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.
Interesting analysis, and I like your conjecture as to your likely first reaction.
ReplyDeleteAs an aside, it's relatively easy to put YouTube videos directly in the post. Just click on the video icon at the top when creating a post (it looks like a "lights, camera, action" thingy--don't know what it's called), then select the YouTube option and follow the prompts.