Select a commercial that is approximately 30 seconds long, and provide a rhetorical analysis of the commercial. In your analysis, comment on how the commercial appeals to ethos, pathos, and logos (or if it does not appeal to one or more of these dimensions of rhetoric). Also, comment on a rhetorical device that the commercial employs (See list of rhetorical devices). Make sure your response is eight to 12 sentences long. Include a YouTube link to the commercial that you analyzed.
16 thoughts on “Blog Post #6: Brief Rhetorical Analysis of a Commercial”
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I choose a sprite commercial starring Lebron James. In the commercial, I noticed the use of ethos since they had celebrities such as Lebron and other social media influencers. This would be considered ethos as the ad uses characters they have credibility and popular recognition. There is also the use of pathos because it tries to show the people who drink the sprites are free and drinking the sprites are more free and happy than the one guy who isn’t. I don’t see to see any use of logos, there aren’t any objective facts in the commercial about what drinking sprite does. One rhetorical device I did pick up on would be apophasis. When Lebron says”I’ll never to tell you to drink sprite, even if I was in a commercial for sprite, no matter what that cue card said.” This shows apophasis because as he mentions he’s not going to tell the audience to explicitly drink sprite, he points to a cue card that says it and is drinking a sprite while he says it. I don’t believe there are any other rhetorical devices included in the commercial besides apophasis, mainly because of its condensed time limit of 30 seconds. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WtSi6MH9h10&feature=share
I chose a commercial about milk, the commercial is about what can milk do. The commercial talks about what can milk do, it can make you energetic, it can make you higher, it can help you get over with difficult challenges, so the ad is saying: look, drinking our milk can have so many benefits. This can bee consider as ethos since they show smiles when people in the ad when drinking it, which is saying drink our milk gives happiness. The ad also linked their milk with cute stuff, cat, the ad shows a cat drinking their milk while a voiceover saying ” but come on even kitties love it”. I have noticed that the ad is using “kitties” instead of cats just to make the cat more lovely and cute. A rhetorical device in the ad would be anaphora, which means” Repetition of a word or expression at the beginning of successive phrases, clauses, sentences, or verses especially for rhetorical or poetic effect”, what corresponds to in the ad is the repetition of “it can”. It just kept reminding you that what can our milk do good to you.
ad:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ApqxheQIGD0
I choose a Crest toothpaste commercial featuring Shakira. The commercial appeals to be ethos because it shows celebrity shakira who is popular and famous, so she probably has good credibility. It also considered to be pathos because it appeals to be emotional saying that if you use crest 3D, it will show your playful side, amplifies your creative side and show your sophisticated side. It also makes you think life opens more up with crest because of a whiter smile. It also appears to use logos because it will remove up to 90 percent of surface stains in just five days. The rhetorical device that is used is anaphora with the repetition of “crest 3D” in the beginning of the sentence. I think it also uses hyperbole because it said if you use the crest collection, it will whiten your teeth in just one day, I don’t think it will just happen in a day so it an exaggeration.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PJ1XfgdZNOQ
I chose a M&Ms commercial starring Danny DeVito. In the commercial I could tell the use of ethos because it had celebrity Danny DeVito. He is a well known actor. This is considered ethos because the commercial uses a well known actor and they are a well known public figure. The commercial also uses pathos because there is a kind of emotion shown. When, Danny DeVito is an m&m he is frustrated that everybody wants to eat him. Once, he finds a lucky penny he changes into a human, and that human is Danny DeVito. Then, he goes around asking people if they want to eat him and he gets declined. This results in him becoming happy that no one wants to eat him anymore. The rhetorical device that I would say that is present in this commercial is anaphora because he kept repeating “Do you want to eat me.” This shows that after he found the lucky penny and turned into a human no one wants to eat him. When he was an m&m everybody wanted to eat him.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f8Me7BLuZp4
I choose a McDonalds 2017 Christmas commercial. In the commercial, I noticed that the ad agency used Pathos to appeal to the emotions of the audiences. At the beginning of the ad, the audience sees a little girl with her father at a McDonald’s store. Right away we feel the sentiment of love and bond between fathers and daughters. Gradually, we hear sentimental music which shows the loving relationship between the father and the daughter. There is also a repetition of the sentence, “It’s for the rain deer,” to depict the innocence of a child. Through the innocence of the child, the audience gets the idea that McDonald’s carrot stick is part of Christmas. Later on, we see the father takes her back to the McDonald’s store to get more carrots which appeal to the audience that a father would do anything to make his daughter happy. This means, when children ask for McDonald’s, their parents should oblige to protect their innocence. Here is the link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QaDWM6aGTuU
