www.menshealth.com
This essay will identify and analyze six key characteristics of argumentation at work on the web-page advertising for Men's Health magazine. The six elements--claim, grounds, warrant, rebuttal, backing, and qualifier--follow guidelines set by Stephen Toulmin in his work The Uses of Argument. They occur as the underlying structure of most, if not all, arguments. Sometimes these features are straightforwardly presented. At other times, they remain obscured by hype and glitz. Yet even those obfuscated by an advertising agenda can be revealed with a little practice.
The webvertising on the Men's Health website is fairly evident and aboveboard. First of all, the title of the magazine states clearly what their product is all about. Health concerns are a leading consumer motivator. With men typically dying at a younger age than females, often as a result of poor health choices, an increased awareness has penetrated the male psyche. There is a libidinal motivation to stay in shape. The magazine implicitly promises to help men attain and maintain a desirable condition, ensuring a happy and fulfilled life.
This promise is fulfilled through informative articles and regular features addressing issues of concern to men. The ad specifically mentions issues such as fitness, sex, sports, health, marketplace, food, and careers. Pictures of bare-chested men with well-defined muscular physiques adorn the page, offering evidence as to the possibilities awaiting the subscriber and grounding the magazine's claims to guide men toward better health.
These grounds are connected to the claim by the male desire for complete satisfaction. Not surprisingly, the sectional divisions listed above relate to this warrant. Sexual satisfaction follows physical fitness as the top two interests covered by the magazine's contents. While keeping these concerns to the fore, further backing the claim to help inform the prospective subscriber is the special offer of "three free books," entitled 101 Men's Health Secrets, The Sex of Your Dreams, and Build Muscle, Burn Fat.
The photographs mentioned earlier also help to qualify the claims as applicable to just about any man. While revealing the torsos of healthy young men, the ad does not limit itself, nor the reader, to the young only. Also presented are older men shown actively participating in the available benefits of Men's Health magazine, thus opening the door to all who are motivated to keep themselves fit.
Need more motivation? Not to worry: the ad goes on to offer a complimentary edition of the magazine, containing articles such as "No, You're Not Having a Heart Attack," "How Old is 45?," "Don't Try to Blow Out a Cold," and "The Lurker." Another free gift is a 2000 Workout Calendar. Finally, the monthly contest, "Win a New Body!," completes the offer. The choice (according to the ad) is clear. The informative articles, free books, calendar, as well as monthly features on "fitness," "sex," "career," and the "marketplace" will help assure a complete state of satisfaction--financial, physical, mental, and sexual--wherein the Men's Health man is healthy, wealthy, and wise, possibly even winning a new body. What more could a man want?