There
are a number of rhetorical effectiveness advertisements. The Direct TV advertisements seem to be
masterminds in rhetoric. The
advertiser’s goal in demonstrating that choosing the wrong provider can in turn
produce dier consequences in your life, outlines the importance of obtaining
their subscription.
The
story outlines in the Direct TV advertisements have a clear path. They demonstrate the working of the
Rhetorical Triangle; appealing to the ethical, emotional and logical
senses. It starts with an issue a person
has when they subscribe to cable, which then conjures up a negative feeling, to
feel better the person seeks alternate entertainment or relief from the
negative feeling. Unfortunately the
alternate entertainment produces an affliction, which causes a consequence, the
consequence then produces a demeaning result.
The following is a sample of the Direct TV story ads progression:
|
Cable Issue
|
Feeling
|
Alternate Entertainment
|
Affliction
|
Consequence
|
Result
|
|
On Hold
|
Angry
|
Blow off steam (play raquet
ball)
|
Eye patch (eye injury)
|
Beaten up
|
Wake up in a ditch
|
|
Goes out (stops working)
|
Stressed
|
Exotic vacation
|
Exotic Insect bite (allergic
reaction)
|
Quarantined
|
Local fisherman called fatty
face
|
|
Can’t find something good to
watch
|
Depressed
|
Attend self help seminar
|
Gamble money away in Las
Vegas
|
Loose everything
|
Sell your hair to a wig shop
|
|
Pay too much
|
Dejected
|
Visit parents
|
Discover something new
about your parents
|
Speed off with tears in your
eyes
|
Drive into a pizzeria that
makes great baked ziti
|
The
focus of the advertisements appear to be geared towards the male consumer,
given that all the calamities are upon him if he chooses Cable TV, as opposed
to Direct TV. The appeal to the male
audience seems plausible due to the fact that additional television channels
are mainly geared towards sports and action movies. I do find this campaign
sexist, but I remember reading where television is trying to win more men, over
women, so these advertisements are proof of that claim.
