American Eagle Outfitter Advertising Campaign Analysis

Without commercials, television networks would not possess the financial resources necessary to broadcast programs to the diverse audience of modern-day society. Although intended to drive sales and revenue by attracting customers, select television commercials have been unsuccessful in executing such; unfortunately, the East Hills Mall of St. Joseph, Missouri, serves as an impeccable example. Following a stagnant summer season, and as an attempt to recover from diminishing sales, a local commercial was aired to the metro-Kansas City area with the intent to showcase the mall as the ideal back-to-school shopping location (Barness). However, the advertising campaign for the East Hills Mall received tremendous amounts of negative feedback, resulting in national recognition and cessation of the campaign (Maskeroni). Responsible for the shopping mall, MD Management released several reports following the fiscal year, citing the horrendous campaign

as a potential cause for declining customer traffic (Cronkleton). The back-to-school advertisement produced by the East Hills Mall is acutely ineffective as a result of the illogical implementation of ethos, or credibility; pathos, or emotion; and logos, or logic within the campaign.
Aired as an entire sequence, the commercial is divided into several distinct components in which each component focuses on a specific product or market (Barness). As the slurred beat-boxing begins, a young girl appears on screen with a vintage, silver microphone, which is present in various locations throughout the entire commercial. In the background, an operating merry-go-round and the phrase “Back to School,” encircle the young girl. In the bottom portion of the screen, the East Hills Mall logo and website address are clearly visible and remain fixed in location throughout the duration of the commercial. The young girl begins to sing, “East Hills, we’re back to school.” Immediately, the East Hills Mall logo and lyrical citation establish credibility for the viewer. The vague, nonexistent pathos and logos create a sense of uncertainty, most likely persuading the viewer to find another television channel.
Without warning, the screen cuts to a woman standing in front of a Rue 21 branded store. The nationally recognizable logo establishes ethos; however, the gaudy demeanor of the woman on screen affects the credibility. Standing in front of the vintage, silver microphone, the woman abruptly and out of sync with the beat-boxer sings, “Denim” while holding up a folded pair of jeans. In this short clip, pathos and logos are seldom used in order to grasp the attention of the viewer. Although credibility is apparent by the logo of a brand name, one cannot assume that the woman on screen is a customer or employee of the store. Therefore, the ability of the viewer to develop an emotional or logical connection with the woman is impaired because of the uncertainty of her connection with the shopping mall. The viewer most likely does not have ample time to comprehend the scene, resulting from the glimpse of the woman.
Without transition, the screen cuts to a woman appearing to be a stylist standing in front of a MasterCuts salon. The formidable appearance and singing of the woman overwhelms the viewer with a negative pathos, deterring potential customers from using the services offered by MaserCuts. Similar to that of the previous clip, the length of this clip is terse, barely allowing the stylist to belch the word “Haircuts” before cutting to the next section of the commercial. The MasterCuts brand on both the storefront and external signage of the store establish credibility for the viewer; however, the awkward placement of the vintage, silver microphone and the improper clipping of scissors by the stylist damage the logos of the scene. Throughout the commercial, the same clip of the stylist is repeated twice, notably at the very end. Upon analysis, the final clip of the commercial is impotent as the haircuts offered by MasterCuts have absolutely nothing to do with the advertising campaign produced by the East Hills Mall.
Following the MasterCuts scene, a woman appears on the screen standing in front of a Journey’s apparel store. Perhaps the performance of the woman in this particular scene is the most ineffective throughout the entire sequence of performances. Widely recognizable, the Journey’s logo establishes ethos with the audience. The woman, unidentified as an employee or customer, holds two backpacks with an offset motion. Into the silver, vintage microphone, the woman screams, “Backpacks, backpacks, come get your backpacks!” Ultimately, it sounds as if the woman is making a reference to a Dora the Explorer song. The inadequacy of pathos and logos in this particular scene induce the viewer to disregard the actual product and focus on the woman, who is screaming and wide-eyed in front of a retail store. Rather than showcase the specific apparel, the woman unintentionally distracts potential customers with her contentious attitude. The clip of the woman in front of the Journey’s apparel store is only shown once throughout the commercial, unlike the preceding and succeeding clips.
Following the erratic backpack scene, a man emerges in front of an American Eagle Outfitters store.

