A Rhetorical Analysis Of Nike Commercials

Nike commercials are selling you more than their products they are selling you an idea. They’re selling you the idea that you can come from any form of background and make your dreams come true. In both Nike commercials the primary appeal used was pathos and they focus on average people pushing themselves to become great.
The first Nike commercial is centered around an average teenage boy and how he’s working to become an amazing basketball player. The ad begins with showing a clock that reads 3am, it then transitions over to basketball court and you see the boy tying his shoes getting ready to run. It then continues by showing the boy doing suicide runs and shooting free throws. You see the boy dripping in sweat and smiling because he just

made a three pointer. You hear the voice over of the boy telling of how he pushes himself to do better so that he’s one step ahead of everyone else. The second Nike commercial is made up of female athletes telling girls that sports aren’t just made for boys. The commercial transitions between the famous female athletes and young girls. As the famous athletes talk of their struggles you see the young girls mouthing their words. The commercials ends with the them saying that they didn’t let what other people did or say stop them from what they loved.
Commercial number one uses the appeal of pathos to try and motivate the viewer.

The commercial appeals to emotion in a very effective way. The combination of the tone of music and begin in black and white gives it a intense feeling. Showing a kid from a small town work hard to become better at basketball player makes the viewer believe that it doesn’t matter what walk of life you come from that anybody can achieve their goals if they’re motivated enough. The commercial is also effective in the language that is used, “At this time, I'm the only one working. I was told to quit, that coaches would never notice me…” hearing that line makes the character relatable and you feel emotionally connected to him because everyone has felt doubted in their life. Felt like the people around them weren’t supporting them or told that they should just give up. There was also the use of the logical fallacies; false cause. Throughout the commercial there are several scenes where the camera is focused on the black, Nike shoes that the boy is

wearing.
In the second Nike commercial, the primary appeals used are pathos and ethos and the ad does it very effectively.

Ethos is used by having famous female athletes tell their personal stories and by having familiar faces, it draws the viewer's attention. Pathos is also used in multiple ways throughout the commercial. The first way is through what the speakers are saying, “No one on my all boys team would pass to me. Dad told me I couldn’t be a boxer; he said I was to small. There was guy who tried to spit on me and then push me out of the way… ” Hearing their stories of hardships brings up many emotions makes you feel guilty and have empathy for them. Another example of good use of pathos in this ad is that the famous athletes are talking through young girls. The transition between current athletes and future athletes brings upon many emotions because young people are the future and you don’t want them going through the same hardships as you. There is also the use of logical fallacies in the commercial the biggest one being anecdotal. Anecdotal is used because though some girls are looked down upon in sports, this may not apply to every girl. The commercial is taking specific personal stories that might not apply to

everyone.
In each Nike commercial the primary appeal used was pathos. The first Nike commercial uses pathos in a way to make you feel connected to the character or relate to the character. The second commercial uses pathos to make you feel empathy towards female athletes. Also there is a use of ethos in the second commercial with famous female athletes telling their stories of struggle. Both commercials are effective they both make you feel emotion, but the first commercial is more effective. The first is more relatable to everyone because it’s targeted for everyone. Whereas the second is mainly targeted towards females making it more relatable for woman.