Verizon's Coverage Of T-Mobile

The author of this ad is T-Mobile, Steve Harvey talks about how T-Mobile has become as good as Verizon (T-Mobile). In the ad he interrupts Verizon’s ‘drop the balls’ commercial, he then explains that Verizon’s information on T-Mobile’s coverage is a year old and that T-Mobile has improved(T-Mobile). Steve Harvey then goes on about how T-Mobile has doubles their LTE coverage; he explains that T-Mobile now has more LTE towers than Verizon (T-Mobile). He makes references to his ‘miss universe’ mistake by saying things like “I have to apologize, again” and “Verizon got it wrong, not me!” (T-Mobile). This all takes place in the same ballroom that Verizon’s original commercial took place in. However, instead of showing the different colored balls

which represented other phone companies, T-Mobile only mostly used pink balls which represented T-Mobile and their coverage. The pink balls overflowed onto the floor where Steve Harvey was standing to emphasize T-Mobile’s vast coverage (T-Mobile). T-Mobile’s phone services are being promoted in this ad, their vast LTE service is being promoted as well. It shows that T-Mobile is better than Verizon which should convince people to have T-Mobile as their cell phone carrier. However, this ad is not for everyone, it is intended for adults who have Verizon, adults who are deciding if they want Verizon, and adults who keep up with current events. This is logically because children wouldn’t have any reason to worry about which phone company is better or which phone company’s LTE data coverage is better. This ad is very effective because it contains effective amounts of the 3 rhetorical appeals: Ethos, Pathos, and Logos.
T-Mobile’s ad contains a good amount of ethos, the ethos in the ad makes the ad more effective and persuasive.

The ad is made by T-Mobile, starring Steve Harvey explaining the coverage of T-Mobile (T-Mobile). T-Mobile is a well-known cell phone provider and carrier; this makes the ad credible compared to a cell phone company never heard of before talking about their vast coverage. Steve Harvey also makes this ad trustworthy because he is a celebrity who has been in various movies and T.V shows. He is known very well as the host of ‘Family Feud’ which is a game-show families participate in. In this ad Steve Harvey references his mess-up at the ‘Miss Universe’ pageant in 2015. At this grand event Steve Harvey called the wrong winner for the Miss Universe pageant, this sparked much controversy and is considered one of the biggest mistakes on live television to this day. In T-Mobile’s ad Steve says things such as “I have to apologize, again” and “Verizon got it wrong, not me!” (T-Mobile). This demonstrates trust because this is an event that actually occurred. This ad has is very credible because recognizable people/brands are

shown.
Another rhetorical appeal that is very effective in T-Mobile’s ad is pathos which is the appeal to emotion. The ad uses Steve Harvey’s ‘Miss Universe’ mistake to amuse viewers, he makes several references to the mistake to evoke laughter from the viewer. When Steve Harvey walks up he says, “I have to apologize…again” then he rolls his eyes. Steve then shows the card to the audience and says “It says right here on the card…” and “Verizon got it wrong, not me!”. This is amusing because Steve Harvey is referencing his mistake jokingly which inspires laughter from the audience. Steve Harvey is also a comedian so the tone he puts on the things he says contribute to the pathos in the ad. Pathos in the form of humor is all over this ad, which makes it more effective.
The last rhetorical appeal T-Mobile’s ad contains is logos, the appeal to logic.

Steve Harvey says “Now with more LTE towers than Verizon…” (T-Mobile). T-Mobile compares their amount of LTE towers to Verizon’s amount. This is supposed to show that logically T-Mobile is the best carrier because of their higher LTE tower count. Steve then goes on to say “… T-Mobile covers pretty much everywhere they do” referencing to Verizon (T-Mobile). This is another comparison to Verizon which demonstrates that you get the same coverage as Verizon with a lower price. T-Mobile makes a good appeal to logos however it is not a very strong appeal to logic. There is limited logic in this ad and this audience must seek out the logos, however, it is still present and

effective.
T-Mobile’s ad has various important elements of an effective argument like: credibility, emotion, and logic. The ad shows that since T-Mobile is a known phone carrier it is credible. A celebrity, Steve Harvey, is also in the ad which contributes to the credibility. Pathos, the appeal of emotion, is appealed by Steve Harvey’s application of humor with his body language, tone, and general style of explaining, His mishap at the ‘Miss Universe’ pageant was also noticed in a light-hearted way to evoke happiness and laughter in the audience. The appeal to emotion through humor was the strongest rhetorical appeal in this ad because it stands out more than any of the other appeals. Logic is addressed in the ad with the comparison of T-Mobile’s and Verizon’s LTE tower amount (T-Mobile). This appeal was not very strong or extremely influential in the advertisement, however there was enough logic to prove the ad effective. This advertisement would be a lot more effective if there were more logos, and if the logos was easier to detect. Part of the logos had to be interpreted from the ad because of the difficulty of locating the logic in the ad.