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Television advertisements have been a part of pop culture for years, these quick minute long clips gain the popularity of its viewers through humor, shock, or simply good salesmanship. The ShamWow infomercial has become one the most well known television ads in America. Its popularity came from its snappy dialogue, believable offer, and enthusiastic spokesman. But what made this infomercial so successful? Today I will be analyzing how the ineffective use of the appeals of ethos and kairos, and the highly effective appeal of logos and pathos effect the audience in the ShamWow commercial.

In Chapter Seven of Practices of Looking, we start to explore in the ideas of advertising, consumer cultures and desire. Everyday, we are faced with advertisements through newspapers, magazines, TV, movies, billboards, public transportation such as buses and taxis, clothing, the internet, etc. Logos, such as signs, or anything that resemble a brand, are everywhere, they are on clothing, household items, electronics, cars, etc. Consumers are always showing off their brands and advertisements and we are used to seeing those brands and advertisements in an everyday setting. In modern media, advertisers are pressured to always change the ways they show off and get the attention to consumers, old and new. Advertisers also used present figures who were glamorous. Advertisements set up a certain relationship between the product and its meaning to sell the products and the hidden meaning we link to each of the products. Advertisements use the language of conversion. Advertisers try to create a customer relationship to the brand to try to form them as familiar, necessary, and also likeable.

The commercial also tries to appeal to middle-class people as the spray is inexpensive and smells good. While, relating to the middle- class individuals it also seems to portray of regular-looking people. This therefore, makes the commercial look natural and realistic to the viewer, while attracting their attention. The framing of the image directs your attention to “Susan Glenn”, as if she was the only character in the commercial. The lighting around it predict her as if she was an angel, and no one was better than her. For example, in the ad she is seen floating across the street with firework sparks around her, like a light to a shadow. You can tell the love that he had for her, especially when he says, “not a girl, but the girl”. The bathroom scene at the end with the narrator, displays a feeling of sadness around it, as well him also being alone.

The image grabs people’s attention because individuals want to sleep like the woman in this ad. The green and purple colors used in the ad correspond with the product’s packaging. The different shades of purple evoke a calming mood. The woman in the bed is in a curled up position with the light of the moon barely coming in through the dark curtains onto her and the bed. Her face shows an emotion of contentment. The way she is sleeping on the bed is a representation of how a baby sleeps in a fetal position, which related to the “Sleep like a baby” text at the bottom. Since the written text is not bolded or colored in anything unusual, it too, is calming. The words following “Sleep like a baby” are soothing and encouraging to people who are interested. The big white written text used as the central value is a simile. When babies are sleeping they are generally in a deep, hard, restful sleep- a sleep many adults long for. Also, the medicine bottle indicates the berry flavor, so the purple and green colors also represent berries. The ad also shows the two dispensing options of this sleep aid medicine- pills or liquid. Many have taken Vick’s medicines, NyQuil and DayQuil, therefore they know it is a trusted brand (“Vicks ZZZ Quil FAQ”), even though some may be hesitant to use an over the counter medication for sleeping. ZzzQuil comes from the well known and trusted brand, Vicks, shown on the bottom left of

In August 2005 Hurricane Katrina destroyed New Orleans, Louisiana. This Category 4 hurricane wrecked and flooded 80% of the city, making it one of the deadliest hurricanes our nation had ever experienced. This immediate sense of disaster and loss resulted in the entire country providing support and aid to help our nation move forward. In 2009 Levi’s Jeans Company wanted to illustrate the sense of community that was seen throughout our country in rebuilding after this tragedy, and accomplished this with their ‘Go Forth’ campaign.

Flashing lights, catchy jingles, and overzealous claims work to entice consumers to purchase of advertised products. Ads convey that the viewer needs to purchase that item. The Coca-Cola company proves to be no exception in the world of advertising. In the “Send Thirst Flying” ad, the image of an aviatrix, bold headlines, and contrasting colors attempt to entice the audience to purchase Coca-Cola soda. The use of pathos and ethos contributes to the ad’s purpose of influencing the purchase of this cola.

