Rhetoric is happening all around us all the time and we just don’t even know it. As it seems to be an English technical term, it’s just not appearing in your typical English classes or intensive writing courses. It takes place in one of the most popular media sources—television. More specifically, the commercials. Commercials are meant to pull the viewer in to buying their product. The way to do so is to grab the audiences’ attention quickly and reel them in in a witty, creative way.
One particular company’s commercials that stand out to me when I think of grabbing the audience quickly are the Geico commercials. In the past, they became known for their “so easy a caveman can do it” slogan and it stuck with viewers. More recently, their commercials have been a man asking, "Could switching to Geico save you 15 percent or more on car insurance,” and then him asking a rhetorical question, one with an obvious answer of “yes.” My most favorite commercial of theirs would definitely be this one:
Because of the cuteness of the pig and its light humor, this commercial really stuck with many viewers and became talked about. We’d be at family functions, just catching up around the holidays and at least one person would bring up that commercial or any of the Geico commercials and just laugh about them. Little do we know that we are in a way getting our amusement from a rhetorical commercial/question. When he first asks the question, it leaves you confused as to where is he going with this? And then after they show the clip, you can then piece together the commercial and understand the rhetoric behind it. Then the more you see other Geico commercials asking the same rhetorical questions about different situation, they leave you thinking more critically, hence the commercial staying with you and Geico doing its job with drawing your attention into their company. Funny how things work out, huh?
I love the Geico commercials, especially this one. Thanks for picking out the contingency in their commercials, I couldn't agree more. Great analysis.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Felix on the analysis.
ReplyDeletePart of why I love these commercials is the facial expressions of the actors. For instance, the tired frustration of the mom in this one, as well as the son's look of annoyance--priceless. I also like "Is a bird in the hand really worth two in the bush?" just so I can see the woman's expectant expression as she waits to hear about her treasure. And then her "Reeeally??!?" clinches it for me every time.
In some ways these commercials are functioning a bit like the old Mentos commercials: be unusual to be memorable and create conversation. Now, the Mentos ads were so annoyingly bad that they stuck with you. These Geico ads, on the other hand, stick because they work on several levels: the initial unexpected twist on a familiar story or phrase, an over-the-top literal depiction, and good character acting (except in the woodchucks chucking wood ad--that strikes me as less successful).