Metrecal's commercial from 1960 has a very prominent presence of ethos. Ethos is the attempt of convincing someone of the author's credibility. In this case the author is Metrecal. The company wants people to buy their drink so they focus on highlighting what's good about their product. They talk about how Metrecal will keep you slim if you drink it for lunch. They mention that there are 14 flavors and that it's packed with protein. There is also a group of young adults skiing, hanging out, and having a good time while drinking Metrecal. All of this information is strategically used to make Metrecal seem like something everyone should want to drink. The commercial portrays Metrecal as trustworthy and strengthens its own credibility, making people more likely to buy it. This method of using ethos to sell something is quite effective and many companies today have used it in their own commercials and advertisements.
The commercial, SlimFast - Yes I did, is a relatively simple commercial. It opens with people dancing to a song while holding various SlimFast products. They all act very happy and excited, presumably because of the weight loss items they have. The people in this commercial are all attractive and are there to make customers think that they too can become attractive if they use these products to lose weight. This rhetorical situation, or Kairos, is one many Americans are familiar with. Since the later half of the 1900's, people were viewed as attractive only if they didn't exceed a certain weight. Because of this, many companies started looking into selling weight loss supplements. Today these are sold in many different forms such as food, drinks, and pills. Over the decades, weight loss products have become very popular in American culture. The weight loss industry makes upwards of 40 billion dollars a year, and even though there is evidence that the weight loss industry is lo...
Metrecal creates its ethos through two of the most common advertisement techniques, bandwagon and association. In the scene when the skiers take a lunch break, they repeatedly implore everyone to join the "Metrecal for Lunch Bunch". By showing that a group of fit skiers trust Metrecal to refuel them after a tiring morning on the slopes, Metrecal insists that the audience trust it, too. Additionally, the author of the commercial understands common concerns with diet drinks, noting that there are 14 flavors and is more than the typical health drink, including that it has a significant amount of protein. Do you think that they could've included more testimonials or statistics to further back their argument? Or was the commercial the most efficient blend of displaying customer happiness with details of the product?
ReplyDeleteGreat posts about the ethos! It shows you understand the content and how the commercial utilizes ethos to convince their audience. However, I feel that this commercial almost overly uses positive imagery and connotative descriptions to promote the Metrecal. I believe credibility is established to its fullest when the author acknowledges both sides of the arguments. In this case, the creators should have revealed both the positive and the negative effects of the Metrecal and warn the audience of potential problems. But since it did not, it appears that they are too focused on making their business prosper rather than to completely win over the audience.
ReplyDeleteI like how you said that Metrecal is using the advertisement to make it seem like they have credible ethos. This advertisement relied heavily on empty claims that did not really have a reliable source to back them up. It seems like Metrecal is attempting to create a false aura of ethos around their company which, like you pointed out, can be very effective. They did this primarily through the ski group which seems to really enjoy drinking the Metrecal. Great analysis!
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