Rhetorical Analysis On Feeding America

According to the New York Times, many multi-modal texts expose the average person to at least five thousand advertisements a day (Story). In today’s world, ads are everywhere—on television, in magazines, and even inside cereal boxes. Ad Council, a non-profit organization, joins with various sponsors to produce and promote unique collaborations of public service announcements. The organization has found ways to stimulate action against many problems in the world that concerns Americans (e.g., texting and driving, dating violence, and child hunger). Accordingly, Ad Council has cooperated with Feeding America, a nationwide network that ventures to advocate food insecurities in America. Together, the organizations have recently released a new campaign—“summer

isn’t fun when you’re hungry”. The corporation actively uses this quote to endorse their network. In accordance to the quote, Feeding America has published many PSAs about ending world hunger, one in which is a short, informational, YouTube ad. The advertisement is very compelling, but it is also comprised of a few weaknesses; however, despite its slight weaknesses, the impact of the video is still well founded. The ad illustrates a small boy who has returned home from school. As soon as he steps foot in the door, he throws his book bag down, and immediately searches for food. As he rambles through the refrigerator, the cabinets, and the pantry, he becomes disappointed and sadly leaves the kitchen.
It is fairly easy to determine the important design elements in this video. The video mainly consists of a calm presentation with subdued colors. This is important because it implies that the tone of the video is very serious and melancholy. The less colorful designs also portray a soothing atmosphere, which engages participation from the audience. The carefully organized advertisement has a strong relationship between the display and the concept. Just by watching the video, and not listening to the announcer, one can infer that it is a video about hunger prevention because the video assumes prior, cultural knowledge. In the video, the small boy searches inside empty cupboards, which indicates that there is no food, which indicates hunger. This role helps the video achieve its impact in getting people to open their eyes about world hunger and engaging the country to end it. At the end of the video, the viewers are given time to look at the sponsor’s information. The background is bright and white, which directly draws the audience’s attention towards the large format of “Feeding America” and their website. This tactic is important because the ad not only shows credibility, but also creates a juxtaposition of the complementary colors—black and white. The technique is also essential because there are no distractors in the background that causes the viewers to look past what is important—the contact information.
The viewers can immediately perceive that the music used in this commercial is depressing, slow, and desolate. The music selection is significant because the video is trying to persuade people as well as make an emotional connection with the audience. The young boy begins to sing about his sorrows, asking why he cannot eat “apples and bananas”. He has a soft, somber, and subtle voice, which presumes that he is distraught about his predicament. His dejected narrative is aiming to elicit an emotional response from the audience, whether the audience happens to be parents, food banks, or simply people willing to donate. The storyline prompts the viewers to feel solicitude for the child, making it easy for one to become emotionally invested in the cause. This approach is vital in the impact of the video, because the main purpose is to appeal to the hearts of those who are watching. Generally, the producers tend to use empathy/sympathy to get the audience to buy into the message. Furthermore, as the announcer makes the scene and annunciates the situation at hand, the viewers hear a familiar voice. As the famous actor, Scarlett Johansson, appears, she projects herself as a compassionate, serious, and informed announcer who is drawing attention to the Feeding America organization. As she represents the millions of people, particularly children, who are struggling daily with hunger, she also creates an appeal to ethos. She uses the word “us”, which shows that she is offering her consolation. These elements work together because the producer wants the suffering children to feel like they are not alone. Like many companies who are trying to make an endorsement, the video demonstrates a strong credibility role because of their use of a well-known actor, Johansson.
Feeding America tries to relay the severity of hunger in America and effectively capture the attention of the intended audience.

The impact of the video is strong, because it covers common ground. The video portrays the child returning home from school and immediately searching for food. Many children in America endure this every day. The creator also uses many zoomed in views of random objects, which vaguely fails to tie the video together. This method is ineffective because the different point-of-views exaggerate the contents of the house and draws the viewer’s attention to the fact that the family is middle-classed, which means they are probably not suffering from poverty. The dominant figure—the boy—seems to have on nice, clean clothing. This tells the spectators that the family can at least provide necessities for themselves. Furthermore, from the handmade pictures on the refrigerator and the finger paintings on the wall, the viewers can conclude that they are family-oriented; however, there are no parents in sight. The logic flounders because there is indeed food in the refrigerator. The impact would have been more effective if there had been less food or even no food. Overall, the commercial is simple, easy, and effective. It portrays the problem at hand and then presents a solution. The viewers can easily discern that the video is about child hunger. The tactics that the composer uses ultimately evokes compassion from the audience. The ad has appealed to pathos and ethos and has solidified the ad. The subdued colors and the somber music have depicted how earnest the video is. In just 60 seconds, AdCouncil and Feeding America have effectively broadcasted their world hunger relief

campaign.