Commercial Name: 'To All the Fans' Click here to view

Rhetoric: The persuasive technique for this Amazon Prime Video commercial is Pathos. This commercial appeals to anyone who has ever felt left out or like they did not belong. This allows the viewer to make an emotional connection, hence pulling on the heart strings through the use of Pathos.

Overall Message:

This commercial is trying to advertise for Amazon Prime Video. The specific series that the commercial is featuring is an upcoming series that comes out in September of 2022, The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power. The commercial shows several different settings that all revolve around the same young man. The settings include the soccer field, inside the band room, the math classroom, the boy's bedroom, a bus ride, and finally, the movie theater on opening night of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power. The young boy is repeatedly shown that he is not good enough or does not fit in. He does not help his team on the soccer field. Next, he plays the wrong note at the wrong time in band class and he looks embarrassed as someone else looks at him with disgust. Then, it shows the same little boy in a math classroom where the teacher reprimands him for not having the right answer by tapping on his desk. Through the use of these scenarios, the Pathos technique is in full swing.

After the teacher moves past the boy's desk, the window beside him blows papers and a book to the ground. He kneels down to pick them up and finds a novel, The Lord of the Rings. The setting changes to the child's bedroom at night where he is hiding under his sheets with a flashlight in order to read the book. His mother tells him to stop reading and uses an incorrect term for a character in the book. For the first time in the whole commercial, the little boy stands up for himself and tells his mom the correct name. Then, the boy orders a costume from Amazon. Next, the boy is in his costume, on a bus ride to the movie theater that is showing the new Amazon Prime Video series! He is welcomed with open arms inside the theater where everyone is dressed the same as he is. For the first time, he feels like he belongs. He smiles from ear to ear.

Production:

There were no specific cultural codes like certain religious, age, gender, or ethnicity groups used in this commercial. However, the commercial did apply to a culture of people who tend to feel left out in every day scenarios like school and work. There was also a culture of people represented in the commercial who are invested in something so much that they are willing to read, watch, dress, and talk like their favorite novel and TV series characters. This group of people who are huge fans of The Lord of the Rings are sometimes referred to as Ringers.

The overall message the producer was trying to make was verbally stated when the narrator states, "To all the fans who go deep, keep going. See where it takes you." The purpose of the commercial was to show viewers that there is a new series coming out. The creators of this commercial want the target audience to believe that Amazon Prime Video can offer its viewers a place of escape from reality, as well as an invitation to a club of people who will welcome you just as you are. The message that is communicated went beyond a simple trailer for a series. Instead, it created an experience that encourages the viewer to find their niche or community, which can be found by staying true to yourself as a fan of this specific series.

Distribution:

This commercial was shown at 8PM on a weekday as my husband and I were streaming Amazon Prime. We were watching Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan. Normally, we try to skip the advertisements when we are streaming. However, this commercial caught my eye because it began with a little boy. As a mother and a teacher, I was intrigued by the emotional connection I was making to this sweet little boy who was just looking for his place in the world. The TV show we were about to watch is about a CIA analyst who is currently on his first field assignment, which turns out to be very dangerous. Young adults who like action series are typically the audience of this show.

I think this commercial was shown at this particular time due to the streaming service capabilities and algorithm. My husband has watched Harry Potter movies on our account in the past. I think the target audience is a group of people who really enjoy fantasy films or series. Since we have watched these types of movies in the past, I do think it was shown at night because The Lord of the Rings is typically a book and series enjoyed by older teenagers and young adults.

Persuasive Techniques:

The two visual techniques that were used to convince us of the message included repetition and and before/after. The creators kept evoking the same emotion of seclusion by repeating different scenarios in which the boy felt like he was always alone. This allowed for the viewers to have multiple opportunities to emotionally relate to the character. Through this connection, the viewer was invested to continue watching the whole commercial until the message was clear. The other technique of before/after allowed the viewer to see how significant the change was in the little boy's attitude. The book and now TV series had changed his whole outlook and demeanor. This added to the message by making the viewer have a sense of necessity to watch the upcoming series.

The first aural technique I noticed used was pace/tempo. The creators transitioned to and from each setting that the little boy was struggling in with an extremely quick pace. This created a sense of defense and even anxiety. I felt as though the character could not catch a break. Then, the tempo slowed down once he picked up The Lord of the Rings novel. This created a more relaxed and peaceful atmosphere. The second aural technique I noticed was inflection. The tone in which people were talking to the little boy created both anxious feelings in the beginning of the commercial, as well as welcoming feelings at the end of the commercial.

Assignment Reflection:

I really enjoyed this assignment because advertisement has always been interesting to me. After viewing this week's materials, the biggest takeaway I learned was the three persuasive techniques of logos, ethos, and pathos. I also learned how there are several propaganda and subliminal message techniques that creators are constantly feeding our brains (and our children's brains). It is important to know about these techniques so I can be aware of what my children and I are watching.

In the classroom, we learn how to write an opinion piece. This is often an easy thing for students to tell verbally. However, when we write our opinions down on paper, students struggle with reasons to support their opinion. I would love to show a child-appropriate commercial to students in my class at the beginning of the unit and have students identify ways in which the creator is trying to persuade us. Then, I could even teach my students the three different strategies. Students could pick the one that makes the most sense for their topic and focus in on this technique throughout their writing.