Rhetorical Analysis of Online Advertisement
For this online advertisement assignment, I decided to use the “Everybody loves this car” commercial by Volkswagen. I chose this commercial because it encompasses many different types of people so that anyone watching can feel like the commercial is targeting them in specific. It also uses the three modes of persuasion, which are logos, ethos, and pathos, as outlined by Aristotle very effectively for their product.
Logos, the mode of persuasion that appeals to logic and is based on facts, is not used as frequently in this advertisement as the other two, but it still can be found in the commercial and is still used to help convince the audience to buy Volkswagen beetles. There are not really any concrete facts that are found in the commercial; the commercial is based on statements that are opinionated and not factual at all. The element of the commercial that might be closest to using logos is when the narrator lists all the different types of ethnicities and differences that exist in a given population. All the different groups of people that are mentioned are valid and actual groups that are discriminated against in real life. The commercial uses the people that depict each of their groups to convey happiness in the car. Every person is smiling either a huge grin or a smug smirk. To make the advertisement more effective, the commercial needed to utilize a more persuasive technique that appeals to one of the two other modes of persuasion.
Ethos, the mode of persuasion that appeals most to the ethical aspect of the advertisement and also deals with the credibility of the commercial creators and the company that is trying to sell the product. Volkswagen is a very credible company that has a history of creating quality automobiles. This automatically gives credibility to the commercial and draws the attention of the audience from the very beginning. The familiar shape of the Volkswagen beetle also helps to grab the audience’s attention. Another aspect that appeals to Ethos is that many activist groups can relate to all the different groups of people that were targeted in the commercial. These groups of people face real issues in society today. The narrator seems well informed about all the different groups that have faced discrimination over the years.
Pathos, the mode of persuasion that is most effective and appeals to the emotional aspect of the advertisement. As mentioned previously, several groups are being targeted so that the commercial can appeal to virtually every minority group. Ironically their attempt to target all these minority groups has created a majority group that can relate to the commercial. The fact that the commercial encompasses so many different people makes the audience want to believe that the Volkswagen Company is sensitive to anyone no matter who or what they are. The commercial even includes the colorblind in their campaign. The statement that the narrator says at the beginning of the commercial that “everybody loves a Volkswagen beetle” encourages the audience to believe that because of the appeal to all different groups of people everyone should love a Volkswagen because in some way or another the commercial has appealed to everyone watching it.
There are also many interesting points that can be analyzed in the advertisement that might make it even more appealing to the audience. The first noticeable thing is that the narrator has an English accent, which makes the speaker seem more intelligent and well informed about the car that is being promoted. Also the color of the main beetle being showcased is yellow, which is a color that symbolizes happiness and joy. The first driver is a white male, which reflects who has the most power in American society. The second driver is a stereotypical black male with a big Afro and a disco ball ornament hanging from the rear-view mirror. He is also wearing sunglasses, like the next driver, a woman, is wearing as well. The next group, the homosexuals, does not have a physical person driving but rather have an enormous triangular flag on the car. This makes homosexuals look like bad drivers or makes them seem weak. The next two drivers, the old man and the left-handed man, are driving with the windows up while all the previous drivers had the windows down. The commercial then rapidly goes through a few more ethnicities, which appear to not be as important as the other ethnic groups. The music is also critical as well. The commercial starts out with just the drums, then as the drivers change and more groups are mentioned, more instruments are added, such as a guitar, then a harmonica, then vocals. This creates intensity and suspense and gets the audience excited about the product, in this case the Volkswagen beetle, and makes them want to be happy like the people and music denote.
Overall the “Everybody Loves This Car” commercial is a good representation of the three methods of persuasion and is a good commercial to analyze and try to understand how companies such as Volkswagen use the media to influence what products people buy.
"YouTube - Volkswagen Beetle Commercial: Everybody Loves this Car." YouTube - Broadcast Yourself. Dec. 2008. 08 June 2009
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