Skip to main content

The Phelps' Training Secret

Several years ago, I remember watching several commercials in which Subway would use top sports players in their commercials in order to promote their product. One in particular that I remember is the commercial with Michael Phelps. In the commercial, it shows Michael swimming and training for the Olympics. In the middle of his training, the announcer is saying how training is a lifelong passion, and then his mother comes in with a Subway footlong sandwich, and then the announcer states that that passion is fueled by a passion for footlongs. This is an example of a false cause fallacy because it is saying that Michael became a famous and successful swimmer because of his passion for footlong subs.

The next line is a sneaky one that many don’t catch, but the announcer then says, “That’s why Debbie Phelps is always there for her son Michael.” Seems harmless enough but it is really an appeal to emotion. It is saying that in order to be a good mother, you need to buy Subway for your kid. This is of course not true but it seems like it could make sense which is why it is so useful. That is not the end of it though, at the end of the commercial Michael and his mom say, “Subway the official training restaurant of the Phelps family and athletes everywhere.” By saying ‘and athletes everywhere’ it is using a version of Mob Appeal and an Appeal to Authority to make Subway seem popular in sports and hints that if you are an athlete you should eat Subway. I’m not saying that Subway is bad or that athletes shouldn’t eat there, but I do think that they are taking more credit than is actually due to them. I’ve eaten at Subway, and it unfortunately hasn’t made me that much of a better athlete.

Labels:

Comments

  1. Kate weberMarch 22, 2015 at 3:38 PM

    Wow, I didn't realize how many fallacies were in one subway commercial. Thanks for pointing that out. isn't it interesting how people try to get us to want or like their products?

    ReplyDelete
  2. Clay BuxtonMarch 27, 2015 at 6:05 AM

    Alot of people go to subway anyway, but having a celebrity say that they love subway and that they get big and strong and they became as skilled as they are now, because they ate subway is definitely a fallacy.

    ReplyDelete
  3. UnknownMarch 27, 2015 at 7:35 PM

    This could also be an appeal to illegitimate authority if they consider Michael Phelps an authority on the food at Subway.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Abigail OverbeyMay 4, 2015 at 6:46 AM

    Maybe his passion for footlongs is fueled by his passion for the munchies. Also, I didn't know that Subway is the 'official training restaurant of athletes everywhere". I should start going there...

    Liz

    ReplyDelete
  5. Abigail OverbeyMay 4, 2015 at 6:51 AM

    I think this commercial makes children want to eat subway only because Michael Phelps is eating it. Kids look up to Olympic Athletes, and if Michael Phelps is eating subway, then they too will want to eat it.

    Kaitlyn

    ReplyDelete
  6. Abigail OverbeyMay 4, 2015 at 6:53 AM

    What most people don't understand is that those athletes train their whole life to be built that way. Most people just expect to eat subway and become muscular.

    Cory

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Weight of Glory

In Mr. Cline's class a few weeks ago. We took the day off in a way from our normal classes. Instead of continuing to read the books we were assigned and discussing them, he read us the sermon by C.S Lewis "The Weight of Glory." Its a long sermon, but one worth reading. It is about the confusion many people have on the topic of what we desire the most. He explains after much background information, that we all desire true happiness. And through that happiness, we long for heaven, our true home that we were designed for. He explains that glory is not what many people think of as being "famous" in heaven. But more that we are honored by our Lord and Father. For it to be like the scripture passage "Well done, good and faithful servant." C.S Lewis does a fantastic job at being persuasive here, and if read by the right person aloud, can have an excellent effect. He clears up lots of points that people bring up that are not true. Such as the point of glory...
9 comments
Read more

Stephen Curry (Brita)

I saw this commercial for Brita water on YouTube and on T.V.  Stephen Curry, a professional basketball player that plays for the Golden State Warriors, endorses and promotes the product by saying "not all water is the same."  In this advertisement he makes Brita water seem better than the other leading brands of water by saying "You are what you drink."  He also says "some water can dribble, drain threes, or even drain a buzzer beater."  With these claims, he is implying that drinking the Brita water it could make you better at basketball and help you become better and as good as him. Brita uses a celebrity to sell it by implying that it could improve your basketball performance.  This advertisement is false because water is not going to change your skills and abilities.  It tries to persuade you to buy it because a professional basketball player drinks it.  I feel as though it may persuade some people to buy it because of Stephen Curry endorsing it....
8 comments
Read more

Marilyn Monroe's Shampoo

While browsing on Google I found an old advertisement.  The ad was for Lustre-Crème Shampoo. It featured Marilyn Monroe, known for her beauteous looks and her parts in different movies. One of her movies was Gentlemen Prefer Blondes. Lustre-Crème was attempting to sell their shampoo through the use of fallacies. By saying that Marilyn Monroe that tells you nothing about the actual product: it simply attracts you to the pretty face in the picture. Using this as an argument of why someone should buy your product is quite illogical. Just because Marilyn Monroe uses it doesn’t provide assurance of its abilities. They attempt using snob appeal by trying to make the audience believe that they could be like Marilyn Monroe if they use the same product as her. They use appeal to illegitimate authority by using Marilyn Monroe to promote their product. Although she herself is a customer, this is still rather irrelevant. She herself has no type of expertise in hair products and knows nothing t...
3 comments
Read more