Analysis of Argument

Discuss how well reasoned you find this argument. In your discussion, be sure to analyze the line of reasoning and the use of evidence in the argument. For example, you may need to consider what questionable assumptions underlie the thinking and what alternative explanations or counterexamples might weaken the conclusion. You can also discuss what sort of evidence would strengthen or refure the argument, what changes in the argument would make it more logically sound, and what, if anything, would help you better evaluate its conclusion.

Prompt: "The following appeared in a memorandum from the sales department at the WXYZ Radio Corporation to the marketing department at Fun Times Restaurant.

The potenial of WXYZ to increase your sales can be seen from the experiences of Alphaville Motors last year. Regular advertising on WXYZ during prime listening hours greatly increased public awareness of Alphaville Motors. Before Alphaville Motors started advertising on WXYZ, an independent marketing research team found that only 10 percent of a randomly survey group of 2,000 local residents could identify Alphaville Motors when asked to name local car dealers. After three months of advertising on WXYZ, 30 percent of respondents from a second survey named Alphaville Motors when asked to name local car dealers."

Start Time: 9:15 am

Fun Times Restaurant should proceed with caution before advertising with WXYZ Radio Corporation. In the memorandum, there are a variety of misleading assumptions in the example citing Alphaville Motors. The weaknesses of this argument are whether Alphaville Motors advertised in any other media during this time and whether name recognition actually leads to increase sales. The argument could be strengthened with actual data of Alphaville Motors sales before advertising on WXYZ Radio and after.

Since it is unclear whether WXYZ Radio Corporation was Alphaville Motors only advertising agent and whether sales actually increased, it can't be determined that this would be the best decision for Fun Times Restaurant. Alphaville Motors may have had a major advertising campaign to increase name recognition with the hope of increasing their sales. But whether potential consumers actually buy Alphaville Motors has not been proven. In a recent article in the Wall Street Journal, American car manufactures are facing a similar problem. Advertising and name recognition have not led to an increase of sales.

Since concrete data of sales for Alphaville Motors has not been cited and it is unclear whether advertising on WXYZ Radio have impacted sales at all, WXYZ Radio Corporation has not provided a good enough argument for Fun Times Restaurant to advertise on its station.

End Time: 9:46 am