An advertisement for Tide laundry pods played before a music video I was watching on YouTube. It was extremely interesting to watch because it almost seemed as if the company was not even interested in selling their product. The commercial began with a close up of a baby sitting on the floor playing with some toys. The narrator then asked if the watcher was able to list all the child hazards in the room in five seconds. One of these hazards was revealed to be the company’s own, Tide Pods in reach of the baby. The ad finished by reminding the watcher to keep laundry pods out of the reach of children.
The short commercial was incredibly simple and as previously stated, did not build the product up much at all. In fact, the product was claimed a danger in some cases. However, Tide was aware that this ad would still have positive results even when it does not obviously tell the watcher to buy their product. The ad holds a strong appeal to the viewer’s emotions (pathos) by appearing to have a concern for the baby’s well-being. When one sees this advertisement, although it is stated that the product is a danger to the baby, this is generally not the thought that resonates within him. The viewer first finds comfort in the fact that Tide wants to protect children.
This comfort in the company is exactly the goal of the advertisement: gain a reputation of care, tenderness, and trust. The evidence behind this however, is not exactly viable. To be able to trust a laundry detergent, one should mainly be focused on the product’s ability to clean. Claiming that Tide is a brand worth using solely based upon seeing that the company wishes the safety of children is entirely illogical. A product will not be any more or less effective because of the creator’s opinions.
While the argument is unreasonable, the advertisement does seem to be persuasive. In my case, as I am a sucker for babies, I was distracted by the child’s cuteness as well as the fact that he was apparently surrounded by dangerous objects. After seeing that Tide was sending out a message to be safe for this baby, I was fully in support of the commercial. It was not until I thought about what I had watched that I realized the baby had nothing to do with the actual detergent. This commercial’s success is heavily weighted on the viewer’s emotions, while logic is noticeably neglected.
The short commercial was incredibly simple and as previously stated, did not build the product up much at all. In fact, the product was claimed a danger in some cases. However, Tide was aware that this ad would still have positive results even when it does not obviously tell the watcher to buy their product. The ad holds a strong appeal to the viewer’s emotions (pathos) by appearing to have a concern for the baby’s well-being. When one sees this advertisement, although it is stated that the product is a danger to the baby, this is generally not the thought that resonates within him. The viewer first finds comfort in the fact that Tide wants to protect children.
This comfort in the company is exactly the goal of the advertisement: gain a reputation of care, tenderness, and trust. The evidence behind this however, is not exactly viable. To be able to trust a laundry detergent, one should mainly be focused on the product’s ability to clean. Claiming that Tide is a brand worth using solely based upon seeing that the company wishes the safety of children is entirely illogical. A product will not be any more or less effective because of the creator’s opinions.
While the argument is unreasonable, the advertisement does seem to be persuasive. In my case, as I am a sucker for babies, I was distracted by the child’s cuteness as well as the fact that he was apparently surrounded by dangerous objects. After seeing that Tide was sending out a message to be safe for this baby, I was fully in support of the commercial. It was not until I thought about what I had watched that I realized the baby had nothing to do with the actual detergent. This commercial’s success is heavily weighted on the viewer’s emotions, while logic is noticeably neglected.
Sophie, you did such a wonderful job on your blog post. I love that you put so much time and effort into each thought and really analyzed the commercial. You did a good job of pointing out the forms of rhetoric and pointing out things that may not have been noticed before.
ReplyDeleteI completely agree. While it is commendable that Tide decides to promote child safety, it has nothing to do with their product. The argument presented really depends entirely on the assumption that the viewer will not read too far into it, and hopefully buy their product out of trust for the company the next time they encounter it.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Sophie, I would be very distracted by the dangers put in the baby's path. Though this commercial is not the most logical, it does make you feel the credibility.
ReplyDeleteThis is a very well done blog post and a very well done advertisement by Tide. This commercial persuades you to feel better about Tide as a company, as they build credibility and appeal to your feelings towards small children. Great job, Sophie.
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