#visrhet

[makingmediameta]

Visual Rhetorical Analysis: Progressive Insurance Commercials

Advertisement 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HFtFJIUKq24

Advertisement 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j4GRnl7Gzow

The car insurance market in the United States is competitive. Every driver in all 50 states must have an insurance plan in order to drive their vehicle legally. However, drawing buyers to an insurance company can be difficult and requires compelling and memorable marketing that works within the dull nature of what is being sold and appeals to its audience. While being one of the largest insurance companies on the market, Progressive Corporation has chosen notably effective marketing campaigns. In 2008, Progressive Corporation began an ad campaign using comedian Stephanie Courtney acting as “Flo”, the company’s now famous mascot. This brought the company attention and today over 100 commercials have been made by Progressive Corporation using this character. However, as markets began to change with the maturation of the millennial generation, Progressive Corporation changed its advertising strategy in 2014, choosing to begin the Apron Project. This campaign was less about using promoting certain amenities provided by the insurance company and more about giving the company a moral and reliable appearance to appeal to its target audience. Although their differences are clear, the rhetorical devices used in both of these ads have been profitable for Progressive Corporation.

As an example of the Flo marketing campaign, above is a link labeled Advertisement 1. As an example of the Apron Project campaign, also above is a link labeled Advertisement 2.

Purpose

Both of these ads were produced by Progressive Corporation to persuade car insurance buyers to purchase insurance plans from their company over those of their competitors. While the purposes of these two ads coincide, their audiences and related rhetorical devices differ.

Audience

In Advertisement 1, Progressive Corporation makes an apolitical appeal to all people looking to buy or change their car insurance. This ad is catchy in its use of humor and a well-known character. Certain rhetorical devices used in it, specifically logos appeals, would be effective to a wide range of audience members looking for a cost-effective car insurance plan. Other audiences for this advertisement, although unintended, are people watching the online and television programs on which this commercial is being played and other insurance companies looking to compete with Progressive Corporation’s marketing.

However, Advertisement 2 aims at a much more specific audience, that of the millennial generation. This commercial makes mostly pathos appeals relating to issues prominent in the politics of millennials. Additional audiences for this advertisement are, again, people watching the online and television programs on which this commercial is being played and other insurance companies looking to compete with Progressive Corporation’s marketing.

Ethos

Advertisement 1 bases its ethos appeal in the character of Flo. At the time of this advertisement’s production, 2012, this character had been a marketing tool used by Progressive Corporation for four years, making her an iconic figure related to the company. Given Flo’s status at this time, her appeal as a reliable figure for information was high, creating a valid appeal to ethos in the commercial.

Advertisement 2 uses characters that, although they are not well-known to the audience, are relatable and whose actions are honorable enough to make them trustworthy to the audience. The ways in which they portray good character is through their actions that are most agreeable to the millennial audience, making them suitable figures for effectual ethos appeal in this commercial.

Pathos

Flo’s character, while also being informative, relies heavily on humor in order to appeal to pathos. For example, in Advertisement 1 Flo appears to create an awkward rhyme at the end of her descriptive speech about Progressive Corporation’s loyalty program. This charming and relatable instance is humorously paired with both the preconceived notion of the familiar audience that Flo is a comical character and the uncomfortable, yet likeable, expressions made by the character. This instance is effectively comical and creates a successful pathos appeal in the advertisement.

The Apron Project campaign ad appeals to a different type of pathos from that of the Flo commercial. In Advertisement 2, the audience is introduced to working class characters of marginalized identities trying to better their communities through honest work growing healthy food. These characters work to evoke empathy from an audience that is expected to care about social issues, such as obesity and poverty. This calling to pathos is compelling in this advertisement and creates a valid appeal to its target audience.

Logos

In Advertisement 1, additional logical appeals are made to the audience, unlike the purely emotional appeals made in Advertisement 2. Advertisement 1 begins with Flo explaining the economical benefits of choosing Progressive Corporation’s insurance, especially as a long-term plan, while Advertisement 2 gives no such explanation of the company’s actual policies or perks. These appeals given in Advertisement 1 make perfect sense for an audience whose interest is most likely saving money on insurance, an asset that can be costly to most buyers, making them ideal given the target audience.

Exigence

The first advertisement, featuring Flo, was created at a time when advertising for the company had become monotonous and unamusing. Other insurance companies, such as Geico, had entertaining commercials with jingles and mascots that buyers could remember while looking for an insurance plan. This made it an optimal time for Progressive Corporation to come out with their own memorable marketing tool in order to compete. The company was able to do this with their large budget for the commercial’s production and successfully was able to create an ad campaign that was simple enough to jam into minute long filmed commercials and to be posted on picture ad featured on billboards and in magazines.

The second advertisement was created as the millennial generation came of insurance-buying age. The marketers for Progressive Corporation clearly did their research on the interests of millennials and were able to create an ad campaign catering to those interests. Like in the first Progressive Corporation ad campaign, the second was fueled by the large budget of the company to spend on advertising and was successful in its ability to create an ad that could both be impactful and fit into a minute long commercial or be simplified as an image to be used on  billboards and in magazines.

