Advertisement Analysis

Description: Consider the group advertisements (see in the Course Materials) you discovered along with your classmates and write an analysis of one of the intriguing advertisements.  Discuss the underlying message behind your selection.

Your analysis should have the following:

-- an introduction with a hook, general background information about a chosen advertisement company, and a thesis, stating the main message of the advertisement

-- in paragraph #1, describe your advertisement by explicitly describing everything presented in it (including any signs and texts)

-- in paragraph #2, analyze and prove validity of the thesis by first discussing rhetorical situations (media/design, stance, audience), and remember to use concrete examples from the advertisement to build a clear argument.

-- in paragraph #3, analyze ethos in the advertisement by describing how it is achieved.

-- in paragraph #4, analyze pathos in the advertisement.

-- in paragraph #5, analyze logos in the advertisement. 

-- conclude the essay by restating (but in different words this time) the thesis, mentioning key ideas, and ending with general thoughts where you connect your message to the world and depict a "bigger picture." 

-- last but not least, remember to have an interesting title (the more creative it is, the better you will attract your audience's attention).

Blazing Hot Temperatures Painted Blue

Down South in the United States you feel the heat waves rush over you, with unstoppable humidity and roasting rays of sun. What if you could cool down with one swift move? Pepsi has been a soda company, created by Caleb Bradham, since 1893. It was first created down in North Carolina, Bradham’s birth state. Pepsi is known for competing with Coca-Cola, another soda company that has similar components to Pepsi yet they are different. This creates the competition between which is better to the consumer and which can sell more product. This advertisement that will be reviewed shows the cooling effects of drinking a Pepsi, promoting its qualities to make themselves more inviting to the consumer by using color schemes, details, and writing.

The first piece of detail that jumps out to the viewer is the bold blue color of the advertisement. Then, the Pepsi can is to the left of the advertisement with drops of water dripping along its entirety. In the center of the advertisement in bold, all capitalized, white letters is the phrase, “PEPSI IN ATLANTA. HOW REFRESHING.”. Right beneath this phrase there is another phrase that displays the Pepsi symbol along with stating “official soft drink of SUPER BOWL LIII”. Directly to the right of this phrase and symbol is the super bowl logo for the 53rd super bowl, which was held in Atlanta, Georgia. Along the bottom of the whole advertisement is the skyline of part of the city of Atlanta, Georgia, covered in a blue shade similar to the one that has overtaken the whole advertisement.

In the artistic world, the color blue is a cool color, placed into this category due to it evoking cooling sensations from the viewer. The color blue shown in the advertisement specifically portrays itself to be an icy blue, giving the reader a frozen feeling when looking at the advertisement. The cooling drops of water coming from the Pepsi can suggest condensation is happening with the Pepsi being exposed to differentiating temperatures from itself. This means the can is really cold being exposed to high amounts of heat so that the water droplets fall from the can. The all-capitalized phrase in the middle is written in white, another color that reminds the viewer of cool temperatures and cool locations such as a snowy mountain. The phrase eludes to the weather in Atlanta, Georgia that has intense heat temperatures, with a yearly average of 61 degrees fahrenheit. The Pepsi is said to be so cold it could refresh all of Atlanta along with its high temperatures. Below this phrase was the sponsorship stating that Pepsi is the official soft drink of the 53rd super bowl. This advertisement promotes for those who watch the super bowl to purchase Pepsi so that they are as refreshed as the players will be down in sunny Atlanta. Lastly, with the whole city skyline of Atlanta being covered in this icy blue color, it yet again shows how Pepsi refreshed all of Atlanta despite its melting degrees.  

This advertisement uses various details to show it is credible, following the first of Aristotle’s Appeals, ethos. By including the phrase stating how Pepsi is the official soft drink of the super bowl, it increases its credibility. The super bowl is a long ongoing tradition that has gone on for 53 years (at the time of this advertisement). Those who watch the super bowl believe in its reliability when it relates to their sponsors. By Pepsi including its sponsorship for the super bowl in the center of its advertisement, it proves its credibility to the viewers when they see it on their television screens, billboards, etc.

Pathos is the appeal to the emotion of the reader/viewer, which can be achieved in various ways. One way in which this advertisement appeals to the viewers emotion is by stating how refreshing a Pepsi is. The reader immediately has their mind triggered to rigid summer temperatures and scorching heat, especially in relation to Atlanta, and they then know what it feels to be refreshed. This Pepsi advertisement triggers the viewer to know what it is like to feel a cool wave come over them in high temperatures, evoking their emotions of relief and satisfaction.

Logos is the last of Aristotle’s Appeals that speaks of logic and reasoning. Plainly stated, it is only logical that under extreme heat one would want to feel cool and refreshed. Pepsi uses logic in triggering the need to have a refreshing beverage on a hot summer's day so that the individual can feel less impact of the heat. The words the advertisement uses also feeds into Pepsi’s reasoning, blatantly stating how refreshing a Pepsi is in Atlanta, a city with high temperatures year around. The cooling colors and bold phrases logically convince an individual that Pepsi is indeed a refreshing beverage, no matter how hot you may be feeling.

Pepsi created an advertisement that promoted its ability to provide a cool and refreshing sensation to wash over a hot day by using various details hidden within the advertisement itself. Pepsi used cooling colors, bold phrases, sponsorships, and refreshing details to better enhance their credibility to the viewer, so that the individual could believe just how refreshing the Pepsi truly is. All of this is a tactic so that the soft drink industries can engage viewers to believe they are a better choice on a hot day, rather than properly hydrating with water. This all goes to show how unhealthy alternatives are depicted as much better choices to individuals, increasing the health issue of obesity, diabetes, etc., among not only the United States but the cyber and televised world as a whole.