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 identifying and understanding
the target audience, choosing the correct medium for communicating that build
strong relationships. The question is what do potential customers look for the
most in terms of written communication with a company of interest? Is it
credibility, or being able to connect on an emotional level? Happy Dogs Ranch, a vacation property available in the Swedish Alps, is
featured on two different rental sites—Airbnb and a personal homepage—uses 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. The property advertises two
rentals on the family’s 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
guests and 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 informant 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.
Airbnb is the most
prominent site Happy Dogs Ranch uses for advertising their vacation rentals. 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. Users of the site then create online profiles.
Host’s profiles include personal information, prices, and details of the space,
amenities, visual imagery, reviews and an option for private messaging. Online profiles
also allow guests and potential guests to read and write reviews, which
contribute to the whole point of the site of becoming a reputable host. As for
the website itself, Kurt considers it to have all the “makings” of a good
website that allows it to be user friendly. In the academic world of writing
one could say that it includes all the conventions of its genre.
Does the host’s
description match the customer reviews reviews? Airbnb revolves around customer
reviews and the concept of ethos, a rhetorical strategy that displays honesty
and credibility through written communication. Therefore customer reviews are
essentially the “evidence”. When viewing Happy Dogs Ranch, a potential guest
might wonder, “ Does the writer 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 Kurt’s 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 an honest writer, but to
ensure a sense of credibility customer reviews need to verify that this is an
accurate description. Some examples of matching reviews to the host’s
description include:
“The flat was nice and clean and everything was there for
cooking”. -Bende
“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; we spent several hours chatting and laughing with them,
eating fantastic home-cooked food, and enjoying time spent in a cozy house
getting to know these wonderful, generous, interesting people.” -Heather
By emphasizing
customer reviews through the creation of online profiles, Airbnb ensures an “ethos”
way of communicating while traveling. It allows both guests and hosts 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. In doing so he estimates that Airbnb has
provided him with nearly half of his customers.
A personal
homepage is 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.” Which leads to the layout of the homepage, 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 site’s vibrant
colors, which are attention grabbing yet welcoming. There are also a lot of
pictures on the homepage, of the farm and all the 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. Both of which change the relationship
between the sender and the receiver and ultimately defies creating effective
content for social media, in this case a successful webpage. (Ch. 7. Crafting
Messages for Electronic Media PDF. , 176)
Happy Dogs Ranch’s
homepage features rhetoric that revolves around the concept of pathos. Emotional
appeals can add “real muscle” to an argument by raising emotions like anger,
fear, love and joy that support the writer’s claim. (Lunsford, 2012, 99) Kurt
takes 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 Kurt’s love for the animals that can be
felt throughout the written context of the homepage. For example he shares,
“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 can lead 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 written communication will build the strongest
relationships and bring success to the business.
So in conclusion,
which rhetorical strategy is more effective, ethos or pathos? Personally I
think it depends on the audience and what convinces them the most, facts or
emotional connections. While the homepage is without a doubt an essential tool for
any company to have, it seems as though it serves more like a place where one
would find additional information. 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
guest’s experiences and simultaneously they play a huge role in determining the
growth and success of a business.