Effectiveness

Advertisement 1 was lucrative in its marketing effectiveness. It produced a cult marketing campaign that has withstood 10 years of use. Flo proved to be a popular figure among audience members and was able to utilize ethos, pathos, and logos appeals to create a convincing advertisement for Progressive Corporation.

Advertisement 2 was also an effective marketing campaign. Although it did not become as widely known as the Flo campaigns, the Apron Project campaigns employed the resources of Progressive Corporation at an ideal time to create advertisements tastefully appealing to the millennial generation.

-BS

[makingmediameta]

Lucky Charms Cereal Box Analysis

Metadata

Lucky Charms is considered to be one of the more well-known, staple cereals that is targeted towards a younger demographic and their parents. Produced by General Mills Food Company, the cereal is packaged a signature bold, ruby red color intended to attract attention throughout the breakfast aisles of various supermarkets and grocery stores. The red is contrasted by the deep, emerald green of the hat and suit of the iconic character, Lucky the Leprechaun who is featured front and center along with the cereal product. The name of the cereal is listed in large, gold font accented with sparkles and a hint of a rainbow in the graphic design.

Quality/Graphics

The quality of this advertisement is better than average. The concept of the advertisement campaign goes hand in hand with the concept of the actual product. The description of the cereal listed on the box is “frosted toasted oat cereal with marshmallows”. General Mills takes advantage of this unique cereal and builds an advertisement theme around the product, specifically the marshmallow aspect of the cereal. The rainbow visual and the branch-like patterns embedded into the red background depicted in the graphics alludes to Lucky the Leprechaun discovering and marveling over a pot of Lucky Charms while in the forest. The implication being that Lucky Charms is the treasure that Lucky intended to find.

Analysis

The purpose of this ad is to attract and expose consumers to Lucky Charms Cereal. The cereal brand claims to be “magically delicious”, as mentioned in the Lucky Charms slogan. This slogan also plays on the narrative of their advertisement series (both on TV and in the products). The specific decision to use the word “magically” creates a connection between Lucky’s search for Lucky Charms (magic because he himself is a leprechaun and leprechauns are known as fictional creatures that are usually associated with valuable items such as gold, luck, and treasure), and the Lucky Charms. Specifically referring to the marshmallows in the cereal, shaped and colored to resemble rainbows, horseshoes, hearts, moons, hourglasses, and so on. The consistent plotline and theme for Lucky Charms has been a consistent in the cereal’s advertisements and utilizes pathos through nostalgia and familiarity in order to draw in consumers (both old and new), as well as attracting new consumers by the means of mere exposure. In addition, the blue top of the box emphasizes whole grain as an important ingredient to the cereal product. Diagonally below this is a set of infographics that easily communicate the nutritional facts for each serving and present a sense of transparency. These features would be a logos appeal to parents who are looking to buy a relatively healthy breakfast for their children, or adults who are health conscious and looking for a cereal to buy for themselves.

Persuasiveness

Because the target audience is mainly aimed towards a younger demographic, I would say that the ad does a pretty decent job at utilizing graphics, emotional tone, and perception of the product and its surrounding aspects, and is successful in persuading consumers to purchase their product. The bright colors, enlarged pictures, eye-catching design attracts attention. The showcasing of Lucky the Leprechaun being excited and in awe to discover Lucky Charms communicates excitement and provokes curiosity to the audience. The motif of the vibrant, and fun aspect of the marshmallows and connection of the overall theme of the brand also persuades the audience to try the product everyone else is eating (bandwagon) and to keep coming back.

-AL

[makingmediameta]

Visual Rhetorical Analysis: Coca-Cola at the Super Bowl in the 2010s

“The Wonder of Us” – 2018:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OPi9nTE70aA

“American The Beautiful” – 2014:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RiMMpFcy-HU

“The Wonder of Us” – 2018:

Coca-Cola’s latest advertisement, titled The Wonder of Us, was released in February 2018 during the Super Bowl for a targeted audience of liberal young adults including members and allies of the LGBTQ+ community, the disabled community, those of Islamic faith, and other identities that are often and unfortunately marginalized in the Kairos of a post-Trump America.

It presents a montage of different people from various backgrounds and lifestyles; although this is practically very simple to create, the overall quality is professional and decent enough. Perhaps the simplicity of the editing enables their message of solidarity to appear clearer.

Despite the ad’s positive message of inclusivity, which I do support, it is fair for one to be critical of Coca-Cola for their polarizing history of exploiting workers in the Global South and for utilizing the Kairos of LGBTQ+ representation only now that it is profitable.

The purpose of the ad is to appear inclusive of as many marginalized groups of people (LGBTQ+, disabled, Muslim, etc.) as possible in order to attract a larger audience. “No one has lived the life you live,” is the primary point of the advertisement; every single person is unique, and that is something that Coca-Cola claims to value rather than discriminate against. It supports this argument by presenting various shots of people who often go unrecognized in our society, such as a non-binary transgender person who uses neutral pronouns, a happy Muslim mother and child, an athlete in a wheelchair, and a lesbian couple, under a monologue read by various people who all highlight the importance of diversity. This commercial appeals to Coca-Cola’s credibility by presenting them as a culturally-competent corporation who champions diversity. The statement that we are all unique and live different lives from one another is a logical one, that even an outright bigoted person cannot disprove. But more than anything, the ad appeals to emotion by preaching a positive message of inclusivity.

