The United States blood plasma industry uses various rhetorics to access donors and markets its products while managing its stigma and potential legal liability. The industry includes both the public "nonprofit" sector and the private, for-profit blood collection and manufacturing businesses owned by pharmaceutical companies that rely on paid "donors." The industry suffers from the stigmatization of the commodification of the human body and is seen as exploiting its paid donors. Representative examples from generic sources of written materials directed to industry audiences show that the major persuasive strategy for recruiting donors is "easy money." A display advertisement in a university student newspaper announced "Do you know that blood donation can add up to $500 each quarter!" Other ads targeted at students focus on money for "spring break" or for "back to school." Medical rhetoric is also prevalent--the antiseptic atmosphere in college centers suggests that the staff are trained professionals, although this is not always the case. The "gift" metaphor figures prominently in the development of national blood banks such as the Red Cross--this image of a gift freely given sanitizes the blood trade somewhat. Invocation of a pseudo-community linking giver and receiver is also used in promotional materials, but without mentioning the racial and class composition of the mostly lower-class donor base, or the legal protection from liability sought by the powerful industry. (Contains a table of data and 11 references.) (NKA)