Kerry dePenaloza
Mr. Leake
Writ 1133
6 April 2013
Food Advertisements
SE2
Advertisements are a part of our
every day lives. Whether we see them on
TV, in a magazine, or hear them on the radio, you can not escape them. The thing about these ads is that they are
specifically designed for a certain audience, which helps to sell their
product. The advertising industry is a
multi billion dollar industry and advertisers study what types of advertising
is the most effective in getting their product sold. These advertisers use ethos, logos, and
pathos in order to help appeal to a certain audience. Most ads use these rhetorical analysis
methods in their advertisements.
An advertisement that was done by
subway a few years ago shows these rhetorical analysis ideas. The add shows a couple driving up to a fast
food restaurant and ordering things like “thunder thighs” or “blubber” because
subway wants to show that their food is healthier for you. The fast food restaurant in the advertisement
is bland, boring, and even the menu looks too simple. This was done on purpose so as to show that
the fast food is nothing special and when subway advertises their product, it
is very colorful and happy. This is a
great example of the rhetorical analysis idea of logos simply because of the
difference in the food. Subway shows how
healthy their food is when it is compared to fast food companies.
In this same advertisement, subway
uses the rhetorical analysis idea of ethos towards the end. They are advertising subway’s new fresh fit
sides and drinks. They show fresh fruit
and milk when talking about this. Then
what makes the idea of ethos really stick out is when they say, “Subway’s new
fresh fit meal fit into the American Heart Association’s approach to a healthy
lifestyle.” This simple statement gives
the subway and their new fresh fit meals credibility. Something as simple as this makes subway look
so much better when compared to the fast food restaurant at the beginning. It is clear that the advertising team for
subway is reaching out to a person who eats on the go and wants something that
is healthier then fast food. To put it
into broader terms, this advertisement is reaching out to the working
class.
Carl’s Jr. and Hardee’s are
notorious for having advertisements with attractive women. In the ad for their Memphis BBQ burger, the
use of attractive women is obvious. One
thing about advertisement that has worked for a lot of people is the idea that
sex sells. Not only are they using
attractive women in their ads, they are also using famous attractive
people. The use of a celebrity in an
advertisement is one of the rhetorical analysis ideas. They are using the idea of ethos and pathos
in this particular advertisement. The
ethos comes from the two models that are cooking pork and burgers on a grill. They get into a slight scuffle and end up
combining a cheeseburger and pulled pork, which is the whole idea behind the
burger. Pathos comes in to play during
this ad because both the girls in the ad seem to be having fun eating the new
Memphis BBQ burger. Also, two young guys
in the background are showed having a good time watching these two women do
what they do.
This Memphis BBQ burger ad is
focusing its attention on men for the most part. They are probably directing the ad to men
from the ages of 18-30 or so. Men this
age will easily be drawn to an advertisement with two beautiful women, grilling
pork and burgers in skimpy cowgirl clothing.
Again, this ad is using sex to sell their product because it is simply
the most effective advertisement tactic to attract the audience they want.
Based upon the appeals of these two
advertisements, it is easy to say that food advertisements all play a part in
our culture. These ads are everywhere in
our lives. No matter what they are
trying to sell, they have specific ways of reaching their desired
audience. For Hardees’ or Carl’s Jr.
they use attractive women to get the attention of their male audience, while
Subway uses the idea of healthy food and getting healthy food fast to appeal to
their working class audience. It seems
that food companies will do whatever they can possibly to do make their main
audience happy. They value the customer
and they value the way they attract their main audience to the point where ads
are becoming more and more unique and prevalent.
1. You do a good job of using the rhetorical analytic tools of ethos, pathos, and logos to compare and contrast these two advertisements. It is straight forward and clearly outlined.
ReplyDelete2. You obviously note the cultural and social significance of these food advertisements as they are blatantly obvious saying that Subway is a healthier choice for fast food and that Carl's Jr is playing the two greatest appeals for their target market (sex and good food)
3. One way you might be able to "complicate" or add another layer of complexity to your comparisons of these two food advertisements is by factoring in the ethnic, cultural, and social stature of each of these advertisements. For instance talk a little bit more about the possible financial constraints or otherwise for the targeted audience.
4. I dont have many suggestions. This is a solidly written essay with no major errors or blunders screaming at me. Its good that you included the links for each advertisement as it helps give substance to the writing instead of having to describe each of the advertisements in vivid detail.
1. In what ways does the author analyze the rhetorical functions of the advertisements, and do you agree with this analysis?
ReplyDeleteYou did an excellent job with the ethos, logos, and pathos arguments. Good examples. Easy to read.
2. What observation about food values and cultures does the author make based upon that analysis?
Carl’s Jr. uses sex and huge burgers and Subway focuses more on healthy living. This directly relates to cultural differences.
3. How might you add to or complicate this observation about food values and cultures?
Maybe get a little deeper into the overall analysis and this is a great short essay!