Thank You Mom Rhetorical Analysis

“It takes someone strong to make someone strong.” The Procter and Gamble Company, better known as P&G, proves just that in one of their most recent commercials, “Thank You, Mom”. P&G manufactures household, personal, and laundry cleaning products all over the world. With that being said, nearly 100 days before the 2016 Olympic games in Rio, P&G released yet another heartwarming commercial thanking moms for all they do. In this commercial, P&G uses, pathos, tone in music, and ethos to capture their audience’s attention and effectively promote their brand.

Throughout the entire commercial, pathos is executed to have a lasting effect on the audience. As shown, the young Olmypians in this video undergo many hardships such as: being startled in

a car crash, fearful during a bumpy plane ride, and glum after being bullied. The commercial progresses and shows the Olympians struggling as athletes, having aged quite a bit. For example, a women’s volleyball player is taunted at by men, a gymnast cries in the sidelines during her tournament, and a diver is scolded at by his coach. All of these examples tug at the audience’s emotions, because many people understand the struggles between a mother and her children. As the Olympians face difficult, challenging, and life threatening obstacles, one thing remains the same, the moms of the olympians are always there for support. Towards the end of the commercial, the athletes accomplish their dreams and excel in the olympic games with the help of their moms. The gymnast lands her impeccable flip, the volleyball player wins the game, the diver completes the most perfect dive, and the runner finishes first. After their victories, the athletes are shown happy for not only themselves, but their mothers who have helped them through all of their trials in life. The gymnast and runner rush towards their moms in the stands, the volleyball player hugs a teammate while mesmerizing her mom cheer for her, and the diver lays his hand on his heart for his mom watching him on television. These events give the audience an “awe moment” and significantly appeal to their emotions.
Tone in music is also a major contribution towards the commercial’s message. Initially, the audience fixes their ears to hear the alarming tornado sirens at the very beginning of the commercial. The sirens are used to intrigue the audience, grab their attention, and ultimately, make them desire to keep watching. After the tornado sirens have captured the audience’s attention and come to a sudden halt, nearly twenty seconds in, the song “Experience” by Ludovico Einaudi starts to play in the background. This piano driven, exhilarating melody sets the tone for the remaining time in the commercial. At first, the song begins very gentle as a little girl is being urged by her mother to climb into the storm cellar during a tornado. As the commercial progresses, as well as the lives of the people in the commercial, the pace of the song accelerates, gaining much momentum for one particular moment. This gives the audience a sense of thrill, as they know that the moment of success for the athletes is approaching. The moment where the athletes come to the realization that they have won the Olympic Games is the moment in which the music ceases for a short five seconds, allowing the audience to capture just how meaningful the Olympians’ success is for them. After nearly five seconds of silence, the song “Experience” picks back up again, but much slower like the beginning of the commercial to create a sentimental moment for the audience. The tone in music in this commercial gives the viewers a better understanding of what the intent of the commercial is.
In addition, the commercial manipulates ethos to provide extra context for the audience and emphasize the purpose of the commercial.

Like many mothers all over the world, the moms in this commercial are shown encouraging and supporting their children not only with their actions, but through the use of their words. For instance, when the mother and little girl are shown in a car accident together, the mother looks at her daughter and says, “You’re okay. You’re oka..” In another clip, when a mother and her son are on a rough, stormy plane ride, the mother says to her son, “Everything is alright”. Through logos, the audience is convinced that you can always count on moms for mental reassurance that no matter the outcome, everything will be okay. As the children in the commercial grow up to be extraordinary athletes, the mothers are still there for their children, regardless of their age. This is proven when a young adult athlete cries on the phone to his mother before he competes in the Olympic Games, proclaiming, “I can’t do this anymore”. Very lovingly, his mom responded to him, “Son, I know in my heart you can”. It is words like these that truly capture the audience seeing that most people have heard motivational phrases like these from their own mothers. Seconds before the commercial has finished playing, the note, “It takes someone strong to make someone strong. Thank you, Mom” is displayed. This is P&G’s final attempt at proving to the audience what their purpose for creating this commercial is. The logos shown throughout this commercial delivers detail and a sense of perception to the

audience.
All in all, P&G’s main purpose behind making this commercial was to thank moms for all they do, but in a very deep, meaningful way. Since P&G is recognized as a family brand, they sought out to establish a commercial that was family centered, hoping to spread their brand all of the world while releasing a much needed message to mothers everywhere. P&G grasps rhetorical devices such as, pathos, tone in music, and ethos to promote their brand and leave their audience grateful for the unbreakable relationship between a mother and her children.