In Tune with The Times: A Commercial’s Strength of Kairotic Appeal

Advertisements take many colors, shapes and forms, and exist on a variety of different platforms: newspaper flyers, subway posters, television commercials, in-app advertisements, and the like. They each make use of rhetoric, in that they each employ most, if not all, of the three vertices—ethos, logos, and pathos– of the rhetorical triangle in order to creatively and effectively persuade their audience of a particular message. Even though advertisements may incorporate ethos, logos, and pathos into their presentations, the relative success is still dependent on the kairos of an advertisement, or the right or opportune moment. The major strength of Android’s “Rock, Paper, Scissors” commercial lies in the fact that it is very “time” appropriate, and therefore has a powerful kairotic appeal. Maximum kairos is achieved in the literal sense due to the timing of the commercial’s release date, on the personal level in terms of the very relatable theme presented in commercial, on a competitive/market level in the way that the commercial’s catch phrase connects to present day competitors, and in the global sense in the way that the same catch phrase relates to major societal discussions taking place presently around the world.

Android, Inc. is a mobile operating system that was founded in October 2003 in Palo Alto, California by co-founders Andy Rubin, Rick Miner, Nick Sears, and Chris White. Their vision was to develop, as Andy Rubin said, “smarter mobile devices that are more aware of its owner’s location and preferences”. In July of 2005, Google bought Android, Inc. for at least $50 million, and has since been developing the software.

Over the past few months, Google’s Android has launched a new marketing campaign and has consequently released a series of television commercials that have promoted the idea of “togetherness” rather than “sameness”. The most recent of these commercials, “Rock, Paper, Scissors” aired on February 28^th, 2016. The commercial was directed by Conor Finnegan through London-based Nexus Productions, and plays to St. Elmo’s Fire (Man in Motion) by John Parr. The animated and wordless commercial takes place in a traditional school setting, and begins with the familiar sound of a school bell. A nervous and anxious Paper figure finds himself in a new setting, surrounded by what at first seems to be his foes, the Scissors figures. As he walks down the daunting school hallway, he spots his own kind, other Paper figures. However, much to his surprise, not only are they unaccepting of this protagonist, but they are in fact the perpetrators of the bullying at the school. One of the Scissors figures ends up helping him and saving him from the unjust abuse, thus forming an unlikely but pleasant friendship. Shortly after, they find that a new character, Rock, is being bullied also by figures of his own kind. Paper and Scissors (though Scissors is apprehensive at first because traditionally Rock always “beats” Scissors) team up to fend off the larger Rock bullies, and successfully help the little Rock. The commercial ends with Rock, Paper, and Scissors walking happily and harmoniously side by side. Right above this scene, the commercial boldly states: “Be Together. Not the Same”.

Most, if not all, advertisements will incorporate ethos, logos, and pathos into their argumentation. The ethos, or the “credibility of the rhetor” (54), is established by the Android company brand, which is relatively well known and reputable. Also, this short commercial doesn’t include “too many statistics or overly technical language” (56) which also builds up the ethos of the advertisement. The logos, or the “appeal to an audience’s intellectual side”, is established by the greater message of the commercial. Their catch phrase states “Be Together. Not the Same.”, which is a completely logical statement. People can and should be together and maintain relationships, despite the few differences that may set them apart from one another. The pathos, or the “appeal to emotion” (53), is established by the use of the anthropomorphic characters Rock, Paper, and Scissors. The emotions they express are very real and relatable, and so the audience almost immediately establishes a connection with them. While “Rock, Paper, Scissors” incorporates ethos, logos, and pathos into it’s argument, the kairos and relevance of the commercial is what makes it the effective commercial that it is.

On the most basic level and in the most literal sense, Android’s commercial capitalized its kairos by strategically releasing the commercial during the 88^th Annual Oscars Academy Awards Ceremony, a television event known for high viewership, with this year’s viewership hitting 34.4 million viewers! Not only did the commercial reach a large audience due to timing of the commercial’s release, but also because the commercial was comprised of many different elements that “spoke” to, or rather connected with, an even wider range of audiences. The commercial grabbed the attention of the younger population (through the animated graphics), 80’s and 90’s lovers (from the song choice), those who attend schools (from the setting represented in the commercial), film lovers (from the conflict and production of the commercial) and many more. In this way, Android achieved and maximized kairos in one of the simpler implications of the word.

