A Rhetorical Analysis Of Stereotypes

968 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: The impact of advertising on our society

Consumerism is a noun that signifies the theory that when people spend money on popular goods they are helping the economy. Consumerism has changed from the view that a product gave you a service, to being a mental well-being level by defining our identity as people. Our society feels as though our consumption habits define how we understand ourselves, how we connect with each other, and above all how we feel a part of, and fit in with the society as a whole. The products in which we buy are largely defining our social and economic value. This is because the lens in which we see and understand the world shows us what is possible and how we might go about achieving what we want. Colin Campbell, a British sociologist, adds his knowledge into …show more content…

These aspects include visual elements, symbolism, choice in music, and language selection. The advertisements first frame is of a man flipping a tyre the voice over saying “are we weirdos?”. This rhetorical question is used to open the viewers mind. The voice over continues asking these types of questions to make sure that the viewers are still thinking about themselves and their own lifestyles. The symbol of Reebok has been shown as a mark of excellence stated by the Reebok compony themselves and each trapezium represents elements such as physical, mental and social. This makes people feel as though this product will make them physically, mentally and socially stronger and more equipped to take on life’s challenges. The music is upbeat, which makes the audience feel energized. The language selection is inspirational and automatically engages the audience in the empowering, compelling and profound …show more content…

At first it just seems like an inspirational video about being the best human that you can be. However, at the end of the video you see that the advertisement is showing that you can only be the best you can when owning a pair of Reebok shoes. “To all the athletes out there who spend their days bloody, muddy, and sore, not for bright lights or money, but to simply be the best version of themselves: this is you.” Viewers of the advertisement may become envious as they don’t spend every day ‘muddy and sore’ making them feel inferior. Director A.G. Rojas employs many fit, healthy, strong people to show the outcome of owning the Reebok shoes. Rojas mixes in shots of firefighters and busy families to forge the all-important connection, linking the obsessive workouts with aspects of daily living. The people within the advertisement are shown to be awake in the early hours of the day and stay out long after dark, risking pain and injury, pushing themselves to the physical and emotional limit. Thriving to be the best they can be physically and

Show More
Related

  • An Analysis Of Sarah Haley's Thing Thighs

    1118 Words  | 3 Pages

    In her example, she speaks of how this advertisement reestablishes the idea of loving your body. Women have curves, they have hips, they have thighs. In the Nike advertisement it makes the [consumer] feel proud of their strong, athletic body (Haley pg 108). The woman in the Playtex display has the ideal body type of a runner. This model is strong, and she has the body of an athlete. Just like any runner, and most female athletes, her strengths are hidden. With lean muscle brought upon by playing sports, women often do not look as strong as they really are. Under those tights, she has “thunder thighs”. She has calves and shins of steel from keeping her toes up. She has a sculpted upper back from swinging her arms and keeping her shoulders relaxed. She has and unbelievably strong core from reaching her legs out in each stride, and holding her body

    Read More

  • Analysis Of The Bossy Boot

    792 Words  | 2 Pages

    This advertisement shows us logos by making people think about domestic violence. When you look at the big boot, obviously worn by a man is stepping on top of a small women’s shoe, it automatically makes you think about domestic violence. As quoted, “When he controls your life, it’s no longer your life.” This quote is powerful and directly speaks to the women who are in controlling abusive relationships. It also speaks to people who know someone who is being abused and that they should speak out. It pulls you into the sad scene with the dark lighting all around almost making it seem suffocating, which causes the small woman’s shoe to seem unimportant, compared to the big muddy boot that is trapping it. It logically makes someone

    Read More

  • The Rise of Consumption Equality by Andy Kessler

    1991 Words  | 4 Pages

    Through out the world, thousand of starving people look wherever they can for scraps of food or spare change. On the other hand, millionaires and billionaires can buy a private jet to fly anywhere on a whim while eating the finest of foods. In the middle, ordinary people work regular twelve-hour days in order to pay the bills and put food on the table. Each person can be in a different category. Most often you can tell which category an individual is in by looking at the things they own. Consumerism, or the push to buy goods and services, is not a new thing. It has been around since the very first sale or trade centuries ago. Although today, controversy has arisen about the rapidly growing rate of consumerism and how it affects the economy around the world. Is the current rate of consumerism a good or bad effect on the economy? Also, what are some ways to help people understand consumerism better? As I do research and explore, I hope to find the answers to these questions in order to understand the issue better myself.

    Read More

  • Shock Treatment

    769 Words  | 2 Pages

    For example, Nike has introduced a new commercial that has caused quite a stir among critics. The title of this commercial is 'Beautiful';. The thirty second spot, created by longtime ad agency Wieden & Kennedy, debut nationally on October 12 during the National League Championship Series and will air into November. What this ad focuses on is a handful of athletes who have each suffered serious scarring or physical trauma while participating in their sport of choice. The spot is filmed in black-and-white, accented by a haunting rendition of the song 'You Are So Beautiful To Me,'; and featuring close-ups of injuries suffered by both elite and so-called 'everyday'; athletes. It closes with the 'Just Do It'; message followed by the Nike Swoosh.

