Analysis of a Television Advertisement Aimed at Raising Awareness on the Issue of Road Safety

Every day, companies present the people with advertisements everywhere they go. Advertisements have become very prevalent in today’s society nowadays focusing in on a negative connotation. Advertisement has become an effective way for producers to display their new products. In present day, they come in forms of billboards, flyers, e-mails, and even text messages. It is widely known that companies create advertisements to persuade people to buy specific products or goods; however, it is not widely known that advertisements can make a negative impact on today’s society. The companies manipulate people’s mind and emotions, swaying people by new promotions and therefore generating a strong desire to fit into the society, that causes them to make inessential expenditures. Advertisements pose a critical impact on the American culture.

The facial expression of the woman as she is being hit, the force of the fist as it collides with her chin, the painted blue and red cars, all these give to the overall message of the ad and gave it that powerful message. This ad really catches the attention of the audience because not only did it raise awareness of safe driving, but also really invites the viewer to think and just maybe acknowledge texting while driving and drinking and driving is a serious danger.

Over 17 million cars and trucks are sold around the world every year. Amongst the plethora of car companies aiming to convince shoppers that their car is paramount, marketing teams ought to go the extra mile. By developing a persuading advertisement, companies are more likely to sell their products. On February 6, 2011, Volkswagen aired a Superbowl commercial for the first time in over ten years. This commercial would be one that awakens the inner child of millions. By employing pathos, ethos, and logos rhetoric techniques, Volkswagen is able to appeal to consumers in order to sell their new car.

In the rhetorical analysis that is observed in the PSA, pathos is the most exploited in the majority of these ads. As it graphically exalts the emotions with situations in which the spectator can clearly relate. This announcement in particular considers a dialog between a mother and a student seconds before an accident is caused by texting and driving. The mother questions if the student is aware that it is not in her lane, if she is texting, and requests emphatically that she pay attention to the road because her children are in the car with her. The student responds by justifying her actions but is mortified when she acknowledges what is about to happen. She does not have

The United States require every driver to have car insurance in order to drive legally in the United States. The problem, however, is choosing the right one. Two of the major companies today are Allstate and State Farm. In the Allstate commercial, a man portrays “Mayhem” to show drivers the risks they experience while driving on the road. The man says he is modeling a blind spot, explaining that drivers may not see what hides in them, resulting in an accident. In the State Farm commercial, two situations are on display, one of which a teenage girl getting her first car, and the other a grown man getting his car broken into, demonstrating that State Farm is there for everyone. To endorse their product effectively, both of these brands apply pathos, ethos, and logos to their commercials.

Nationwide Mutual Insurance Company’s Super Bowl advertisement, “#makesafehappen” released on February 1st, 2015, has received negative attention because of its morbid yet practical depiction of a young boy who has passed away due to a “preventable accident” before experiencing the life in which a teen or young adult would otherwise. The advertisement also uses the death of a young child to appeal to parents; especially the mothers, largely using pathos to raise awareness of deadly accidents which could otherwise be preventable. Logos and ethos, although weak in this advertisement, also raises awareness on preventing avoidable accidents.

Each year numerous lives are lost due to careless and irrational driving. The disregard for safe driving has been a predicament to the United States of America for years. Many years Police have relied heavily on speed cameras, breathalyzer tests and heavy fines as a deterrent against unlawful drivers. Over the years fatality rates have increased, so the Department of Transportation and Highway Safety has composed a series of safe driving campaigns. On many occasions the Transportation Department informs and advises the public about the importance of responsible driving. They propagate safe driving through the various channels of the media and

Today, advertising is as much a part of our lives as breathing. Whether we’re driving, listening to the radio, or watching T.V we are constantly being bombarded by thousands of companies telling us why we should buy their products or services. Some advertisements prove to be effective, while others can be easily dismissed. One very popular industry in advertisement is auto insurance. Every year companies like Geico, State Farm, and All State invest millions of dollars, hoping to convince audiences that their service is better than their competitors. Because auto insurance is a requirement for every single individual who owns a vehicle it is a very competitive market where various ad campaigns can be found. State Farm stands out amongst

Advertisers use a variety of appeals to convince the viewer’s to buy certain products or bring a topic to the awareness of the viewer. The anti-child abuse announcement that San Francisco Human Services Agency released is no different. A public service announcement is designed to publicize a problem the nation is facing. Advertisements can appeal to the audience through a variety of elements such as images and speech. In this advertisement pathos and ethos are represented through the sounds and visual content while logos is presented through the statistics given at the end of the advertisement. With this advertisement it is also important to consider the

In an attempt to bring awareness about distracted driving to viewers, AT&T has decided to show a different perspective about the issue. Drivers who chose to display reckless behavior while driving are often viewed as careless, and irresponsible. However, many times even a responsible, caring person can make a bad decision and become distracted. This moment of bad judgment can lead to a tragic accident that will affect all those involved. The commercial The Unseen by AT&T used in their It Can Wait campaign is effective in getting their message across. Through the use of scare tactics and people’s emotions AT&T’s commercial; The Unseen is effective because it gets drivers to think twice before becoming distracted behind the wheel.

But these teens, however, were not the only ones to admit they were shaken by the content. According to TODAY, advertising executive Donny Deutsch admitted: “It’s one thing to intellectually get it into our brains, but when you see it this graphically ... I tell you, I couldn’t get through this [ad].” The shock these ads have left on people is solid proof PSA’s are the absolute best way to keep people informed and aware of the consequences of distracted driving.

In conclusion, the commercials by Lexus and Volkswagen both make the viewer consider their product. To do this, they use different methods of advertising. Also, both companies target different audiences. When all is said and done, they have varying degrees of success in doing so. Advertising is a fundamental force in today’s society, and because of this, companies must provide the most effective commercials with presentation of as many logical appeals as possible.

The creators of this commercial grasp the hearts and minds of their audience by first bringing out a situation and people who can relate to the common driver, then second exposing them to the extreme consequences of texting and driving, while also setting the mood with appropriate music. By appealing to the emotions of the audience so strategically, the producers carry out an attempt to impact the actions of any drivers who may view their video and change how they view distracted driving in their personal

Advertising has become an integral part of our society. In the world of advertising, many tactics and strategies are used to lure consumers into purchasing a product or delivering a message. Producers try various ways to attract people’s attention, and persuasive advertising is one of the many methods they use to promote ideas that can earn them consumers’ trust and loyalty as well as to advertise for their products. In persuasive advertising, advertisers try to apply the appropriate use of persuasive tools to appeal to the consumer and get their message through. The BMW advertisement of texting and driving uses pathos, or the emotion of regret, and the use of this emotion is being applied effectively because regret is associated with all car accidents especially those due to texting and driving.

People who make advertisements for companies work really hard to make a unique advertisement that is different than other companies, that are selling related products. It could take months to make an ad to satisfy the companies expectation for what they expect in their advertisement and hoping that they can convince the readers the buy the product, they focus on the small details to make an ad unique compared to other advertisement. People are blasted with myriad amount of advertisements, but what captures their attention is something they could relate to, something that is pointed to them and something that isn’t common to what they see in everyday ads. Advertisers want to capture the attention their audiences by the simplicity, color scheme and using rhetorical methods such as pathos, ethos and logos. The “Don’t Drink and Drive” ad talks about crucial issue that could take someone’s life away, and was published by BMW and has all three rhetorical methods to make a miraculous advertisement.