The following commercial I chose was about how smoking cigarettes are not the right choice to make. Throughout the commercial, the setting takes place within a high school in which a teenager opens his locker to encounter a miniature out of shape man who bullies him to take him outside. At this point, pathos was being utilized to how bullying can hurt someone and create angering emotions from the man to the teenager. The various emotions that were displayed of being angry, to the hatred of those who smoke because the addiction to the drug requires so much attention to tend to. The usage of logos is also utilized in how costly purchasing this drug is to one who is in high school. In the commercial, the segment was the man harassing the teenager “forking over” money. I see a clever usage of anaphora in the “cigarette man’s” dialogue of “When I say we…we…” throughout the commercial as he is the only talking throughout the entire segment. This device is repeated over four times and symbolizes how cigarettes become one’s first priority when/if one becomes addicted to the drug. Repetition of how the man bullies the teenager to go outside and interrupts every single activity to go and smoke occurs. From skipping class, to pausing a movie when friends are around upsetting everyone around the smoker.
Link to the video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dnA-P0iMniA
The commercial I chose is an AD about the NBA and the Christmas jerseys, and they never actually once explicitly mention that is what they are trying to sell until the commercial is over. Throughout the commercial it is evident use of Ethos, because they are using some of the most popular players and mentioning their names while they are dressed in the limited edition gear. But there is also use of Pathos because it aims for how people feel as well, I personally felt very satisficed as the players shot balls into hoops and “played” jingle bells which enticed me more and made me curious about the purpose of it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EYEHUOpwNvE
I chose a Sprite Cranberry Commercial. This commercial would be using logos because in the commercial it shows in the beginning that they are sweating and then the song says, “its the thirstiest time of the year,” and the person says, “Want a sprite cranberry” showing that the logic is that the sprite will not make you hot or thirsty anymore. It also used Pathos because the whole family was all together eating together and drinking the sprite cranberry. There was also a hidden message because in the background on the Christmas tree all the ornaments were sprite cans. Also after the door opens and the person says, “its the thirstiest time of the year,” it becomes very fresh because the walls all turn white like ice. The song also says, “the answer is clear,” meaning of course you want a sprite cranberry. Another hidden message is when they were pouring the sprite cranberry the cup had cranberry on it. A rhetorical device is the repetition of, “… thirstiest time of the year.”
Link to the video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tEiECew-kSk
Phil Swift’s “flex tape clear” commercial began with himself giving an introduction. Phil says, “Phil Swift here for flex tape clear!” Immediately, Swift establishes himself to be a part of the company and shows the audience who he is. This can prime the audience to pay attention during commercials when they see or hear Phil Swift. Then, Phil demonstrates how the product is “clearly the best way to patch, bond, seal, and repair.” The video demonstration is pleasing to the eyes of the audience. It not only shows how effective the product is (logos), but it also creates emotions. The use of the flex tape is satisfying to the eye. Swift, quickly but smoothly applies the tape over the no longer relinquished item, stopping the leak. The video is appealing to watch and always interesting. This truly keeps the audience well-engaged. Perhaps, enough to want the demographic to try it out for themselves. While processes are being described, words display as aids. For example, “Flex tape’s triple thick adhesive” appears at the top of the screen, visibly, when said by Phil. This creates a detail for the audience to describe the product whenever the product is mentioned or thought of. Anyhow, this can help customers choose a product based on what is different or what they about it when compared to others.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T6AVrgJMNm8
I choose the Old Spice electronic shaver commercial. The commercial has Terry Crews as the public speaker. This appeals to Ethos, considering he is a credible character because of Terry Crew’s muscular figure we associate him as a strong man, and every Old Spice commercial comments on their power or them being better. It also plays on Pathos. Not, in a sad way, it plays with emotions with humor. Terry Crews in the video is seen shaving his face and on his face has another junior Terry Crews. Considering, the big Terry is basically committing a murder they share an intimate moment before the big Terry cuts the junior Terry off. This is first had comedy and weird which keeps you entertained to watch more. They also have Logos (this might be a stretch) but he talks about how the electrical shaver is sharp and how it cuts the hair off his face. I feel like this is common sense if its a shaver then I personally would expect it to be sharp to get rid of unwanted hairs. I personally could not find rhetorical devices considering he doesn’t speak much it is usually him just screaming but it is still entertaining.