    Read More

  • Fantasy Theme Analysis Of Commercial

    1497 Words  | 3 Pages

    The Jordan Brand attempts to communicate to its audience that to become legendary they need to understand that it is not about the shoes, but what it is you do in them. They do this by showing a number of star athletes performing when they were in college and high school to the narrator’s (Michael Jordan) words. This paper hypothesizes how it is the Jordan Brand attempts to bring their audience to the shared rhetorical vision of becoming legendary, through fantasy themes in their ad "It’s Not About the Shoes".

    Read More

  • Rhetoric and Stereotype

    1757 Words  | 4 Pages

    Stereotype is a sweeping statement standardized image about a person or group with little or no evidence. The primary purpose is to hurt one’s feelings or to attack one’s character. Have you ever stereotyped someone or felt like you were being stereotyped against? How did being stereotyped affect you, or how did it make you feel once you got to know the person or persons? All kind of people make up our society. Within society, there are a massive amount of groups, most of which have been stereotyped in one way or another. We develop stereotypes when we are reluctant or incapable to obtain all information needed to make fair judgments about people or situations. In the absence of the unknown statistics, stereotyping allow us to “bridge the gaps.” Four of many different groups of people are the prime sources of stereotypes in our society are politicians, tattooed persons, feminists and senior citizens. If the thought of these groups of people mentioned directed some sort of negative icon within you then you are a protagonist of stereotype.

    Read More

  • Consumerism Essay

    716 Words  | 2 Pages

    Webster's dictionary defines consumerism as "the economic theory that a progressively greater consumption of goods is beneficial." today we are surrounded by a culture of things and possessions:a materialistic world.consumption of materialistic goods has encroached upon every sphere of our lives and we don't even realise it.at first products had a value of necessity in our lives.but now they are sign of choice, social status and identification.the more we advance technologically and socialy the more we need products to keep up with the times.but do people really need all the things they buy?consumerism today is all about people feeling the need to buy more and more material goods to attain some sort of satisfaction.

    Read More

  • Stereotypes: A Parody Analysis

    274 Words  | 1 Pages

    Ok, not going to lie this was definitely not one of my favorite things to listen to, although it was quite catchy (yes, it’s still stuck in my head). Beyond that, there were stereotypes abound in this parody. One of the first I noticed was the description of the homecoming queen “in pink chiffon” looking straight out of Disneyland. This leads to a stereotypical “pretty girls must be perfect” image, the perfect look, clothes, and behavior (well except she decided to shoot up the parade instead of conforming to the stereotype). Then there were the cheerleaders named Buffy and Mitzi, which are typical “bimbo, airheaded,” cheerleader names. Followed by the comment reference “a really bad period” which is a typical stereotype that a female

    Read More

  • Rhetorical Devices Used In If You Let Me Play

    973 Words  | 2 Pages

    This technique is commonly broken into three categories: pathos, ethos, and logos. The multi-billion-dollar company, Nike, is one of many companies that utilizes these techniques to not only sell their products, but present their values and morals as an athletic company. Nike’s, “If you let me play,” ad is a perfect example of a print advertisement that encompasses all three persuasion techniques. The ad has emotional appeal, using pathos to evoke feelings of strength and positivity in young girls and their parents urging them to embrace sports and physical activities. Ethos is a fairly simple persuasive technique for Nike to utilize due to their overwhelming success and popularity. With such a large company, it is easy to establish unspoken credibility. In order to establish further credibility, there are statistics and claims based on logical reasoning that exemplify an advertisement using logos to help the target audience understand exactly what Nike is striving to communicate. Through capitalizing on these persuasive techniques, Nike not only successfully promoted their female athletic apparel, but also educated the public on the importance of empowering young girls and encouraging them to participate in sports and physical activities for the overall betterment of their lives mentally, physically, and

    Read More

  • Get Fit with Nike

    1277 Words  | 3 Pages

    The American dream for women is to have a toned, fit body that all other women will envy and men will long to look at forever. Many different workout routines and products flood the market trying to persuade athletic women. For a workout product to appeal to an athletic woman, the ad must show the female reader the unique qualities that stand out from other products. With bold copy, an aggressive illustration, and dominant design, this Nike ad, "MAKE YOURSELF FIT" persuades to the female reader that they can be determined to get fit and also get noticed by others when wearing Nike.

