A Rhetorical Analysis On Superbowl

In a recent Superbowl commercial aired by an non-profit organization called No More features an abused spouse in a toxic relationship that calls out for help in both a metaphorical and literal sense. The airing of this commercial during the Superbowl was meant as a way to clean the NFL’s image as their players have been in many domestic violence scandals. The video itself was meant as a breakthrough to it’s audience who might be abused men or woman. In the commercial itself an abused woman is featured, and through the use of a muted color palette with contrasting lights, static audio, a very unnerving tone is created. This tone helps transcribe the message, that in such a dark relationship there is always light and a way out. It’s also encouraging

Each part of the house is captured with a dark and gloomy cinematography, especially with some vivid colors that contrast in the foreground. The clips of each area of the room show the environment which the woman resides in along with her abuser. It’s an unkempt household and while there are shots of space that are neat, it’s quickly replaced by the reality of chaos. The audio that starts in the beginning with a distinct dial tone followed by the calm voice of a woman supposedly ordering pizza, in reality she calls 911 and the operator informs her that she’s mistaken. However, the woman continues and even the audience is left in confusion before the operator finally notices the strain in her voice, and asks her if she’s in

The audience can now be sure that there is someone dangerous possibly physically abusing the woman. The dispatcher asks if she can stay on the line, and she declines with a “No, see you soon” as a cry for help. Throughout the end, we receive more images of family photos and a suspiciously fallen photo. The scenes colors continue to be dull and dark, giving an unsettling feeling to the commercial. Continuing with the nervous voice of the woman, she ends the call in a panicked tone, as if she has run out of time. Her last words are metaphorically a plea for help, hoping the authorities come as soon as possible. The text at the end that asks the audience to help speak for the abused, is created in bold and capital letters to give a serious tone to the message. The text makes the audience feel as if it is our obligation to stop the problem of domestic