Subway commercials

Subway is a submarine sandwich restaurant where people can choose what sandwich they want and what condaments to put on their sandwich.  Whether it's lettuce, tomatoes, pickles, or vinegar; we have the power to choose.  Along with Subway being a sandwich store, it makes it a healthier choice over a fast-food place with hamburgers.  Domination and healthiness are both enhanced in this commercial to try to persuade consumers to go to Subway.

Reptilian is being used in this Subway commercial  as a form of persuasion.  The primal instinct that the ad is trying to reach is domination.  They achieve this by subjugating a boy being able to get exactly what he asks for.  He is able to pick out specifically which toppings he desires on his sandwich, which makes him go from depressed to happy.  It is part of our human nature to want domination over everything because when we are able to achieve our desires, it makes us happy.  Since the ability of having total control over decisions please people, Subway commercials show this domination as a way of persuading consumers to go there. 

"Subway, eat fresh!"  The value of healthiness is being emphasized in Subway commercials to try to get consumers to buy their sandwiches.  Many people are trying to change their unhealthy lifestyle by having a more nutritious diet and being more active.  Subway knows that people are trying to get healthier, so they enhance how they provide healthier meal options to attract these consumers.  The emphasis on the value of healthiness then attracts a lot of peoples' attention because they can now grab something nutritious to eat very easily and quickly.  This efficiency pleases consumers, similar to how people like fast-food places due to how quickly food is given to them.  However, Subway provides healthy meals and is efficient, which attracts many consumers.  

   

In this Subway commercial, the fallacy "ad populum" is evident here.  Blake Griffin is a popular NBA basketball player who conveys his strength through his dunks.  A lot of people admirer Griffin and also want to have the muscular body that he has.  Due to this, Subway purposely includes Blake in their commercials to try to get consumers to go to Subway just because the popular basketball player eats there.  Consumers who admirer and want to be like Blake Griffin are then persuaded to go to Subway because their idol goes there.  

The picture of people becoming like Blake Griffin is also created into consumers minds.  They believe that since he eats at Subway and is so fit and strong, that if they too eat at Subway, they could become as buff as Blake.  Consumers who also admirer the popular athlete are also persuaded to go to Subway because they want to be like him.  Wherever and whatever Blake eats, his devoted fans want to follow his decisions.  Subway therefore paints this picture of consumers being like Blake Griffin when they go to Subway because they know that it will attract many of his fans.       

Toms: What makes them so special?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V2oY2yyUOb4

Toms are just ordinary pairs of shoes, but with these commercials, they appear to be much more than just your average shoe.  However, what makes Toms so special? Is it more comfortable than other shoes? Lighter? Better durability? All of these questions are being omitted from Toms advertisements purposely.

Toms is relying totally on an emotional appeal rather than how good or attractive the product is itself.  "High concept v.s. tangible ad" is being used by the Toms company.  They are relying on their "high concept" of helping out children in need to persuade people to feel sorry for the poor children who do not have shoes.  They create a guilty and pity appeal that attracts consumers to buy Toms so that they will feel as if they are making a huge change to the unfortunates in this world.  On the other hand, they are totally ignoring their "tangible ad" of enhancing what makes Toms so special that consumers should purchase it.  The shoes' feel, density, look, and durability are all omitted from the commercial because of Toms reliance on the emotional appeal of their shoes.

"One for One."  Toms enhancement of its brand name rather than the product itself is an example of its "love mark".  Toms shoes possess a much deeper meaning, as we can clearly see from this commercial.  They are not only a new pair of shoes for ourselves, but they are also a new pair of shoes for those in need.  This creates an emotional connection between people and the brand name of Toms.  People get that satisfying feeling when they buy a new pair of Toms because they believe that they are making a difference in someone else's unfortunate life.  They no longer are interested in buying the shoes because it is good or comfortable.  The only thing going on in their mind is that they will be making a difference to those in need of it.

Toms value assumption is that helping the less fortunate is how the world ought to be.  It is instilling in our brains that by buying a pair of Toms, we will be the catalyze to making the world a better place. It is painting the picture of a world filled with happy children with Toms on their feet.  A beautiful world where poverty no longer exists and kids running around with shoes on protecting their feet.  This is how Toms views the world as how it ought to be and can only be this way with consumers buying their pairs of shoes.  With this, Toms is using their value assumption to try to persuade people to purchase their shoes so the world can be filled with happiness and love.

