Rhetoric - the art or study of using language effectively and persuasively.
Advertisements are everywhere. We cannot read the paper, turn on the television, or even walk down the street without seeing them. They have one purpose, and that is to persuade us into purchasing their product by making their product appealing. The creators of these advertisements have many ways to try and convince us that what they are trying to sell is something essential to our lives and they use rhetoric to do just that. For this visual analysis I chose a Gatorade advertisement that is promoting the “Tiger” series.
Keith Grant-Davie defines the term rhetorical situation as, “a situation where a speaker or writer sees a need to change reality and sees that the change may be effected through rhetorical discourse.” (105) In other words it tries to get people to do something, which in this case would be to drink the Tiger series Gatorade. They use the professional golfer Tiger Woods as the promoter of this sports drink and almost everyone knows at least who he is. The first text you read when you look at this advertisement is “being a winner… takes hard work and sweat,” which then presents Tiger Woods as an example of a “winner.” In the advertisement you will see the upper half of his face with a determined look in his eyes and he appears to be sweating out Gatorade. This adds a visual to the text and helps the reader get a better understanding of the point they are trying to get across. He is obviously a very successful athlete and a role model to young golfers aspiring to do as well as him and therefore the athletic population can identify with him. The audience that this advertisement is trying to appeal to is athletes or the competitive person, someone who strives to win. Targeting this audience makes it clear as to why Gatorade is usually associated with sports. The argument here is basically saying drink this Gatorade series and you could be a “winner” like Tiger Woods.
The other famous Gatorade slogan “Is it in you?” can also be seen on this advertisement. And although the “it” is not clearly defined, we have an unconscious understanding of what we think it could be. Not only are they literally taking about consuming Gatorade’s product, but they are also implying the drive and determination to be as successful as Tiger Woods or any other athlete. And since this product is usually associated with sports it allows us to believe that competitive people have the “it” they are referring to. By using a famous athlete, like Tiger Woods or someone else that people strive to be like, it motivates the interested audience to acquire the “it” that they seem to have and that Gatorade promotes. All of these persuasive antics have one common goal, to sell Gatorade. This is the exigence, or need that is addressed by communication. With exigence also come constraints, which are factors that limit or focus the viewer’s response.
Tiger Woods’ recent actions, like the scandal with his wife, have decreased his credibility as an idol in our society. Yet they are trying to present him as a “winner.” This could constrain the appeal of this type of Gatorade. He lost a lot of fans after his incident and that could have a negative effect on the sales of this product. Another constraint could be the ratio of the population that do not work out or do not participate in competition. Not everyone can relate to a professional athlete, which makes it hard for him or her to completely understand the true meaning of this advertisement. A final constraint could be the cost of making this advertisement or the size. The creators must get their argument across, but within a certain budget and area. This could be difficult because more could be added to the advertisement in order to make it more appealing and easier to understand. Because of these constraints the creators must use certain artistic appeals, like logos, ethos, and pathos, to persuade the audience in purchasing their product.
Logos, the reason of the argument or statistics, can be found in the right corner between the two slogans. It states that Gatorade can keep the body hydrated and replenish the electrolytes, vitamins, and minerals that are lost during sweating. This helps imply that there are some scientific facts behind their reasoning for wanted to sell Gatorade, especially to athletes. Pathos, or emotional appeals, can be located in the picture of Tiger Woods and in slogans. The determination in his eyes play with our emotions by getting us to ask the questions, “Why is he so determined?” and “What is he so strong-minded about?” That is when the slogan, “being a winner…takes hard work and sweat,” helps tie our thoughts together and gets us to unconsciously make assumptions about Tiger Woods as a winner. Then it gets us to wonder whether or not we have what “it” takes, like in the slogan, “Is it in you?” Putting together the logos and pathos allows us to shape our judgment about the author’s credibility or character, which are the ethos of this advertisement. Examples of ethos are the type of appropriate language used, whether there is bias present, or if there is correct grammar. This advertisement seems to stay neutral and use effective and suitable language and grammar, allowing us to see the author as a credible source. Many different rhetorical communications go into the making of an advertisement, but they determine whether or not it is successful.
After careful analyzing of this Gatorade advertisement I think that it had the potential to be very effective, until Tiger Woods’ credibility decreased along with his athleticism. After the scandal with his wife he was on quite the losing streak. That is probably why Gatorade decided to discontinue the Tiger series in 2010 after his life and career went spiraling out of control. I believe that this advertisement and product had the potential to be very successful, but Tiger Woods’ bad decisions prevented it from even getting the chance.
References:
"Gatorade Getting Divorce from Tiger Woods; Drops Tiger Drink!" Whyfame. 9 Dec. 2009. Web. 9 Feb. 2012.
Grant-Davie, Keith. "Rhetorical Situations and Their Constituents." Writing About Writing (1997): 101-19. Print.
Carroll, Laura. "Backpacks and Briefcases: Steps toward Rhetorical Analysis." Writing Spaces; Readings on Writing 1 (2012): 45-58. Print.
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