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

others to listen to those who might be searching for way out.

The video opens with a barely lit scene of a fireplace - then transitioning to a disorderly room and piles of unwashed dishes.

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

danger.

In the next part of the commercial, the woman finally admits she has an emergency. She then subtly answers the dispatcher’s questions to give him information on how to help her. Possibly under watch by her abuser, she makes no hints that she is calling 911 and continues to make it sound like a pizza delivery on her end. The imagery continues to give off a dark and dull tone to the video. Shots of a punched wall and disorganized rooms begin to clue in on some sort of violence taking place. The audience now becomes aware that something is very wrong inside the home of the woman. As the audience listens on the telephone call, it is almost evident the woman is getting more nervous as the conversation continues. Her voice becomes shaky and hesitant to the dispatcher’s questioning. This lets the audience know that she is in trouble, but also keeps the suspense as to what danger .
As the commercial comes to a close, the operator asks if there are weapons in the house, to which the woman responds no.

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

violence.
Through the commercial’s use of shady colors, violent images, and bold texts, the audience is gravely impacted on the severity of domestic violence. The commercial claims that we should listen more closely to help the abused. It is a plea to end domestic violence. The rhetorical aspect of the commercial urges the audience to get involved in this cause, and to help end a tragic problem during this time.