Google’s Android commercial is also kairotically appropriate on a personal level because of the relevant theme that takes place in the commercial. The plot that unfolds relays a relatable conflict about bullying and interpersonal relationships. In this day and age, there is much talk about bullying and the hundreds of ways of combatting it. Though bullying may evoke a traditional school setting, the reality is is that bullying exists in multiple different environments. Bullying exists not only between classmates, but between co-workers, between family members, between friends, and even between strangers in an online (cyber) setting! It is a very sensitive subject that everyone can relate to because most people are effected by it in varying degrees. Bullying occurs in so many different forms; it need not take only the form of physical harm, but even forms as subtle as exclusion, as depicted in this short commercial. Android’s solution to this problem, is to learn to accept other individuals despite their differences. The bullying conflict present in the plot is applicable to a broad range of scenarios. Many people can identify themselves with the Paper figure, where they were once the victims of some sort of physical or emotional harassment. By presenting a version of bullying in its simplest and most typical form, the commercial becomes more relatable to a wider audience and is therefore able to connect with many different people of all ages and in all walks of life. Though the commercial depicts an overly simplified “happy ending” approach to a case of bullying, the message remains undoubtedly relatable and relevant.

Another way in which this Android commercial maximizes the kairotic aspect of rhetoric is in the way that it relates to its present day competitors. Though Android currently holds about a 59.65% market share in the market for mobile operating systems, its largest competitor is still the iOS, which is the operating system used for mobile devices manufactured by Apple Inc., and it holds 32.28% of the market share. This is a 7.89-point increase in percentages for Android and a 7.45-point decrease in percentages for iOS relative to the 2015 record of market share. A key difference between Android operating systems and Apple’s iOS operating system is that the iOS has a more uniform approach and is the same among all Apple iPhones, while Android is customizable to any user’s preferences. This Android commercial takes an implicit jab at its competitor, Apple, through the implications of the plot and catch phrase. The first part of the catch phrase states “Be Together.” The characters in the commercial are metaphorical in that each one– Rock, Paper, and Scissors– represents one of the different Android platforms. The whole commercial praises the different qualities of each of the characters, and shows how even though they are all different, they can still be friends. The plot breaks the rules of the traditional game of rock, paper, and scissors, and the message shows that even the most unlikely of friends (which is a metaphor for the Android platforms) can still be together. This metaphor, again, extends to Android’s multiple different software platforms; even the most customized (differentiated by each user’s distinct preferences and tastes) Android platforms can still remain unique, while maintaining a sense of unity. The commercial nudges further at Apple with the second part of the catch phrase which states “Not the Same”. The commercial almost mocks the fact that all the Apple devices are operated by the same, limiting iOS software. In essence, the commercial glorifies Android diversity, while shunning Apple uniformity.

The “Rock, Paper, Scissors” again makes good use of the kairotic element of the commercial by appealing to the global discussions of the time. As mentioned with the case of comparing Android to its competitor, Apple, this commercial glorifies the idea of Android platform and software diversity. This notion of cooperation among diverse individuals is present in greater discussions around the world today, specifically in reference to LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bi-Sexual, Transgender) movements. The term emphasizes a diversity of sexuality and gender identity-based cultures. Over the years, there has been much discrimination against these communities, but the last few decades have shown significant and growing acceptance all around the world. LGBT is a symbol of inclusion, that though there may be gender or sexuality differences, they should still be included and not rejected from society. Android’s commercial delivers the same message, and is therefore in accordance with the global discussions in the media.

Android’s greater argument is to promote its products by celebrating its software platform diversity. Though the commercial uses ethos, logos, and pathos to establish this argument, the kairotic element remains an essential component of the commercial’s effectiveness and success. Kairos was established on the most basic level by releasing the commercial during a notably high viewership rate. The commercial establishes kairos on a personal level because it depicts a theme, bullying, that is very relevant to today’s times. The commercial continues to establish kairos on a larger scale by making relevant nudges at its competitors such as Apple. Lastly, the Android commercial establishes kairos on a global level, by advocating a message of acceptance that is greatly linked to topics, such as those revolving around LGBT, discussed all around the world. By focusing and emphasizing on the kairotic component of their commercial, Android was able to further maximize the strength of their argument, and thus realize the art of rhetorical argumentation.