The Sprite Cranberry Advert
The Sprite Cranberry advert by the Coca-Cola Company, which includes the NBA superstar LeBron James, is a marketing masterpiece that meets many marketing merits and appeals to the audience. The advert is a short commercial video that promotes Sprite Cranberry found on the streaming website, YouTube, posted in 2018 during the Christmas and Thanksgiving festival period (TEN tv). The ad is brief, running for 30 seconds, a period that guarantees the attention of the audience is captured. Additionally, it is full of pomp and color as the audience enjoys the fest ivies, a feature which interests an audience. The ad incorporates ethos, pathos, and logos elements in its persuasion and sufficiently convinces people to take Sprite Cranberry.
Target Audience
The target audience for the ad is the American people who celebrate Thanksgiving and Christmas towards the end of the year. As part of the audience, the use of a turkey, which forms a crucial component of the menu during this period, is indicative of Thanksgiving for me (Thomas et al. 36). The Christmas tree in the room and the decorations therein are part of the changes my household makes during the festive period, and this creates a trustworthy image. The attires of some characters in the video, including LeBron James, are endowed with Christmas colors, and this sets the viewers in a festive mood. The children are posing for a photo at the early stages of the video, a common practice during Thanksgiving and Christmas events.
The diversity of the people attending the event is also indicative, as these festivities are generally events where family and friends usually meet to have a good time. For example, when I was a child, my parents would invite their friends from work, and I would invite my friends from school. There are older people who are assumed to be grandparents, middle-aged people assumed to be parents, and children (Thomas et al. 34). The variation in races is notable and indicates the diversity of the American population, appealing to all people.
Pathos
Pathos dictates that an ad plays with the emotions of the audience. Plays to the memory, nostalgia, senses, or shared experiences of the audience. The ad is filled with emotional moments, including boredom and disinterest at the start, joy, and excitement at the end. The ad appeals to popularity as it portrays the drink to be important for a Thanksgiving dinner which is a widely celebrated occasion in the country. Emotions create responses, and our culture is largely consumer-driven, promoting sales. The choice of music used in the video and the lyrics are another vital selling point. They insinuate that Thanksgiving is the thirstiest time of the year and asks the audience one question. It is whether they want a Sprite Cranberry, and there is only one answer to that query, yes. The background beats are pleasant and part of modern music instrumentals, sounding appealing and soothing. The music relaxes listeners and keeps them captivated by the ad to its completion. The music is additionally well synchronized and corresponds with LeBron asking the audience whether they want a sprite.
The ad appeals to ignorance as it proposes Sprite is the solution for your thirst. The solution is offered sporadically without any investigation of other causes of the heat and possible solutions. The only evidence proposed to support the rationale of Sprite Cranberry as a solution to thirst is the outcome in the video. The ad does not welcome a dispute or an extensive investigation into the thirst crisis, showing that the end justifies the means.
Ethos
Ethos implies convincing an audience through the creation of a trustworthy and credible image. A famous person is used in LeBron James, who is a renowned NBA superstar. This highlights credibility, invokes the superior character of LeBron, and validates Sprite Cranberry to the end consumer. The consumers’ respect for LeBron James and the general following he enjoys due to his position is vital. He is convincing, authoritative, and trustworthy enough to sell the Sprite Cranberry drink. LeBron’s exploits within the NBA arena make him a person worth emulating, and the products he uses are likely to be the best. His image does not benefit the company in America alone, as the NBA has expanded its viewership to the rest of the world.
Logos
Logos involves using logic and reason to convince an audience through an ad. Hasty generalization was a prominent feature of the advertisement, which shows a bad situation at the start, with people tensed and bored. Suddenly, LeBron swings in with Sprite Cranberry and changes their mood. This presents the drink as the ideal solution to a hot and boring festive celebration. The hasty generalization and assumption of Sprite Cranberry as the solution to a boring and hot Thanksgiving dinner are without any prior investigation.
The false dilemma is an additional persuasion technique that employs logos. The options are to either take the Sprite Cranberry and be as happy as the family at the end or refuse and remain as uncomfortable as at the start. This dilemma is easy for most people because Thanksgiving and Christmas festivities are happy periods when love and food are shared happily. The dilemma presented narrows the focus of the audience and maintains the focus on Sprite Cranberry as a solution rather than prompting a comprehensive analysis of the situation.
Direct and Indirect Speakers
The direct speaker in the ad is LeBron James, who appears to save the day and poses a vital question for the audience. He proposes Sprite Cranberry as the solution for the heat dilemma the people were experiencing, using his original voice. Indirect speakers in the video include the music used to persuade and entertain the audience throughout the ad. The music soothes the listeners, creates a favorable mood, and sustains interest throughout the video.
Purpose of the ad
The ad was intended to inform the audience about the Sprite Cranberry drink and increase the sale of the beverage during the festive period. The ad intended to brand the drink with Thanksgiving and Christmas festivities, directly associating it with the celebration. This would ensure that whenever a person thought about Thanksgiving and Christmas, they would remember Sprite Cranberry. This points to the development of a consumer culture based on the popularity amongst the families which celebrate these festivities. The ad additionally sought to propose Sprite Cranberry as the solution for a hot and boring day. It is depicted to change the mood of a room and promote happiness amongst the attendees. LeBron is a popular icon, influencing trends in lifestyle and fashion, and the association of Sprite Cranberry with such a figure sought to paint the beverage as a trendy thing.
Evaluation of ad Effectiveness
The ad is effective in achieving its goals as the beverage is popularly associated with Thanksgiving and Christmas households during the festival period. The music tone used is a favorite, and before the partnership between LeBron and Coca-Cola ended, many people looked forward to the ad on television. The ad made the company sells many cans of the beverage, recouping massive financial returns that contributed to Coca-Cola’s profitability. The establishment of a culture of drinking this beverage during the festivities has additionally been achieved over the years. The association of Sprite Cranberry with a superstar with the hope of achieving following bore massive benefits, with youths particularly regarding it as trendy and fashionable.
Works Cited
“Lebron James “Sprite Cranberry” Commercial.” YouTube, uploaded by TEN tv, Web.
Thomas, Diana, et al. “Overflowing Tables: Changes in the Energy Intake and the Social Context of Thanksgiving in the United States.” Historical Methods: A Journal of Quantitative and Interdisciplinary History, vol. 55, no. 1, 2022, pp. 30–44.