Pathos Appeal

The MSC launched the “Little Blue Label, Big Blue Future” digital campaign on YouTube in June of 2020 to bring awareness to the impacts that daily decisions as simple as meal planning can have on the ocean. The MSC said that “The adoption of habits and practices that ensure the healthy longevity of oceans and seafood for the more than three billion people on the planet now, and for the generations to come, is “crucial.” This campaign uses the pathos appeal to make target audience members sympathetic to the dying marine life. According to Gagich and Zickel, "Emotions can make us vulnerable, and an author can use this vulnerability to get the audience to believe that his or her argument is a compelling one" (Gagich, Zickel, 2018).

This campaign uses the pathos appeal by suggesting to target audiences that by choosing sustainable seafood with the MSC logo, they make a difference to help protect the ocean’s ecosystem and the environment. To further persuade consumers, the MSC uses the color blue as a rhetorical device. The color blue is often associated with water, which is the most obvious explanation for why the MSC chose blue as their key color of focus for their logo, website, and campaign. Studies of color psychology also indicate that "blue is associated with sadness, and that these colors lead to information processing and behavior consistent with these emotions" (Elliot, Maier, 2014). Along with the MSC logo and its website, this campaign uses the color blue to appeal to the audience's emotions. If the audience sees blue, they may be naturally inclined to feel sadness. After learning about the negative impacts of unsustainable fishing practices, this sadness may deepen, further persuading consumers to help by purchasing certified MSC-labeled seafood products.

GlobeScan conducted a study on the MSC, which found that a third of global fisheries have been fished beyond sustainable limits, with another 60% fished to maximum capacity ("Press Releases," 2020). The campaign slogan “Little Blue Label, Big Blue Future'' indicates that consumers that chose to eat MSC-certified seafood products are helping to end overfishing as an individual as a part of a greater whole. When consumers hear about the vast overfishing problem that the world is facing, they may feel anger or sadness, which could persuade them to join the fight toward sustainable fishing by purchasing MSC-sustainable seafood products. In turn, by doing a good deed to help conserve ocean life, consumers may feel pride and fulfillment.