Overall, Coca-Cola successfully makes themselves look like a company that is competent with modern LGBTQ+ communities by including a non-binary gendered person and a lesbian couple, as well as a company that is accepting of other cultures, backgrounds, and ranges of mobility. Though they have a history of problematic practices that contradict these messages, the general liberal public will likely praise and support them for using their Super Bowl commercial slot to generate awareness for marginalized communities.

“America The Beautiful” – 2014:

Coca-Cola’s America The Beautiful advertisement was released during the Super Bowl in 2014, four years prior to The Wonder of US. This ad also has a similar message and targeted demographic: a message of inclusivity towards all directed to moderate-to-liberal adults in the United States. However, there is an important distinction, for this ad is a lot more nationalistic with its visuals and pathos. A montage of many people from different ethnicities and countries enjoying various activities is shown, while a multilingual version of America The Beautiful is played throughout the ad.

The quality of this advertisement is on par with that of The Wonder of Us; both are simple montages of various people leisurely engaging in activities they enjoy. America The Beautiful’s use of nationalistic imagery and music has the potential of leaving a strong impact on patriotic American citizens, but I personally cannot confirm that. Both ads do a decent enough job at presentation, but in the end, there is nothing too special that makes either stand out, especially at a time when millions of viewers are tuning in to look for creative commercials.

The purpose of this is to attract a patriotic American audience and promote a message supporting worldwide tolerance and equity. Since the only audio in the ad is the multilingual version of the song American The Beautiful, there are no verbally made claims but the video still makes many points. The most blatant one being that America is beautiful, as the hashtag at the end fully spells it out. However, it is hard to say Coca-Cola supports this point fully since a large amount of their footage is not shot in America, rather in many other countries. I would argue that there is something intrinsic about this imagery as if Coca-Cola is asserting that all of these other nations fall under America’s reign; this would certainly reflect their exploitative practices with other companies like Nestlé in the Global South. In regards to credibility, Coca-Cola does manage to make themselves appear fairly moderate here, for they are presenting themselves as tolerant and inclusive, as well as patriotic and nationalistic. It certainly aims to evoke strong emotions of pride from those who identify with the American imagery, and perhaps those from the other countries presented but not as actively (it is at least my opinion, as a Brazilian immigrant, that the few seconds of the young kids playing soccer in Brazil didn’t feel genuine or memorable to me).

Because of that, I believe that this advertisement is only effective in persuading a politically moderate American audience that strongly identifies with patriotic imagery. I do not mean this as a fault since that is still a very large audience, but it appeared that they also wanted to appeal to non-Americans and that I believe is where they performed poorly.

In a way, these two advertisements are simultaneously very similar and very different in regards to presentation. Both focus on inclusivity, one through a speech, the other through multiple languages, and both through visual depictions of diversity. The biggest difference is the inclusion of a staunchly nationalistic and patriotic message in the earlier ad. It successfully conveys this message with the song America The Beautiful, the patriotic visuals, and the hashtag #AmericaIsBeautiful, however, I believe that this results in an ad that fewer people can connect with, at least in comparison to The Wonder of Us.

Works Cited

“Coca-Cola | The Wonder of Us :60.” YouTube, uploaded by Coca-Cola. 1 Feb 2018.

“Coke Super Bowl Commercial 2014 ‘America The Beautiful’ [HD] Coca Cola.” YouTube, uploaded by Vassar Drive Music. 4 Feb 2014.

- VA

[makingmediameta]

Visual Rhetorical Analysis: Wix Editor

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Advertisement 1: https://youtu.be/irYluSTChIY

Advertisement 2: https://youtu.be/fm0niWTJRDs

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

For my rhetorical analysis, I decided to analyze Wix Editor: an online service that allows user-friendly methods for those with even minimal computer knowledge to create aesthetically pleasing websites for a variety of purposes. There were actually a number of Wix advertisement videos that I wanted to analyze (including one featuring the characters from Kung Fu Panda) but for the sake of this assignment I settled for these two videos that effectively depicts significant contrast in terms of intended audience, message, graphics, while simultaneously advertising the same product and service.

 Advertisement 1 (broadcasted as a YouTube Ad): In the first video, we are introduced to a young woman who addresses the audience directly and is eager to show us her new Wix Editor website and all of its features. Those who don’t know this woman can infer that she is quite technologically savvy, seeing as how there is a set of speakers, a pair of headphones, and a microphone on her desk in addition to the large Mac desktop that she is using to demonstrate her website on. In the background, we see another set of speakers on a shelf along with a drone looking device, and to the right of the frame, there is a camera and lighting area set up. This may hint to the audience that she is a creator of some sort. Eventually, we see that she is indeed a content creator and YouTube influencer: Justine Ezarik, also known by her handle, iJustine. Her channel features videos of her trying out and reviewing digital devices, cooking, and collaborating with other YouTube influencers.

 Continuing with her demonstration of Wix Editor features, Justine specifies that photos appear in “an amazing high resolution” emphasizing that everything must look “professional”. This helps create an important connection with the audience using logos and ethos. Although being a YouTube influencer is somewhat unconventional, Justine is still an entrepreneur and business owner in her own right and still requires platforms in order to share content in a way that new audiences and employers can easily access. This is a logical appeal since it applies to the majority of the general population who are also generating and transporting content digitally now. If Wix is as easy and simple to use as claimed then why shouldn’t other entrepreneurs and businesses take advantage of such minimal efforts that produce such visually pleasing and rewarding results?

