Now That's One Lucky Cleaning Lady

When trying to decide what to do for my Rhetoric and Civic life blog, I remembered this little gem that I stumbled upon on well, stumbleupon.com.  The advertisement below for Ambi Pur toilet cleaner takes a rather different and humorous approach to advertise their product. They take a sensual tactic that is usually typical for perfume advertisements, and incorporate it into their image, how clever. I can really appreciate an advertising campaign that can take something as ordinary as a toilet cleaner ad, and make it quirky and out of the ordinary.

By taking this approach, they make the product seem as if it smells as great as any perfume on the market, especially by adding the text “The Toilet Cleaner That Doesn’t Smell Like One.” This advertisement, as you can see, relies solely on pathos. By adding an attractive, half naked young man, they appeal specifically to woman’s emotions. I mean come on, who doesn’t want the surprise of seeing a sexy man on a toilet cleaner advertisement? I know that I didn’t mind it. I’m willing to bet that by being creative and putting a twist on their advertisement, Ambi Pur cashed in quite nicely. Creativity, in my opinion, is something that is quite lacking in most advertisement campaign these days. Well that’s just my opinion; what do you think?

Above the Influence

I’m sure that we have all seen the Above the Influence advertisements.  Through the use of logos, ethos, and pathos, the Above the Influence campaign tries to steer the population away from the use of illegal drug and alcohol consumption. Their advertisements can be seen on billboards, commercials, and on their website, and they all convey the same message of being above the influence. Most of their advertisements are geared toward the illegal use of marijuana, but one particular commercial that I am focusing on, their most recent one, places it’s emphasis on alcohol consumption.

The commercial opens with a girl who’s had a bit too much to drink, throwing up pictures and what not, and closes with a text reading: “You’re not the only thing getting wasted.” If you haven’t seen it before, I posted it below. What did you think? I don’t really remember my reaction when I first saw this commercial, but I imagine that I was a bit disturbed and a little confused as to how someone could throw up a trophy, but that’s beside the point. This commercial sends quite a powerful message, using few words to convey their belief of being above the influence. It is what’s left unsaid that makes this commercial so easy to connect to.  The clever use of pathos in this commercial helps the viewers to be able to connect and even live vicariously through the actor portrayed. Being able to do so make us think: what if that were me, or someone close to me? Evoking that kind of response is exactly what these advertisements are intended to do. They definitely make one think.

Stimulate Your Senses

As I was sitting at my desk pondering as to what I should write my rhetoric blog about, I remembered a specific commercial that I saw a quite a long time ago. The commercial was an advertisement for 5 React Gum.

It begins with a narrator saying “Experience new 5 React Gum,” and continues to show three actors going on what appears to be quite a trip. Now, I’m going to pose you a question: what is the logic behind seeing an octopus while chewing 5 Gum? Unless you’re on something else with a little more of a kick while chewing it, I would say that there isn’t any. The commercial doesn’t even describe what the gum tastes like; it just plays on your emotions, making you think that this new and exciting gum must be great considering how the actors experienced it. I mean come on, who wouldn’t like to a see a giant octopus or bird flowing above their head in a black liquid form? I know I would, but I could see why one wouldn’t; it could be a little frightening, but on to the matter at hand.

Using pathos in commercials to appeal to an audience has been met with great success for ages, and I have to admit, it is a good business strategy. How many people do you think bought their product, not even knowing what it may taste like, just because they thought that the commercial was cool and edgy? I for one know that my little brother bought it just for that sole reason- fourteen year olds meh. 

This I Believe