The SlimFast “Yes I Did” commercial does not present a
strong appeal to its audience’s logos. In the beginning, the audience is shown
a disclaimer that states, “Individual results may vary. Based on the SlimFast
Plan (a reduced calorie diet, regular exercise, and plenty of fluids).” This
phrase is written in a faint white color, which at first glance, is barely
noticeable and difficult to read. Though it is included, and it is a logical
appeal, the audience is not compelled by the commercial to consider the logical
aspect of weight loss. Next, the commercial mentions that a “sensible meal is
all it takes” to lose weight. While this is a logical fact, the commercial
transforms the appeal to logos into one to pathos by showing a whole pizza, a
calorie-filled and fairly impractical weight-loss meal. To further enhance the
idea of a lenient diet as a method to lose weight, the commercial states the
various ways one can achieve their goal – “shake it off, crunch it off, blend it
off, you can even snack it off!” By listing these “procedures” of weight-loss,
the commercial uses illogical reasoning to appeal to those viewers who are not
motivated to follow the strict regimes actual healthy weight-loss entails. The
two facts that are appeals to logos, the 20g of protein and 1g of sugar, are
briefly stated and overshadowed by the other, more unrealistic appeals such as
eating pizza to lose weight.
The main stasis in Metrecal's 1960's commercial is Consequence. It is also known as Cause and Effect and can be found in most commercials then and now. Metrecal's cause and effect focuses on the benefits of drinking their product. The commercial states that if you drink Metrecal for lunch, you can eat whatever you want for dinner (within reason) and still lose weight. This might be a bit of a logical fallacy, since they never say how it works or how long you need to use it before seeing results. They leave their cause and effect open ended so you can come to your own conclusions. They also do this in order to save face if someone is unhappy with their product without having to admit to giving baseless information. Another stasis that could be applied here is Evaluation. When people see the commercial and hear what it has to say, they make up their own minds on whether the product is good or bad. This often goes hand in hand with cause and effect because most effects have po...
Great analysis! I feel like the writers decided limit their use of logos in order to attract their target audience further. I imagine that they used the phrases, "shake it off, crunch it off, blend it off" and, especially, showing the pizza to make the audience think that they can still lose weight while basically eating whatever they want which we know isn't true for most people.
ReplyDeletePelumi Olufuwa
Nice post! For sure, the producers of this commercial wisely chose not to incorporate a strong appeal to logos because in reality, this weight loss system does not seem very logical. It definitely aims at targeting the emotions and desires of its audience much more than providing them with health facts, and the truth.
ReplyDeleteYour analysis was spot on. The commercial used illogical reasoning to attract people who are not motivated to follow strict weight loss plans. By hiding the "individual results may vary" they are deceiving potential customers because if they realize they're not guaranteed to lose weight they would be less likely to buy their product.
ReplyDeleteI really liked your analysis of the companies reasons for not including much logical appeal in the ad. I feel like if they did, they would have to reveal the secret truth about slim fast, which might not be all that convincing, especially when trying to convince consumers to buy their product.
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