 Ethos is also used in this advertisement. As a well-known tech enthusiast, and trusted icon who built a large following, Justine has a great deal of credibility that strengthens the claim and argument of why one should purchase and use Wix Editor. Those that already know of her would be familiar with her character, and the integrity of her work. If those are both respectable and positive then what she chooses to endorse and associate with her brand would also have to be of the same quality.

 The language of this advertisement is very clear and straightforward. Justine instructs the audience, describing simple methods in which they can choose templates, change fonts, pictures, add social media links, and web page structure using easy vernacular. The corresponding graphics are also very simple and visually show just how easy it would be to create a website from scratch using the tools and resources provided by Wix.

Advertisement 2 (Director’s Cut- broadcasted on TV during the 2017 Super Bowl): The second video is noticeably more cinematic, likely due to the fact that it was broadcasted on TV during the Super Bowl and anticipated a larger audience. For this advertisement, Wix recruited three figures: Chez Felix who is a gourmet chef, Gal Gadot who is best known for her role in Wonder Woman and Jason Statham who is notorious for his roles in action blockbusters. We start the video with Felix in a kitchen creating a website for his restaurant while outside, all of the tables are packed with customers enjoying their meals. Suddenly a group of men comes in seemingly looking for trouble and get into a fight with Gal and Jason who are each dining at different tables. This causes the restaurant to go into flames but gives Felix the idea to become a “to-go” establishment, then adjusting his website and opening up a food truck company. This food establishment is then once again taken over by Gal and Jason on another mission to get away from enemies, leading the food truck to be driven off the side of a cliff and into the water. This leads to the conversion of Felix’s food truck to a yacht restaurant.

 The tone and purpose of this advertisement are different than the previous video. Whereas the ad with Justine was very straight-forward, light, simple, yet entertaining and effective, this video has a narrative and a plot line with characters, complex settings, and circumstances. This was likely meant to keep the viewers’ attention. In addition, the creators of this ad probably took into account that their intended audience would be those who enjoy characteristics and themes relating to football since they planned to broadcast during the Super Bowl.  These traits include excitement, suspense, and action which are all themes that the second ad encompasses.

 That being said, pathos plays a pretty huge role in this advertisement. This is built upon through the language, graphics, and humor.  While there is less dialogue in this ad than the previous one, the graphics make up for it. The video, the framing, and the pacing all created a sense of urgency, suspense, and action. The actors themselves embody physical ability, empowerment, and dominance. All of which are emotions that the advertisement is trying to associate with their product and communicate to the audience.

  The message of this ad is best said by the voiceover at the end, “To succeed in a disruptive world, Wix makes it easy to create your own stunning website”. While the message in the first ad was to demonstrate how easy and nice Wix Editor was to use, the message of this second advertisement is more so along the lines of how Wix is going to help you get ahead and adapt to whatever changes and obstacles come your way.

 In the end, with the first ad, the intended audience is people on the internet who also have the potential and possible desire to create, upload, and display content in an easy, efficient, and user-friendly manner. With the second ad, the intended audience is/was people watching the Super Bowl. The Wix company had to figure out a way to appeal to a wider range of audience who associated with football. This led to a less talking and more doing approach and execution of the ad. Both ads also featured select endorsers who fell into specific niches in regard to connecting and relating back to the with the audience. Overall, both commercials were interesting to be and were effective enough that I myself, went to go check out Wix and its services.

-AL

[makingmediameta]

Visual Rhetorical Analysis: Poo-Pourri

here are many reasons that an advertisement can be memorable. Some advertisements make a mark for themselves by being romantically-themed, or comedic, or a little bit gross. However, Poo-Pourri, the "'Before-You-Go' Toilet Spray" managed to include all three of those elements into their genius advertising campaign. As the tagline suggests, Poo-Pourri is a liquid that can be spritzed onto the surface of the toilet water inside the bowl before one uses the restroom, and the film the liquid creates keeps in the odor. I personally do not know anybody who owns a bottle of Pou-Pourri, however, I have seen it in several office buildings, and know that it actually works very well. This is bizarre, as the advertisements are so ridiculous that the product appears to be fake (and if it did exist, it would not work as well as the advertisements lead consumers to believe). In this analysis, I will be looking at two advertisements for Poo-Pourri from the perspective of somebody who has, in fact, used the product and knows of its effectiveness. I will be identifying metadata, including the context, timeliness, and expected audience. In doing that, I will make an arguable claim about the quality of the advertisements by analyzing what makes them effective, and determine the persuasiveness of the advertisement.