Since the viewer tries to resist the advertisements, this commercial is quick and effective, and thus uses codes of gender display because they are familiar to us all (Jhally, 2009). Evidently, the commercial aims at depicting men as metrosexual or rather intruded by the everyday activities to reinforce the features of masculinity: active, aware of the world and in charge of their surroundings. This point echoes Sean Nixon’s genealogy of the development (1996) of how the representational practice of masculinity is derived from fashion (metrosexual imagery) and advertising (masculine features) (Gill, forthcoming, para 8). Additionally, this is furthered by Gill’s reflection on Foucault’s ideas on all identities are socially constructed and non-essential (forthcoming, para 8). On that condition, the men must engage with the dominant masculine identities that are portrayed by the

Advertisements these days use many different techniques in order to sell a product. The Old Spice Company uses several methods to convey a message and sell their product. Old Spice commercials are well known for using the famous Isaiah Mustafa, wrapped in just a towel, to talk about the company’s product. While Mustafa walks and talks, the background and setting of the commercial changes and the actor never loses eye contact. The product is always shown throughout the entire commercial. By combining all the elements of gender stereotyping, sexual imagery, and racial innuendoes, Old Spice is able to convey a message to sell their hygienic products.

As medical marijuana is becoming legal, more advertisements for medical cannabis are being released. The background and color help shape the advertisement into a unique work of art that aims to grab peoples’ attention. This advertisement said, “I just saved my liver by switching to medical cannabis.” The advertisement is also associated with a well-known advertisement character for Geiko. Why are the creators writing in this way? Why is the character positioned in the way he was? Why was he facing the words? These different elements work together to produce the effect that medical marijuana is good for people and that people should buy the product.

When analysing all of the advertising around us, sometimes we don’t look at what the true message of a commercial really is. We live in a world that is controlled by mass media and because of this advertisers are trying harder each year to outdo themselves and their competitors. Rhetors use techniques in their advertisements such as fantasies or surrealism to catch the attention of their audience. Companies like Audi pour millions of dollars into their marketing teams to make sure their cars look the best and attract consumers. Commercials that are shown on television today are great examples of rhetorical artifacts because of the many techniques being exercised by the rhetor. Analyzing this through the lens of rhetorical

Absolut’s beautiful “Anthem” commercial was the result of a collaborative effort by a group of artists, who created art installations in scenic locations around the world. The art pieces in the commercial spell out the core philosophy of the company, "See something different in an ABSOLUT WORLD." “Anthem” is a both literal and symbolic manifestation of

The man is fully clothed in a suit, which represents power and formality. It is extremely suggestive as it looks like he came to this position without the woman’s knowledge or consent since her sunglasses are pushed up for her to see. He is in a dominating position where she has to look up at him and the man’s face isn’t shown in the ad, which shows that he is confident. The ad is suggesting that if you have Sky Vodka, you can look glamourous and wealthy as well. The men are always given more power and a higher status than the women (Appendix A). The second image reveals how femininity is portrayed. In the ad for Dolce and Gabbana’s Monico Lipstick, notice the lightness of the woman’s hand touching her face, the touching of one’s face, especially the finger-to-mouth pose is reminiscent of a child. She is also dressed seductively with a come-hither look on her face that is bold and suggestive (Appendix A).

Amongst all of these advertisements, a natural link is developed between the visual representation and the product/idea being sold. In the first ad, a masculine link of control and success was created between the picture and job, targeted for both elder men and women. For man, their natural state of superiority would increase if he took this job. For the woman, her natural lower class state would move up to that of manís. The perfume ad, on the other hand, is attracting female customers only. The feminine feelings of happiness, peace, beauty and truth are linked through objects from nature, such as the sky and clouds; and these feelings are stereotypically viewed as feminine. The third ad selling a vacation trip is directed mainly toward college students. The presentation of freedom, adventure and relaxation grab studentsí attention, especially for those who really need to get away from school stress. The ad targets all sorts of students, those ìmasculineî ones who are seeking adventure and those

This essay will be addressing ideologies of consumer fetishism and pseudo-individuality through examining the commodity signs found in the mass marketing and advertising of designer cosmetics, particularly Chanel.

The theory of semiotics, as proposed by Roland Barthes, has been used to analyze advertisements and the effectiveness of advertisements on viewers. In the articles that I researched that used semiotics to analyze particular advertisements, I found four common and related themes. First, the articles mentioned that the viewer determines the meaning of the advertisement or the viewer interprets the advertisement. Second, this meaning that the viewer assigns to the advertisement is largely determined by context, both social and cultural. Third, advertisers use culture and predominant cultural beliefs in their advertisements in efforts to reach their audience more effectively. Finally, these advertisements actually end up supporting the