Analyzing an Ad

        This is a TV ad trying to convince the audience to buy Pepsi Cola rather than Coca Cola.  It is from the Summer 2011 Pepsi ad campaign in the US.  The creators of the ad capitalized on the fact that it is summertime and on the general attitude of summer, utilizing pathos.  The Pepsi is given to the bear that is on a party boat, while the Coke is given to the bears that are sleeping on a beach.  Logos is utilized here; those who drink Pepsi will have fun.  Also, the Coke is shown in a glass bottle, whereas the Pepsi is shown in a can.  This implies that Coke is old fashioned, and the Pepsi is the more current drink.  Progression to modern times is demonstrated as the polar bear tosses away the Coke and drinks the Pepsi.  The tagline at the end “Summertime is Pepsi time” gives Pepsi the carefree feeling of summer.  The informal, singsong voice used also enhances the carefree summer feeling. The theme is that drinking Pepsi will lead to good times with family.

            This ad features two families of polar bears.  One family, the one consuming the Coke, is white and has been in the artic all summer long.  The other family, consuming Pepsi, has been on a boat and is tan.  These two are part of a larger family unit, as the cubs exclaim “Uncle Teddy!” at the sight of the tan polar bear.  This ad is a play off of the Coca Cola ads featuring the polar bears; classically, polar bears are depicted drinking Coca Cola.  Spoken words and images are interdependent upon each other to make the ad a success, though the ad would still be effective without the spoken words due to the written words at the end and the labeling of the Coke and Pepsi bottles.  At the end, “Summertime is Pepsi Time” is both sung (spoken) and written.  “Summertime is” is in a flowing, cursive font, maintaining the feel-good, carefree mood.  “Pepsi Time” is in a simple, bold font, reinforcing what the commercial is promoting.  The Pepsi logo is also shown, doing the same thing.  These rhetorical strategies work in tandem in an attempt to convince the reader that buying Pepsi will result in fun, carefree times.  

Analysis of a Cartoon

            Aptly named "Tech Support", this cartoon addresses the nightmare that is calling technical support.  The customer is having problems with his modem and knows exactly where the problem is coming from.  However, the person helping him has to follow a script.  The customer is put on the phone with a very smart woman who immediately solves the problem and gives the customer a secret password that will get him to someone who “knows a minimum of two programming languages”. These are the types of people who are really useful for tech support.  However, the customer then wakes up and realizes it was all a dream.

            This cartoon was produced in the United States online in the last few years.  The cartoon has nine frames that are all sequential.  The first eight are part of the dream, while in the last frame the main character wakes up from the dream.  The use of multiple frames allows the conflict to be more clearly developed.  Many of the xkcd comics deal with current issues.  The cartoonist, Randall Munroe, emphasizes the words by making the images extremely basic.  Most of Munroe’s comics have a similar format (emphasis on words with basic images).  According to his biography, he lives in Massachusetts.  He has worked on robots for NASA and also occasisonally writes comics for IBM. 

            The primary message is that technical support is horridly unhelpful.  The people on the other end need to take a minute to listen to the actual problem rather than simply reading their scripts.  The dialogue in the cartoon demonstrates this.  The cartoon does have a fairly serious tone, as it mainly shows conflict.  The use of serious tone makes the comic relatable to everyone who has had to call tech support.  The cartoonist relies on empathy to convey the message of the cartoon.  This use of empathy means that the cartoon will have the strongest effect on those who have had bad experiences with tech support.  However, the general public will appreciate the comic.

            The characters are drawn as stick figures; they have generic features. Some stereotypes of people who would be helpful are created, such as the engineer wearing cargo pants, or the girl with the poster.  These types of people could be classified as geeks.  The customer shows movement between each frame, while the first tech support person is lazily sitting in his chair.  Because the customer has an experimental operating system, it can be assumed he is an intelligent person.  The female tech support person is sitting upright in her chair, leaning over her computer.  These characters are probably entirely fictional, but the cartoon is based on a real event.  The computers and desks drawn are very basic, adding emphasis to the dialogue.  

             Munroe uses empathy, dialogue, and basic imagery to describe the nightmare that is tech support.  The fact that the secret word found in the 7th panel only exists in a dream implies that tech support will forever remain a bad experience.
             This comic can be found here: http://xkcd.com/806/

Examples of Rhetoric

Examples of Rhetoric

Rhetoric is everywhere we go and is in a multitude of forms from TV commercials to posters.  The main purpose is often to convince a person to join a group or buy a product.

I have seen many brightly colored posters around campus encouraging students to take part in events or join organizations.  These posters often include promises of free t shirts or free food.  Posters asking students to audition for musicals promise students do not need very much previous background and promise that students will have good times while involved in the musical.  I have received many emails from Greek Life encouraging me to rush for a sorority, promising me I will make close friends and may gain power.  TV commercials combine the best of words, images, and music, such as those pesky infomercials.  One such infomercial is the one for the PillowPet.

However, the art of rhetoric is not new.  During both of the World Wars, short phrases combined with powerful images are highly memorable examples of rhetoric.  The Committee on Public Information was created to convince Americans to support the First World War; it was so successful support of the war grew into hatred of the Germans.  This committee created the infamous “I want you” poster.

  In the same manner, the War Production Board utilized the “Rosie the Riveter” posters to convince women to participate in the war effort at home in factories, on farms, etc.

Rhetoric comes in many forms, from short, to-the-point posters, to long, eloquent speeches, such as those given by people in positions of high power.  However, it all still serves the same general purpose: to make you believe in a position or product.