Appearing with a miffed expression, the man, with absolute monotony sings, “Boots and pants, and boots and pants” into the silver, vintage microphone. Holding a pair of faded jeans and a single boot, the man attempts to move the items in coordination with the mumbled beat-boxing in the background. Although the American Eagle Outfitters logo spawns a sense of ethos towards the viewer, the distracting conduct of the man subtracts from the logos and pathos behind the established validity, and viewers are prone to feel that the emotion and logic portrayed by the man are questionable. Anew, the attempted advertisement of the product has failed, thus fueling the compilation of evidence towards the degree of ineffectiveness presented by the commercial. Similar to that of other clips within the campaign, the scene repeats for no apparent reason, which is likely done in order to meet a specific time requirement for broadcasting

purposes.
Leaving the viewer with an abhorrent outlook for the East Hills Mall, the televised disaster continues to prove infirmity. Succeeding the boots and pants scene, a woman appears on screen holding two pairs of Nike branded shoes. Standing adjacent to an Off Broadway Shoes storefront, the woman warbles, “New Shoes” into the vintage, silver microphone. Despite the credibility incorporated by both the Nike and Off Broadway Shoe brands, the bland singing by the woman and meager presentation of the product fail to emotionally and logically connect with the viewer. A staggering amount of uncertainty exists, as the connection of the woman to the mall is unknown and the rationale of events within the short clip decline to enact an incentive to purchase the product. The focus of the viewer is directed to the poor delivery method of the woman, and the intended purpose is disregarded.
Perchance, the final scene confirms the lack of quality and potency entrenched within the commercial, disappointing the audience via content and presentation. Behind the unjustified vintage and silver microphone, a young woman stands in front of a Vanity branded clothing store. Similar to the preceding scenes, the Vanity logo establishes a sense of credibility with the viewer; likewise, the scarce enthusiasm and little confidence of the woman deducts from the ethos. The woman mumbles, “Get yourself an outfit,” which is out of sync with the beat-boxer, and distracts the viewer from the various articles of clothing in which the woman is holding. The attempt by the young woman to promote back-to-school outfits is a lost cause, for the attention of the viewer is directed to her horrid performance. Akin the backpack scene, the structure of logos is weak, and the pathos of the viewer towards the product is tainted by the poorly produced clip; the back-to-school outfit scene is utterly ineffective.
In an effort to bolster the potential customers of the East Hills Mall, the concluding scene of the commercial restores the operating marry-go-round and “Back to School” phrase. Likewise, the East Hills Mall logo is displayed in an augmented format across the screen. However, the enlarged logo obstructs the face of the young girl, who sings, “So get yourself back to school, with East Hills.” Below the massive East Hills Mall logo, the phrase “Everything you need” unexpectedly appears, forcing confusion and aberration onto the viewer. The vintage, silver microphone finally disappears, but before the commercial officially concludes, the haircut clip is repeated for a third time. The televised monstrosity fails to utilize a formal closure or transition to a proper conclusion. Similar to the repetitive transition style used throughout the commercial, the clip is cut to a black screen, which marks the official denouement.
Overall, the intended reception of this commercial is proven to be inaccurate. Although the shopping mall is destined to exhibit a variety of back-to-school products and services, the unsatisfactorily produced commercial contrives the viewer to fixate on the unpleasant acting and performance attributes of the individuals selected to resemble the East Hills Mall. Although numerous instances involving strong ethos are executed within the commercial, the indigent use of pathos and logos severely afflict the original purpose of the campaign. Each scene of the commercial lessens the chances of the viewer becoming a perspective customer, eventually corrupting the possibility. According to WD Management, the shopping mall continued to suffer financially following the release of the commercial, alleging the campaign as having a negative effect on the already deteriorating sales of the shopping mall (Cronkleton). Unfortunately, the advertising campaign created by the East Hills Mall is ineffective due to the illogical implementation of ethos, logos, and pathos, devising a back-to-school nightmare.