Logical Fallacies in DirecTV Rob Lowe Commercials

DirecTV has recently released a series of commercials centered around Rob Lowe and his odd alter egos. In the commercials, normal Rob Lowe has DirecTV and as a result is happier. Half of the commercial is normal Rob Lowe explaining the advantages of DirecTV. The other half of the commercial is “creepy Rob Lowe,” “awkward Rob Lowe” or any of the other negative Rob Lowe personas. These gross or strange characters all have cable.

These commercial utilize multiple logical fallacies. DirecTV is glorified because it is associated with attractive, confident, and famous Rob Lowe. Cable is downplayed by being associated with a bizarre and distasteful character. Also, the commercials use argument ad hominem when they attack the character of people who have cable by implying that they are akin to the scary Rob Lowe alter egos. Finally, the commercials represent an appeal to Rob Lowe’s ethos as a famous person.

The logical fallacies present in the Rob Lowe commercials are far from dangerous. They are just silly ways to appeal to consumers with humor. However, in other more serious situations, logical fallacies can be misleading and untruthful. Luckily, they can often be spotted and avoided.