There is nothing special about an actual pair of Tom shoes.  They aren't any more comfortable than regular shoes nor cheaper.  The shoe itself is no better than any other regular shoe.  However, through Toms usage of "high concept v.s. tangible object", "love mark", and value assumption, it persuades consumers into believing that Toms are better than other shoes.  The only difference between Toms and other shoe companies is the emotional connection of satisfaction between the brand and people.

Sad ASPCA Commercials

ASPCA commercials are filled with depressing music, neglected animals with pittiful eyes, and terrible stories of abuse.  It immediately catches our eyes when the ad plays on T.V. and makes an emotional connection that persaudes us to want to join the ASPCA.  It causes us to feel horrible for the neglected animals, and conveys a much deeper meaning that the ASPCA possesses.

"Love Marks" is being used in this commerical to try to persuade people to join the ASPCA or donate money to help the organization.  It is making an emotional connection with viewers by making them feel pitty and heart-broken for the animals.  They create this emotional connection by displaying abused, shaking animals with sadness in their eyes and also a depressing song playing in the background.  ASPCA is using this emotional connection because it cannot be copied by other animal shelter organizations.  The connection formed with multiple people through the advertisement is what makes ASPCA different from other animal shelters, trying to attract people to donate or join their organization over the others present in the world. 

The idea of "high concept v.s. tangible ads" is also evident in this commercial.  Rather than going into depth about what the organization does, it relies on an emotional appeal formed from the advertisement.  For example, the commercial does say that people can provide food, shelter, and love if they join or donate to the organization, but that's basically all it states.  It doesn't say anything about what people will be doing to help if they join or what the money will specifically buy to assist the neglected animals.  What the ASPCA actually will fulfill goes unsaid and is very vague in the commercial.  However, it is then replaced with an emotional appeal of pittiness, which is what the ASPCA is relying on to attract people to donate and join the animal shelter.

In the commercial, the weasel words of "can rescue" is stated to be used as a form of persuasion.  The advertisement is trying to convey that if people join or donate to the ASPCA, it can rescue neglected animals and provide them with food, shelter, and love.  However, there is no guarantee that the money donated will help ensure the safety of all abused animals.  On the other hand, it doesn't guarantee that joining the ASPCA will save the innocent lives of neglected animals on the streets.  This uncertainty goes unstated purposely, however, to make people think that they will actually be helping abandoned animals out by doing what the commercial pleads for, even though there really is no promise that they will. 

Honey Nut Cheerios

Almost every Honey Nut Cheerios box has the red heart on it stating, "Can help lower Cholesterol*".  The words "can help" are weasel words that are being used to try to persuade people that if they eat Honey Nut Cheerios, it could help lower their cholesterol.  However, that doesn't necessarily mean that it does help the heart.  In the fine print on the bottom of the cerial box, it also says, "may reduce the risk of heart disease".  The weasel words of "may reduce" are again being used to try to persuade people that if they consume this cereal, it can lower their risk of getting heart disease.  Yet, there is no guarantee that Honey Nut Cheerios will actually lower cholestorol nor lower the risk of heart disease, but weasel words are used to trick customers into thinking that they will.

Honey Nut Cheerios's value assumptions are that health and naturality are what make the cereal so good.  Due to the idea that it can help make our hearts healthier, people should buy the cereal.  While consumers are enjoying Honey Nut Cheerios, they will also be improving their health, since the cereal can help with the healthiness of our hearts.  "Naturally flavored" is also written on the cereal, conveying the value assumption that since the cereal is not artificially flavored, consumers should purchase it.  It is connecting with our value of naturality and how we prefer things that are pure and real, rather than fake.  Honey Nut Cheerios uses their value assumptions of health and naturality to try to persuade shoppers to buy the healthy and naturally flavored cereal.

General Mills, the owner of Honey Nut Cheerios, is trying to paint the picture of happy people living longer due to them eating the cereal in shoppers' minds.  When people see the phrase of "can help lower cholesterol", they believe that since the cereal will help their heart's healthiness, it will therefore make them live longer.  Pathos is being used here because we humans want to live a long and healthy life style.  We care about living for a long time and being healthy, which is why General Mills is emphasizing the idea of Honey Nut Cheerios helping us to achieve these desires.  Along with this, General Mills omits the idea of how Honey Nut Cheerios doens't guarantee the prevention of heart disease, it only helps it.  Consumers are then attracted to the cereal because they only see themselves living a longer and healthier life.