Introduction
In the world of advertisements, the use of rhetorical devices can be described as an effective and significant way to engage the audience. Companies and brands today rely on rhetorical devices not only to engage with the audience but also to persuade them about a product or brand. One of the companies that have successfully employed the use of rhetoric devices in its adverts is Nike. Over the years, the company has been able to grow its customer base significantly by creating adverts that persuade and communicate well by relying on rhetoric devices. A good example of this can be seen in their advert dubbed “Never Settle, Never Done”. The advert mainly engages these devices to portray sport in a new dimension. The advert, through these devices, mainly brings women to the limelight in sports by creating confidence that they have the technical ability and speed for the game.
Discussion
In the advert, Nike effectively used a multitude of rhetorical appeals to ethos. Ethos entails how trustworthy and credible a source can be used. Nike being among the leading multinational corporations in clothing, footwear, and sports equipment, endorses numerous athletes and celebrities to wear their apparel. In the advert, for instance, famous faces from an all-star team at Wieden+Kennedy London are featured (Nike 00:10- 00:20). This is an appeal to ethos and a fundamental aspect of the advertisement. Besides, in this commercial, the company uses ethos by highlighting the different paths taken by female athletes to become great players. The advert uses ethos by showing famous faces to showcase the campaign. Among these faces include Alexia Puttellas and Leah Williamson.
The advert also uses the appeal by showcasing local community football clubs like Barcelona. This mainly helps exceptionally to connect to the young buyers and audience. The use of ethos and pathos in this advert mainly brings a new scope to the game and creates a new dimension for women. The faces featured in the commercial come from different backgrounds which further appeals to and connects the influence over the target audience for being female, people of color, and from unfortunate backgrounds (Nike 00:10- 00:40). Incorporating different athletes shows that Nike recognizes and supports people from different backgrounds and presents an opportunity for all to be successful by branching out their networks. Through ethos, the commercial demonstrates the significant and positive work that Nike has done to support female athletes and champion gender equality.
Pathos is yet another rhetorical appeal used throughout the advertisement in an attempt to give the commercial a personal connection. Pathos in the ad is used to give the ethos appeal more emotional sway and body. Another aspect of the advert is the emotional persuasion that is seen in both ethos and pathos. The brand mainly creates a heartfelt message that is both personable and sincere. This helps them reach a wider range of consumers because people can connect directly to the brand in terms of emotional connection rather than sales. In its entirety, the persuasion from its confident ethos sells emotion. The encouragement of women athletes and footballers in this advert captures many people’s emotions as well as the opinions of society. From the pathos perspective, the advertisement generally addresses the critical and sensitive issue of gender-based stereotypes of women in football. Touching on issues of gender inequality brings out an emotional journey whereby women are portrayed as equals to their male counterparts.
Conclusion
In conclusion, it is evident that the uses of pathos and ethos in the advert are all made successful by the strategies used to present them in the advert. These are strongly emotional and authoritative appeals that are effectively used in the commercial to champion gender equality and encourage women to be confident and daring in a field dominated by men. However, the commercial fails to incorporate statistical facts hence creating a logical fallacy which is a pitfall. It is therefore important for the company to incorporate evidence in its appeals. Altogether, the purpose of the commercial of drawing attention to the brand was accomplished by effectively setting up a positive rhetorical situation.
Work Cited
“Never Settle, Never Done.” YouTube, uploaded by Nike, Web.