Skip to main content

Where's the Beef?


Today I watched a Wendy’s commercial called “Where’s the Beef?”. It was about a bunch of old ladies eating a burger from another restaurant. The burger looks pretty big, and the ladies make statement after statement about how big and fluffy the bun is. The lady in the middle then lifts the bun off the burger, and the lady to the right asks “Where’s the beef?” because the actual burger is tiny compared to the bun. The middle lady then leans in to take a closer look because the burger is so “tiny”.  The commercial was trying to persuade people to buy the Wendy’s burger instead of any other fast food burger. They used Logos by saying that the Wendy’s burger is larger than both the big mac and the whopper, but they use it in a manipulative way. The burger in the commercial that is supposed to be from another fast food restaurant isn’t actually a burger from one of those restaurants, they just want you to think that it is, and believe that the Wendy’s burger is actually the biggest. The argument was somewhat reasonable, because the Wendy’s burger may actually be bigger than big macs or whoppers, but even if it is, the burger that they have exaggerates it a lot. The rhetorical technique was pretty effective. The Wendy’s burger looked a lot more appetizing than the “big mac” or the “whopper” in the commercial. They made me want to go to Wendy’s and order a burger.

Comments

  1. Funny commercial and solid analysis of the attempt by Wendy's to make one want their burger more.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I really love this commercial personally. However, there is a satire in it by comparing with other brand. But well done Court!

    ReplyDelete
  3. The commercial also makes a good use of pathos by making it funny, using the old ladies for the effect.

    Jake

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Open Happiness

While at the movie theaters to see The Maze Runner , I saw a commercial that featured rhetoric. The commercial begins with a young woman named Jess purchasing two Coca Cola drinks in a convenience store. One has her own name on it, and one has the name of her friend Alisha on it. The cashier watches her forlornly as she leaves, hinting that he has a crush on his customer. Jess gives the Coke with Alisha’s name on it to her friend, and together the two friends drink them. Later, Jess, Alisha and two other friends come back into the store to buy more Coke, then leave and have a good time together. Jess keeps coming back to the store with more and more friends, each time purchasing Coca Cola with their names printed on the labels. The cashier smiles and watches, but it is clear that he wishes he was with Jess.  Finally, as the cashier is closing the store for the night, Jess shows up at the door with a Coke that has the name Chris on it. She smiles and hands the drink to the ...

Lift Off: Harvard Graduation Speech

Donovan Livingston graduated from Harvard University in 2016. He was asked to speak at the graduation so he did. Donovan wrote a poem called “Lift Off”. In it he spoke of his life. His ancestors and slavery. He spoke of a new hope. A hope that kids can have to reach for the stars and to be up with them. He spoke of how each and every person has the ability to succeed and to exceed any expectations set for them. In his closing line, Livingston said “They say that the sky's the limit, but it is only the beginning. Lift off.” His speech was one of power and he used many rhetorical devices. Livingston was a Harvard graduate and to establish himself more as a speaker he talked about how he had given a similar type of speech at his high school graduation. He used pathos when talking about his life. About what he was like in school and how his teacher used his energy to make him a great speaker. The logos used was that he was one of the top members in his class and so he knew what he ...

You're Not You When You're Hungry

During a Super Bowl commercial in 2010, Snickers aired their commercial featuring Betty White, a 5-time Emmy nominee. She is portrayed as a football player playing with other middle aged grown men, but she is not herself. They are playing on a mud-covered field so they are all wet and dirty. They start playing and the ball is thrown to her, but she is tackled and thrown into a pile of mud. She gets up and walks back to the huddle all angry, covered in mud, and with a limp. One of the guys criticizes her for her poor performance and she chirps back with a sarcastic response. Then one of her friends brings over a snickers bar and says, “Eat a Snickers.” Immediately after this Betty White turns back into a middle aged man and is able to play football again. Snickers ends the commercial with, “You’re not you when you’re hungry.” In my opinion this commercial uses Ethos. Betty White is a 5 time Emmy nominee and one of the all-time best female actresses. She is a lovable 95 year-old lad...