This is the commercial I choose:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H4seWTTvU6E
Here is to the link for a compilation of every Terry Crews Old Spice commercials (they made me laugh):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hq2SlCja3zo
I chose a commercial from FuncoLand, which is a video company. In the video, there are 3 commercials with a duration of 10 seconds each. All commercials appeal to Logos the strongest because all three uses jaxtaposition to show the audience how their service is better than their competition. For example, in the first part, the narrator directly compares their competition against theirs and made it very clear that they will pay big money for used games whereas their competition just shut their doors on their customers. The commercials also appeal to Pathos, my reason being because actions in the commercials have been dramatized in order to make us laugh and leave a deep impression on the audience, thus, the audience is more likely to remember their commercials. For example, in the second commercial, while they’re one upping their competition, an unreal amount of games came out from a small television screen, we would be inclined to laugh because it’s quirky.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ihjjti9GeeU
I chose a 30 second commercial about DELL laptops from 11 years ago. The video starts off with four men singing about lollipops while they show the process of how DELL laptops are made. This is anaphora because they repeat the words lollipops in song form which makes it memorable. The elephant stomp on something that is used for the color of the laptops. There are many different colors to chose from so people have options. It appeals to logos because it makes sense that there are different color laptop because treats come in many different colors and flavors. When they said “treat yourself to a DELL laptop,” they are appealing to pathos. “Treat” is implying a good/sweet thing like lollipops, getting this laptop would be a good thing for them, making them happy.
Link to video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ijH3cRJ1BY
I chose a loreal commercial starring Jennifer Lopez. The commercial appeals to ethos by starring a celebrity that is known for her beauty to sell a beauty product. People might get the impression that if they buy the true math foundation, they can look like Jennifer Lopez. The commercial appeals to pathos by addressing the viewer with remarks usually used to a romantic partner. The commercial also appeals to pathos by using background music to set a dramatic mood. The commercial does not appeal to ethos because nowhere in the commercial is the quality of the product or the results it can provide spoken about. The commercial utilizes the rhetorical device personification by giving an object human characteristics. Jennifer describes previously used foundation products as trying to make her something that she isn’t. She also describes the true match foundation’s “first touch.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZWlPZKXh2R4
The commercial that I chose was of coca cola. This one strongly stuck out to me because of how minimal it was, yet how powerful it appealed to Pathos. It starts by showing an average man looking outside his home with a smile, then transitions into multiple different people preparing a dinner. In each family everyone is helping each other and are happy. When looking at the commercial you see that everyone is of different economical status and race, you see them and feel like you are a part of them in some way. Furthermore, the narrator speaking is saying “The day the world stopped, we discovered where to go. As of starting right now, we are not leaving anything on the plate. we have have learned how to appreciate the moments that have always been there, now it tastes better than ever.” You see this commercial and it makes you think of your family, you start to miss them and that’s how it emotionally tricks into also wanting a coke. You see the bottle throughout the whole commercial and it gets to the point that if feels like its a part of your family too. The use of anaphora is shown in the commercial as they consistently used “we” for every sentence, this was done to show that coke is for everyone.
Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mXloRG1IAlw
The commercial I used was Gatorade “This Game is No Game”. Within this 30 second video, they use logos as the main source to appeal to the audience. From the start, they give facts about the game of soccer. For example, “You run up to 120 pitches, you work out 650 muscles.” Using numbers and logic appeals to the reader how hard and tiring the sport is. Ultimately, leading to someone needing the energy Gatorade gives. They did repeat the word “you” at the start of every sentence. I believe they did that to allow the audience to feel more of a connection to the purpose. To feel as if they need to drink Gatorde. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K0x8Z8JxQtA