In the first advertisement, "Girls Don't Poop", we open up with a posh upper-class looking British woman (clothed in a pretty blue dress) sitting in a bathroom stall. In a proper British accent, she immediately says, "You would not believe the mother-lode I just dropped." This already sets the general tone of the advertising campaign for Poo-Pourri. The woman, in extremely and unnecessarily colorful language, explains how difficult it can be to use the restroom in public or shared spaces. This is a concept that many people can understand and relate to. There are plenty of times where somebody may be uncomfortable using the bathroom due to embarrassment regarding the odors created. While remaining seated on the toilet, she continues to describe her bathroom habits, and giving examples about where one may be able to relate about smells (at work, at a party, or a significant others' residence). Most people can relate to those examples, and think "Oh yes, I would be embarrassed if I stank up the office bathroom" or, "I would be a social pariah if I made the restroom at a party smell" and possibly "My significant other would drop me like a bad habit if I destroyed the lovely lavender scent of the restroom". Perhaps these would not be the literal thoughts of consumers, however, many of us can relate to these thoughts in one way or another. The context derives itself from the problem presented: What happens if you do not want to stink up the bathroom? The woman dashes away all other possible solutions by saying "Of course, flushing removes the graphic evidence. Maybe two or three flushes if your skid marks are as tenacious as mine" and "Aerosol air fresheners aren't the most effective option, or the healthiest, trying to mask the stench, giving you a nice blend of chem-lab carnations with just a touch of feces?" Once again the language is extremely colorful, but the point made is an excellent one. Many consumers have used spray air fresheners, and many consumers know that they are not one-hundred percent effective.Then comes the clincher of the advertisement: Poo-Pourri (which is a play on potpourri, which are aromatic dried flowers). The advertisement continues as any would, explaining how the product works and how it is used, which I have already done. One line that I find to be very funny is that late in the commercial, she says "Yes, it is a real product." This brings a certain self-awareness to the commercial, commenting on its outrageous nature.

The second commercial to be analyzed is the "Even Santa Poops" advertisement. This is a Christmas-themed commercial, and declares a specific timeliness. This advertisement is meant to be aired and viewed around Christmastime, but the twist is that it definitely lacks in Christmas cheer. Santa is shown delivering presents, but he then runs to the house's restroom. Santa Claus lets out a series of gurgles and grunts as he relieves himself. Like the last commercial, this one creates a paradox between the charming (the pretty British woman/Santa) and the disgusting (human excrement), creating a very funny scene. Soon, the children of the household file in, discovering Santa on the toilet, saying that they found him because of the stench he was making. Unlike the last commercial, this one seems to be telling a story of the problem, rather than hypothetical problems being presented. Instead of the woman explaining to us the problems of making a smell in the bathroom, we are shown an example of how embarrassing it can be. This is accentuated by the quips the children give, such as "I was dreaming of sugar plums, then along came the ghost of Christmas ass". As the other children file in to discover Santa on the toilet, he becomes more embarrassed and irritated, mirroring the real world embarrassment and irritation one might experience if their bathroom excursion becomes exceedingly noticeable. As the stress comes to a head, the children tell Santa about the miracle that is Poo-Pourri, which could have caused the entire crisis to be averted. A consumer might think, "Wow! I am not Santa Claus, however, I can only imagine the embarrassment I could experience if I did not have Poo-Pourri! I will buy some to avoid terrible situations, like the one Santa is in". Again, these may not be the literal thoughts, but a consumer might think something along those lines. At the end, the British woman returns to explain where to buy the product by singing the information, keeping with the Christmas theme.

Before commenting on the obvious messages being communicated through these advertisements, there is a detail that I think is worth pointing out. One being that the spokeswoman is wearing a blue dress. Blue reminds consumers of cleanliness, and when this spotless blue dress is clashed on dull colors, there is a subconscious message of Poo-Pourri equaling the one thing to make your bathroom cleaner.

The context of both advertisements is essentially this: You are an average consumer, and you want to make your bathroom not smell bad after you use the toilet, what should you do? This context for Poo-Pourri seems to make it a living necessity. Both advertisements seem to still be relevant with the modern era, despite "Girls Don't Poop" being about four years old, and "Even Santa Poops" being about three years old. They have kept their comedy relatively timeless, by being somewhat dirty under a guise of posh linguistics. However, the Christmas advertisement, as I mentioned before, seems the most applicable to Christmastime. The expected audience is most likely adults who want their home bathrooms, or business bathrooms to smell better. As I mentioned, I personally have seen bottles of Poo-Pourri dotted around business bathrooms, in place of aerosol air fresheners. However, the target audience can be narrowed down to woman as well, due to the fact that the product is small enough to fit in handbags. The name of the first commercial, "Girls Don't Poop", alludes to the idea that if women carried Poo-Pourri with them everywhere they went, nobody would ever know they used the restroom due to the lack of a stench.

I think that the quality of these commercials is very high. The humor is quick-witted and fast-moving, so that the audience never has a second to realize that every single joke spoken is essentially a poop joke. The fancy British woman does an excellent job, being very tongue-and-cheek with her dialogue and selling the product effectively. As I mentioned, there is a juxtaposition of a proper British woman looking very well put together, talking about her feces. This paradox is extremely funny, and so funny that she has to confirm that the commercial is real, and the product exists. This juxtaposition is also present in the Christmas ad, as Santa Claus is supposed to be a pure and wholesome icon, yet he also is using the toilet and needs Poo-Pourri. The commercial does a good job explaining how the product works, and why a consumer should let it solve their problems.