    Read More

  • Fighting Stereotypes

    1072 Words  | 3 Pages

    A stereotype is defined as a widely held but fixed and oversimplified image or idea of a particular type of person or thing. There are multitudes of stereotypes in our society today ranging from the physical attributes of a person or groups of people to the behaviors of a person or groups of people. According to An Introduction to Logic, “Often the fallacy of hasty generalization can lead to damaging stereotypes made on the basis of just a few examples. Stereotypes about women, religious groups, minorities, ethnic groups, and so forth are often based on this type of reasoning” (Mosser, Ch. 4, pg. 13). Insufficient evidence is often the cause of inaccurate stereotypes and can be detrimental for everyone involved. Throughout my life, I have been placed into three stereotyped categories for example: being a redhead and hot-tempered, being a Christian that hates gays and finally, being married to a black man and will inevitably end up divorced because of the differences within the black and white cultures, these are fallacies that do not have any validity.

    Read More

  • Essay On Fashion Stereotypes

    451 Words  | 1 Pages

    His research and publications address environmental thought, cultural inquiry, philosophy of art and culture, holistic well-being, and, applied philosophy and ethics. His book Fashion Myths: A Cultural Critique, discusses advertisements of fashion, and fashion-related goods from a philosophic-anthropological perspective within a contemporary cultural context. In other words, understanding the thoughts of consumers when watching advertisements and making purchases. Understanding the matter from an anthropological perspective, as well as from a design perspective, allows for insight into the matter through an interdisciplinary approach, aiding in understanding the situation from both sides: designer and

    Read More

  • Content Analysis Of Nike

    1345 Words  | 3 Pages

    Research can be defined as a systematic method through which new knowledge is discovered. No matter what topic is being studied or analyzed, the value of research lies in how well it is designed and carried out. There are several types of research which include: surveys, interviews, content analysis and focus groups. As an advertiser it is important not only to be aware of your surroundings, but what goes on in people’s minds. Individuals’ needs and wants are not only essential but the base of an advertisement’s success. The purpose of this essay is to conduct my own research about a company that has transcended barriers such as race, disabilities, and gender with a phrase that has sparked interest, innovation and motivation all over the world: “Just Do It”. Since the 1980’s Nike has not only become one of the leading sports brands, but a corporation that learned just how to convey a message and reach their target consumers through successful advertisement. The question is: What is portrayed through Nike’s advertisement and slogans? How has this helped sales, and how far has advertisement pushed its success? The objective of this research paper is to find and understand in-depth answers to these questions that bring a

    Read More

  • Gender Stereotypes Of Women In Sport And Media

    1773 Words  | 4 Pages

    In order to successfully grasp women’s attention, they shifted their branding and narrative process to targeting “feminine sensitivity” in order to gain a better appeal to women. In 1990, Nike executives created a team of employees together with Wieden and Kennedy, Nike’s advertising agency and revolutionised its strategy by focusing on the issues that “really matter to women”. What they did was shifting the way they appeal to women’s bodily consciousness through guilt to presenting the products not as commodity, but as concepts; the brand as experience and lifestyle. In the case of Nike’s advertisement, it referred to the “empathy/dialogue” campaign. By doing this, Nike “addressed athletics as a personal experience of growth rather than a path to glory and physical power” (Lucas 152) and eventually managed to corner the women’s market. Later in the late 1990s which is the rise of second-wave feminism, the movement sought to liberate women from constraining gender roles and gender discrimination of the patriarchal culture in which they lived and also railed for images, especially in advertising, that portrayed women as more than housewives and positioned them as equals to men. This is because “feminists had identified advertising as one of the key sites for the production of sexist imagery. Throughout the subsequent decades women voiced their anger about being treated like objects to be visually consumed.” (Gill 83) Hence, marketers have acknowledged that simply empathise with women is not enough and as a result, according to Cole and Hribar, Nike had to transform its image to a “good public citizen” (347-369). Nike’s co-founder, Bill Knight, specifies that he wants Nike to be thought of as a company with a “soul that recognises the value in human beings” and this idea of kindness gave birth the ad campaign “If you let me play”. The ad campaign

    Read More

  • Analysis Of Nike Just Do It Campaign

    2978 Words  | 6 Pages

    For my Senior Colloquium, I plan to evaluate and analyze Nike “Just Do It” campaign launched in 1988. The campaign is one of the top two taglines of the 20th century with it being both “universal and intensely personal” (“Nike, Inc.”). Nike mission is to bring inspiration and innovation to every athlete in the world. If you have a body, you are an athlete according to Nike. Nike does more than just make gear for athletes; as a company, Nike believes in the power of human potential. This paper will discuss all aspects of Nike's persuasive campaign. Some of the campaign's strategies, goals, and techniques will be discovered and some persuasive theories that can be useful to the Nike advertising campaign will be identified and explained as well. Afterwards think about these theories, the particular arguments of the campaign will be legitimate.

    Read More

More about A Rhetorical Analysis Of Stereotypes

Open Document