Commercial: BMW, Electric Vehicle
Rhetoric: For me, this commercial from BMW is using more than one persuasive technique in the commercial. They are definitely using ethos, in the fact that they are harping on the ethical reasons for switching from a gas powered vehicle to an all electric vehicle. They are riding the backs of many politicians and the fight for climate control, along with that comes clean vehicles (electric). I also feel as though they are using the logos persuasion technique, making it logical to switch to an electric vehicle because a lot of the everyday things we need already use electricity.
Overall Message: The overall message of this commercial is one that tells us that switching to an electric vehicle can be as easy as a "god." BMW is advertising their new all electric iX. The commercial is set in Palm Springs, California, which is a popular retirement destination. This setting is a suburban looking town, with friendly neighbors, golf course and a pool. It seems to be set outside a major city, as we see when Zeus knocks the power out of a large city. Characters in the commercial are: Zeus, his wife Hera, a neighbor trimming her hedges, a twosome playing golf and other gods at Mount Olympus. Objects that are found in the commercial are the electric BMW, pegasus puppy, hedge trimmers, swimming pool and float, golf course (putter, flag, ball, cart), house, electric panel, power grid, stores, red lights, electricity (lightning bolts). They use Zeus and his wife Hera in an example of "retirement" and see Zeus and Hera move down from Mount Olympus to suburbia Palm Springs. Zeus gets annoyed by people asking for a "charge" in their hedge trimmers, golf cart and his own power panel at his home. Hera tells Zeus to not forget to walk their puppy and then we see her leave and return with a gift for Zeus. The gift is the product that BMW is advertising, the all electric iX vehicle. We then see Zeus and Hera take off in the vehicle and Zeus is changing the red lights to green with the use of his powers.
Production: The cultural codes that they are trying to use are the culture of a retirement town. They also want to persuade the viewers that switching to an all electric vehicle is easy and that even a retired god can do it. It also gives you the feeling that switching to an electric vehicle is an easy transition, as everyday items that we use (hedge trimmers, golf cart, lights) all run off electricity. The purpose of this commercial, again is to sway viewers to switch from gas powered cars to electric cars, in hopes of making a cleaner environment.
Distribution: This commercial first aired during this year's Super Bowl but I viewed it on a Saturday afternoon, around 4pm, watching college football on ESPN. The most likely audience members would be sports fans and families of thus sports fans as a lot of families gather together to watch their college football team play. I believe that they aired this commercial during this time in hopes of targeting these sports fans and their families. Knowing that these families most likely do not drive an electric vehicle, they have hopes of swaying their thoughts by using very famous actor and actress to portray Zeus and Hera.
Persuasive Techniques: The creators of this commercial used a variety of visuals and persuasive techniques. I believe using Arnold Schwarzenegger and Salma Hayek as the actor and actress portraying Zeus and his wife Hera, was a direct technique to gain viewership with the hope of swaying their thoughts on electric vehicles. The commercial was aired sort of like a movie, using great computer graphics that looks movie quality. This also was a technique for the creators to show that electric vehicles are not gimmicks and a real way to help clean up our environment. They use an aural technique at the end, choosing a fitting song about "electric avenue" as we see Zeus and Hera driving around having a great time in their electric vehicle. This was done to persuade viewers that driving an electric vehicle is fun, and they can be fast, knowing that electric vehicles have a reputation of not being fun to drive.
Reflection: I really enjoyed this assignment. I always knew that tv commercials were used to persuade people, not just political ones, but normal ones such as the one I broke down. But it was very enjoyable reading the background information what goes into this commercials and all the different techniques used in the creation of these powerful pieces of media. It is important to know these different techniques, not only for ourselves, but to teach our students about the power of persuasion and how to differentiate "fun" and underlying messages. I think this is ever important in today's students, to help them be able to make decisions on their own and not always go with the flow and do what they see on tv. I think that re-creating this assignment in my classes could be a great way to show the power of media and the creators underlying messages behind certain media, such as tv commercials.