I have analyzed both commercials above, but a brief summary seems necessary. The purpose of the advertisements are to generate buzz about the product, and they accomplish it due to their outrageous nature. The main points and claims of the advertisements are that Poo-Pourri can solve the issue of a smelly bathroom, post-use. These points are substantiated through an easy-to-understand explanation on how the product works. The argument type utilized is almost entirely emotion, along with some logic and a small amount of credibility. Poo-Pourri was (and still is) a fairly new product, so other than offering a money-back guarantee, there was no way for customers to know the credibility of the product. However, the explanations on why it works appeals to the logic in consumers, and the wacky humor takes up the lion's share of the commercials (especially "Girls Don't Poop").

To conclude, I find this commercial to be extremely persuasive. Some brands utilize an easy-to-recognize logo to help consumers remember their products. Some brands utilize slogans or jingles to keep the brand name floating in people's heads. Poo-Pourri does not need either of those, the advertising campaign itself is so unique and funny, that Poo-Pourri will be remembered for a long time.

- NC

[makingmediameta]

Visual Rhetorical Analysis: Nissan

https://youtu.be/6p0GLGwQIRQ

https://youtu.be/JhGFnARzXk4

The two commercials I chose for this assignment are the 2008 Nissan Altima “Running Late” Commercial and the 2017 Nissan Heisman House “Teboween” Commercial. Both commercials are advertising related products: one a Nissan Altima and the other a Nissan Armada. There is about a ten-year gap between the airing of these two commercials, and their intended audiences and quality are very different.

The first commercial: the Nissan Altima “Running Late” Commercial aired in 2008 and highlights the durability of the car. The commercial’s intention is to persuade its viewers to buy their product, the Nissan Altima. It focuses on the mechanics of the car, especially its safety features which specifically emphasizes the durability of the Nissan Altima. When purchasing a car, the first thing that comes to mind is whether the car is a safe vehicle for yourself or your family. By mentioning the safety measures included with the car, it demonstrates that it is a safe car and influences the viewers to buy the car. The audience is obviously potential buyers. I think that families could also be part of the audience. Since it emphasizes the car’s security, it would appeal more towards parents looking for a safe car for themselves and their family or a car for one of their children, who might have just passed their driving test or has an upcoming birthday. The commercial also predominantly focuses on the car itself and solely advertises the Nissan Altima. Paying specific attention to the details and features of the car, including the close ups in the commercial helps to advertise their product. Including a narrator during the commercial adds additional content that explains more in detail the positive effects of owning a Nissan Altima. Only once does it include a person with the car, which is at the very end of the commercial. This last part of the commercial, when the female actor closes the door of her Altima with her shoe, is ironic. It uses humor because she jokingly slams the door with her heel and then goes back and wipes the spot where her heel touched the car. It emphasizes power and that the car can withstand anything, such as forcibly shutting the car door with your foot. However, by going back and checking the spot where she kicked the door, it emphasizes remorse and portrays that a car is still delicate and although it is very durable, it should not be treated carelessly.

As for quality of the commercial, I think the transition from portraying the car on the test track to a realistic visual on the road, is a concept that is very effective. After discussing the durability of the Nissan Altima at the manufacturing company, it displays an actual car on a real road. It takes its product and demonstrates its potential value in the real world during modern day situations. The commercial would not have been effective if it had only included video of the car in the manufacturing stage. Without seeing how the car runs outside the manufacturing company, it would not be possible to know if the commercial was just mentioning facts and features to gain an audience. The connection between manufacturing and product is prudential when it comes to appealing to potential buyers.

The second commercial: the Nissan Heisman House “Teboween” commercial aired in 2017. I think that the purpose of this commercial is to use a popular figure to bring in viewers and then showcase their product. This commercial appeals to pathos and primarily focuses on humor throughout the advertisement. Tim Tebow is a well-known public figure, and he gains a large following in the public eye, whether that be on television or social media. Since he is in the commercial, there is somewhat of a guarantee that many people will watch it. Even if one does not see the commercial on television, they will probably hear about it from someone else or through social media. I first saw this ad on my Facebook feed. By adding a Nissan Armada in the background, Nissan will gain more exposure for their product. The message to the audience could be that if Tebow drives a Nisan Armada, so should I. This commercial’s appeal is to current sports fans and athletes. It specifically reaches out to those that are football fans because Nissan partners with Heisman House in this commercial. Heisman House commercials typically air during football games because it features well-known football players (former Heisman trophy winners). Not only does Tebow gain exposure from this commercial, it also endorses the other former Heisman trophy winners. I think it is an effective commercial because most likely men, fathers, and their sons will be watching it. The reason it would be so effective is because the men of the family are typically the ones who make the decision of what car to purchase. If the commercial is successful in gaining the interest of a parent or potential buyer, he or she is more likely to buy the commercialized car.

Regarding the quality of the commercial, I do not think it is completely effective in selling the product, the Nissan Armada. It focuses more on Tim Tebow rather than the car. Instead, the car is used as a prop. Tebow only stands beside the car but never actually drives it. So, there is no mention of the features of the car. It is basically just there to look pretty and stays in the background throughout the entire commercial. It is a deception on what the commercial is trying to sell. I think that Tebow distracts the viewers and deviates from the original intention of the commercial. It is clever to include a well-known individual in a commercial, but I think the viewers become too focused on Tebow that they miss what the commercial is trying to promote. Although the commercial does not do the greatest job of promoting the car, it does promote Tebow’s success. Tebow’s friends wear jerseys of the teams he played for, such as the Florida Gators, the Denver Broncos, the New York Jets, the New England Patriots, and even a #15 baseball jersey which is referring to his current baseball career. Even former Florida Gators quarterback, Danny Wuerffel, dresses up as shirtless Tebow. Although it is a creative commercial, it does not effectively advertise its product.

