Pepsi Rhetorical Analysis Essay

Rhetorical Analysis Essay

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pepsi Pepsi is a carbonated soft drink that is produced and manufactured by PepsiCo. Created and developed in 1893 and introduced as Brad's Drink, it was renamed as Pepsi-Cola on August 28, 1898, then to Pepsi in 1961, and in select areas of North America, "Pepsi-Cola Made with Real Sugar" as of 2014. Caleb Bradham made Pepsi at his drugstore where the drink was sold. The name Pepsi was chosen after the digestive enzyme pepsin ( an enzyme that break down foods) and kola nuts used in the recipe. Bradham sought to create a fountain drink that was appealing and would aid in digestion and boost energy. The commercial displays high paid professional soccer players who were sponsored by Pepsi and used Pepsi as their source of drink and energy. Basically giving the idea that Pepsi is for real winners. The Sumo wrestlers had one thing in mind and that is to drink this powerful drink. So they went ahead and played for the drink. Apparently, the Sumo wrestlers ended up winning which symbolizes that the thirst for Pepsi brings the best out of people.

Although, the commercial

seems like Pepsi makes one play their best, it was really addressing the people who haven’t consumed the drink yet. The thirst for Pepsi in this commercial is to drive consumers to give all they got in order to just get a sip. But the real purpose of this drink is for one to feel relax after a hard-fought win or work. Three main rhetorical devices in this commercial are Thesis, Irony, and Foil.

https://hhs-english-iv.wikispaces.com/file/view/Rhetorical+Devices.pdf Foil-”A person or thing that makes another seem better by contrast”.

In this video, we have a bunch of high paid professional soccer players versus big Sumo wrestlers. The challenge in this game is to get a winner from the soccer match; a winner who gets to have all the cold Pepsi drinks in the cooler. Since one team is full of soccer players, the audience would assume that the professional soccer players will just get an easy win. First we are looking at the form the professionals are in versus the Sumo wrestlers. The soccer players seem fit and they look like they can endure the whole game. So many ideas and thoughts are running through the audience mind; ideas such as: “These wrestlers are getting destroyed”, “Everyone will score against the wrestlers even the

goalie”.
Irony-”A situation or statement characterized by the significant difference between what is expected or understood and what actually happens or is meant. The irony is frequently humorous, and can be sarcastic when using words to imply the opposite of what they normally mean”. The irony in this commercial is shown when the audience was left surprised and astonished at the end by the scoreboard. The audience expects an easy win from the professional’s players, but the irony was introduced at the end which resulted in the loss of the expected winners. The sarcastic part of it is having big sumo wrestlers dominating the fittest players.
The third rhetorical device is Thesis-”Focus statement of an essay; premise statement upon which the point of view or discussion in the essay is based”.
The focused statement of the commercial was Pepsi from the beginning to the end. The players’ jersey had Pepsi written all over it. Pepsi being enjoyed by most people, would make the audience focus upon the purpose of the commercial as in “What does Pepsi have to offer here?” It’s a way for the audience to have Pepsi on their mind throughout the commercial. The ironic scenery from the soccer match is also part of the thesis; it’s a way to make the commercial stick to mind. The sceneries are a way to create a visual imagery in the audience’s mind so they don’t lose the purpose which was all about Pepsi. In a way, if they forget the commercial was about Pepsi, the sumo wrestlers or the professionals’ soccer players would give them a reason to remember. The thirst for Pepsi or the desire to have the Pepsi drove the Sumo wrestlers to take actions that might lead them into playing for the Pepsi. The whole commercial is based on Pepsi thus it is appropriate to for the thesis to be based on Pepsi.
Pepsi, from year to year, have been modified slightly when it comes to taste, logo, and look to appeal new and improved for the consumers. It is very important to apply these new modifications from time to time because other companies are growing and new ones are coming into the market. It is getting more and more competitive because new drink are taking a more appealing looks, and they are also taking varieties of taste and even sometimes the price may drop by couple cents which could be another appealing effect to the drink. The commercial really is another way to appeal to the audience or another to make the audience consume Pepsi. The commercial looks very appealing to soccer players because the commercial has different types of players from different positions, team, and nationalities which could potentially add more consumers to the list of Pepsi lovers. The purpose of the commercial is to keep current consumers and also to add new consumers. So for an example, if soccer players used to not drink Pepsi, now they have a reason to give it a try. You should too.