Rhetoric Analysis of The Coca-Cola Heist Advertisement PDF

Preview

Summary

Rhetoric Analysis of The Coca-Cola Heist Advertisement...

Description

Surname 1 Student’s name Professor’s name Course Date Rhetoric Analysis of The Coca-Cola Heist Advertisement Introduction Coca-Cola Heist is a TV ad that featured during the 2009 Super Bowl. In the advert, the insect kingdom unites to carry out a sophisticated heist of a Coke bottle from a napping picnicker. As the man dozes off in a park, a ladybug, grasshoppers, and bees work together to roll the bottle of Coke away from his picnic mat. He awakens from the sound of an opening bottle, only to discover his bottle is missing and the butterflies had created a clever disguise. The Coco-Coal Heist commercial was developed as part of the Coca-Cola's Open Happiness campaign at Wieden+Kennedy, Portland. Todd Mueller and Kylie Matulick of Psyop directed the filming and animation of the commercial. Robert Miller and the Los Angeles Philharmonic conducted and performed the background music from “Peter and the Wolf”, respectively. Coca-Cola Heist won the 2009 Emmy Award for an outstanding commercial during the Creative Arts Emmy Awards. 1.

Context, Audience, and Purpose (C.A.P) of the advert

The advert begins with a man taking a nap in an open park and a Coca-Cola bottle next to him. A ladybug flies in and attracts the attention of other insects about the presence of a Coca-cola bottle. A swarm of bees fly in and push down the bottle. Soon after, a group of grasshoppers sets the bottle in motion using their hind legs. At this point, the napping picnicker tries to reach for his bottle but he is distracted by a butterfly that tickles his nose.

Surname 2 The bottle rolls into a stream as dragonflies and a swinging silkworm navigate it across obstacles. Lastly, a rhinoceros beetle opens the bottle and uses leaves and flowers from nearby herbs to distribute the drink to all insects that participated in the heist. The ultimate goal of the commercial is to increase sales. It identifies Coca-cola with a universal feeling that creates an association of belonging and happiness with their drink. The Heist comprise comic and team-work elements that imply Coca-cola’s effort to sell the experience of association and happiness in drinking and sharing Coke. It targets young adults who get excited over new adventures and social groups. 2.

Audience Profile of the advert

Generally, young adults (18-28 years) are known for the adventurous lifestyles. They often organize and socialize into peer groups, irrespective of the context. Peer groups act as their source of happiness, solace, unity, and motivation to gain the most out of their youthfulness. Just like the band of insects, groups of young adults usually unite and engage in activities that involve fun and excitement. When in groups, they do things that no one can do alone. The advert shows each insect playing a unique role in the process of getting and opening the bottle to share the goodness in it. Likewise, young adults act with a shared sense of mission to achieve a certain level of happiness. The advert takes advantage of the interests and social organization of young adults to make a unique appeal towards drinking and sharing Coca-Cola to achieve collective happiness (Klein 8). The use of insect characters makes the advert acceptable across all cultures. 3.

Rhetorical Appeals in the advert

Ethos or ethical appeal in adverts earn the consumer's respect for the author. Customers' appreciation for an advert determines its trust, authority, and convincing levels (Keith and Lundberg 41). In our case, Coca-Cola is a worldwide company with a strong

Surname 3 brand image. The credibility of the advert emerges from the world-renown brand as well as its popular market image. Among the target audience of the advert, Coca-Cola has been a chief contributor in youth empowerment through sports sponsorship and other youth development activities. It has a strong reputation and friendly image, hence creating an easy connection and trust between the audience and the appeals of the advert. Pathos is the use of elements that evoke emotions to persuade the audience (Keith and Lundberg 42). The Coca-cola Heist advert induces a variety of emotions. It has numerous cues that demand the attention and anticipation of the audience. The storyline of the advert is engaging with product integration throughout. The involvement of both insect and human characters in the storyline evokes the feelings of joy, excitement, and anxiety (Dillard and Pfau 502). The audience is excited about insects stealing and sharing a Coke drink as the famous "Peter and the Wolf" song plays along. All these emotions are commonly associated with youth and young adults. Logos or logical appeal refers to the use of elements of logic to influence the audience (Keith and Lundberg 38). The characters, music, and storyline of the advert depict the logic that Coke drinks not only quench thirst but also unite people by creating moments of shared happiness. The fun in sharing a Coke drink is evident from the beginning to the end of the advert. The insects are witty and excited as they participate in their respective roles to ensure they all get a share of the stolen Coke drink. The butterfly distraction scene is a logical incidence because it stops the man from finding out about his missing bottle. 4.

Rhetorical Styles in the advert

The setting, components, and the storyline in the Coca-Cola Heist advert are entirely metaphorical. Its characters and concepts are presented in a way that creates symbolism between the advert and the target audience (Keith and Lundberg 18). In reality, the insects

Surname 4 used in the commercial are not strong enough to push over or open a Coke bottle. The directors resolved this by incorporating a group action by the insects. The various insects are effectively coordinating under the leadership of the ladybug. The advert's well-coordinated actions of the insects until the bottle opens symbolically emphasize on Coca-Cola's marketing strategy in opening and sharing happiness to all. Conclusion The Coca-Cola Heist advertisement effectively demonstrates the feeling that the company wanted to pass on to its target audience, which is happiness can be shared with all. The advert is highly engaging and thus persuasive considering the choice and organization of character roles throughout the storyline. Its rhetoric elements are effectively applied to actively engage the audience and communicate the intended message of shared happiness in the Coca-Cola drink. Works cited Keith, William M., and Christian O. Lundberg. The essential guide to rhetoric. Macmillan, 2008. Dillard, James Price, and Michael Pfau. The persuasion handbook: Developments in theory and practice. Sage Publications, 2002. Klein, Bethany. "In perfect harmony: Popular music and cola advertising." Popular Music and Society 31.1 (2008): 1-20. “Coca-Cola Heist” YouTube. N.p., 2009. Retrieved 16 October 2019, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bSNCnyCUdk8...