-KK

[makingmediameta]

Budweiser Super Bowl Commercials

Budweiser Ads:

 Super Bowl 2015 Ad: https://youtu.be/TPKgC8KPBMg

 Super Bowl 2018 Ad: https://youtu.be/CxGUmtRLm5g

              Both advertisements are intended to be shown on American national television during the Super Bowl; one was shown in 2015, while the other is scheduled to be televised during this upcoming Super Bowl. The context, namely the date, of the former is not quite as important as important as it is in the case of the latter ad, which I will explain shortly. However, before I address the importance of context, I would like to add that the audience of both ads is roughly the same-that audience being a large population of the United States. This also means that we can expect these ads to cater to American cultures, current events, and ways of thinking. For instance, the ad designated for the 2018 Super Bowl depicts Budweiser responding to some sort of natural disaster or crisis to produce canned water in order to aid the relief efforts. The context matters here, because it specifically references Texas, Florida, California, and Puerto Rico, meaning that this ad was intended for American audiences that would either personally affected or invested in these disasters. Therefore, it makes sense to air this commercial where it is most likely to be viewed by a large number of people who will most likely be American and would get the reference. I also think it prudent to mention up front that the context of being in a Western culture is largely the reason why the puppy is such an effective rhetorical device. I will touch on this again when analyzing the various appeals. However, and in a broad sense, it is also appropriate for Budweiser to go through the trouble of airing a commercial for the Super Bowl, because some of their most loyal consumers (and other beer fanatics alike) are those who will be watching the game along with all its accompanying commercials.

           As for an arguable claim on quality, it should be fairly obvious that commercials aired during the Super Bowl are often the very best a company has to offer. As such, both commercials are of high quality, and so exhaustively crafted, that they are quite cinematic in nature. Indeed, Budweiser’s Super Bowl commercials leave little to be desired in the realm of quality and what is left is, more often than not, a simple matter of taste.

             Both commercials were created with the intent to sell a product to a given audience. In other words, they were designed to persuade rather than to explain. As such, little to no logic is presented within these commercials. In the 2015 ad, a farmer loses his puppy while transporting horses; eventually, the puppy finds its way back to his owner with the help of the iconic Budweiser Clydesdales. The puppy is framed as the man’s “bud.” In the 2018 ad, disaster strikes, but Budweiser is quick to act by supplying canned water to people in need of aid. The closing scene shows a Budweiser employee and his wife gazing proudly at him.  

             I will begin by first analyzing the appeals of the 2015 Ad featuring the lost puppy. Before addressing the obvious emotional appeals, I would like to discuss how Budweiser framed this commercial in such a way as to bolster their credibility. They do not make overt attempts to do so; instead, they purposely chose a middle-class farmer to represent a reliable, trustworthy, and hardworking individual. Though it is hard to imagine a company or corporation as being hardworking, the deliberate framing nonetheless implies a connection between the two. The farmer also symbolizes the kind of people we envision built our country- hardworking and virtuous individuals which Budweiser would like is audience to believe they are. Farmers also often represent the backbone of many societies, and Budweiser is certainly playing into these intuitions for this commercial. However, the majority of commercial functions on the basis of making strong appeals to emotion, particularly sympathy. As viewers, we are supposed to empathize with the puppy. It is important to note that Budweiser chose a puppy, because in Western cultures, we value dogs as close companions and often mourn their death as we would that of a human companion. Many animal rights groups play into these sympathies during their campaigns which helps us to understand just how pervasive and canon this appeal is in Western culture. Additionally, the choice of song is very important and appropriate for this commercial. Budweiser opted for an emotional song and took this a step further by using a cover of the song that is slower and less upbeat to match the mood even better.

             The 2018 commercial employs several methods of gaining both credibility and sympathy. Budweiser is sure to place their logo wherever possible to drive home the brand name and identity associated with this iconic beer company. Additionally, it shows a staged Budweiser factory in Cartersville and labels the name of the General Manager of the plant on-screen. Though we probably don’t know where Cartersville is or who Kevin Fahrenkrog is, we are still put at some ease knowing where this plant is located. It is also important to note that, at the very least, Cartersville sounds American which is important, because Americans are very patriotic and supportive of homegrown and operated businesses; being able to display “Made in America” is a badge of honor in the corporate world. Budweiser creates compelling appeals by depicting a response to real disasters in America. This appeals to citizen’s humanitarian nature and evokes their pity for these people in hope of creating conditions for viewers to respect and admire Budweiser for their efforts. Finally, the song choice is a perfect fit for the commercial. It has a double-effect in that it represents Budweiser’s determination to stand by those affected by this past year’s natural disasters while simultaneously imploring viewers to “stand by” Budweiser as a respectable and dependable beer company.

