Quote: "In its latest
2005 Dead Q tallies, Lucille Ball, Bob Hope and John Wayne top the list
of the public’s favorite dead celebrities." Article in adage.com.
Term: Prosopopoeia (pro so po PEE uh), the dead-celeb technique
In ancient Greece and
Rome, students conducted regular exercises in which they imitated great
historical characters to develop their oratorical skills. The prosopopoeia was also one of the more
popular oratorical techniques in ancient times. It’s trickier today.
Imitating John F. Kennedy doesn’t guarantee election, as John F. Kerry
discovered. We’ve grown to love our dead celebrities more than our dead
leaders.
What’s more, technological advances allow marketers to resurrect the deceased and give them a second life in the advertising industry. The digital magic might startle ancient rhetoricians, but they’d be familiar with the theory behind it. Prosopopoeia falls under the rubric of Ethos, or argument by character. Advertisers transfer the Ethos, or character, of a popular guy onto the merchandise, and voila! An outdoor grill takes on the lovable persona of an aging prizefighter.
Snappy Answer: "Does a corpse make a soda taste better?"