction for the essay.
They go beyond stating obvious facts and
offer a unique perspective or claim that can be
substantiated with evidence and analysis.

3. EXAMPLES FOR WEAK THESIS VS STRONG THESIS STATEMENTS
Choose one of the following weak
theses. With your group, think of
alternative strong ideas.
 "I'm going to talk about the importance
of recycling."
 "Abraham Lincoln was a great
president."
 "Social media has both positive and
negative effects."
 "Video games are popular among
teenagers."
 This essay points out the crucial importance of
recycling for reducing environmental pollution
and preserving natural resources.
 "Abraham Lincoln's leadership during the Civil
War and his implementation of the Emancipation
Proclamation and how it significantly impacted
the course of American history."
 "While social media connects people globally and
provides platforms for self-expression, its
excessive use can lead to mental health issues,
privacy concerns, and the spread of
misinformation."
 "Video games, with their immersive storytelling
and interactive gameplay, have emerged as a
powerful form of entertainment and a catalyst for
social interaction among teenagers."

4.  How does this work in analyzing ads?

5. Strong Ads Thesis examples.
"Through a critical analysis of its visual elements, target audience, and persuasive techniques, the
company effectively manipulates consumer emotions to promote a for their product."
"By dissecting the use of language, imagery, and cultural references in a selected advertisement, this
this essay seeks to explore how advertisers construct and reinforce gender stereotypes to appeal to
their target audience."
The ad successfully portrayed diversity, inclusivity, and social issues through the use images,
typography, and persuasive techniques.
"This thesis critically analyzes the use of fear appeals and shock value in a specific advertisement,
exploring the ethical implications and effectiveness of such tactics in capturing audience attention
and promoting behavior change."

6. Guiding Question:
Discuss how the
and image are
combined to
Toyota’s brand
values.

7. SAMPLE RESPONSE
 This advertisement was published in 2007 by the car manufacturer
“Toyota” in order to promote zero-emission vehicles. Unlike most car
advertisements, this one does not show the actual car in question but
rather presents an image that implicitly shows its benefits, which in this
case is the most important for the company. It has a persuasive nature
that appeals to the audience, which includes people seeking vehicles
that have no harmful effects on the environment. This advertisement,
using the concept of man and nature relationship, symbolism, colors,
clearly defined aim and persuasive techniques, manages to promote
Toyota’s zero emission vehicles.

8. Guiding Question
How are formal
such as layout, fonts
and visuals used to
create an effect in
advertisements?

9. SAMPLE STUDENT RESPONSE
 Bulova is an American watch company and in 1973 they advertised their
Accutron model in magazines all across the nation. This model was
targeted at middle to upper class men with white collar jobs, specifically
those who worked in the city, but lived in the suburbs. The
advertisement aims to sell this model to these commuters highlighting
its necessity to them. The company uses text to describe other watches
and the commuters in a way that they can identify with ultimately
forming a relationship between the Accutron model and their targeted
customers. The company uses image to support the text by providing a
visual representation in which the image, slogan and copy build up the
advertisement in this case.

10. ASSESSMENT
a. Reiterate your introduction on “Tide and
Downy” ad.

11. ASSESSMENT 2
Write an introductory paragraph about FIAT that addresses the guiding question that follows.
Press here for the Ad:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1ZthJfctT_QpCg-MBXPDILdC6ErOEw4rHoy3XNyp1cpo/edit
 Guiding Question:
 How does FIAT use language and visual elements to convey value messages?
 DUE DATE: Sep 12th

12. REFERENCES
 https://www.adforum.com/creative-work/ad/player/12654073/human-tree/toyota-corporate
 https://www.ebay.com/itm/155700154424