             Both these ads do much to win the hearts of their audiences, and often, it is easy to forget that one is watching a commercial when viewing these advertisements. Part of the reason these ads were so effective is due to their ability to play into American culture and norms to reach deep and evoke sympathy. Additionally, these ads display patriotism during a time when Americans are feeling rather patriotic, the Super Bowl. Another, key feature in both commercials was the excellent song choice to stimulate the viewer both visually and aurally.

-JM

[makingmediameta]

Super Bowl Commercials

During the annual Super Bowl game, not only is the halftime show and the football game itself a reason to tune in on your television to watch, but it’s also for the amazing commercials that companies make specifically to be aired during the Super Bowl. This past year during the Super Bowl Game of 2017 there were two commercials that aired. Video 1 is an advertisement by the Avocados from Mexico Company and Video 2 was created by the Kia Motors, which is a car manufacturing company. The links to the videos and the breakdown of each are listed below.

Video 1: https://youtu.be/U90bDUi6RfI

Video 2: https://youtu.be/pVxmT2x3Od4

1.      Metadata: Both Video 1 and 2 aired on live television during the Super Bowl of 2017 on Sunday, February 5th.

a.       Video 1 is an advertisement for avocados that are sourced from Mexico, hence the company name of Avocados from Mexico. The commercial is essentially a secret society who is behind all of the world’s conspiracies. One of these conspiracies is subliminal advertising, which they themselves become victims of by suddenly being huddled close together and enjoying guacamole. Video 1 is humorous and appeals to a wide range of audiences, namely younger generation, those who live a healthy lifestyle, those who wish to be healthier, and those who like party foods by making guacamole an example of something delicious and made from avocados. The humor of the secret society falling victim to subliminal advertising themselves makes it all the more appealing to all audiences since it elicits at least a good chuckle because it’s a relatable situation.

b.      Video 2 is an advertisement for the new Kia Niro that is marketed as eco-friendly. Melissa McCarthy, a household name in comedy, is the lead role for this commercial where she is called in as an eco-warrior to save the whales, trees, rhinos, and ice caps while getting seriously hurt each time. Every distress call comes from the Bluetooth in the Kia she is driving. The ending message is “it’s hard to be an eco-warrior, but it’s easy to drive like one.” This type of commercial is towards a portion of the populace who is pro-environment as well as satisfy those who want to save money on gas due to the eco-friendly feature that makes the car unique. Also, music choice of Footloose “Hero” appealed to both the context of the commercial as well as the older generation of audiences who grew up on that movie and its music.

2.      Quality: Both commercials are written with the diverse viewership of the Annual Super Bowl in mind, so the commercials pull all the stops in making sure the video is entertaining with relatable humor, thus creating a memorable commercial that all viewers will remember and enjoy while waiting to watch the game again.

3.      Analyze:

a.       The purpose of Video 1 and Video 2 was to persuade viewers/consumers through humor and relatable experiences to purchase avocados (Video 1) and the 2017 Kia Niro (Video 2). Specifically, those who are more liberal-minded or trendy since eco-friendliness and avocados/healthiness are popular fashion trends in current society. The video employed the pathos of relatable humor because of commercials or subliminal advertising in television shows that create a subliminal urge to purchase or consume the product. The combination of humor and relatability make the commercial into a credible advertisement for the viewer since it connects with the viewer and produces trust through humor (placing them at ease and appealing to the joys of humor) as well as the commercial admitting to a real problem of the dangers of subliminal advertising.

b.      The main point(s)/claims of Video 1 were that avocados are delicious and great party foods for sharing since they can be made into guacamole dip. It also displays that guacamole brings people together since all of the characters in the commercial were initially spread apart and in chaotic paranoia and disagreement. After the “subliminal messages” stint, they are all huddled close together and enjoying the guacamole. /// The main point(s)/claims of Video 2 were that being eco-friendly doesn’t have to be so hard when all you have to do is buy the new Kia Niro since it is an eco-friendly vehicle. This is shown through the depiction of Melissa McCarthy being beaten up by every eco-warrior assignment when all she wants to do is drive her new Kia Niro. Thus, if you want to save the planet, you should drive the Kia Niro. The commercial employed humor based pathos along with drawing lines and making a point through the humorous pathos to create a logos means of persuasion since after all the humor was over, the commercial stated “it’s hard to be an eco-warrior, but it’s easy to drive like one” and suggesting through logic that all you have to do is drive the Kia Niro to be an eco-warrior. The logical appeal is used after the humorous pathos connects with the audience, making it easier for the logical appeal to their desires to save the environment all the more persuasive.

4.      Persuasiveness: Both advertisements were successful displays of humor that appealed to the Super Bowl audience through their uniqueness and masterful displays of humor that were designed to appeal to a wide range of viewers considering that almost all of America views the Super Bowl and/or partakes in Super Bowl parties with friends and family. The creative nature was essential in connecting with this audience that covered a wide range of generations and still remained generic with its targets while also being specific at the same time. Although these are two different ads, they were both created with Super Bowl viewers in mind, thus they have the common themes of popular humor to connect and build trust with the viewer and increase their products reach and memorability for when the consumer is shopping for their next item, whether it be a new eco-friendly car from the dealership or a shareable avocados for guacamole dip to serve at a party and bring the party together. All in all, these are very persuasive and masterfully constructed commercials.

-CP