The commercial in consideration is called “Gold in US.” It is from Dick’s Sporting Goods and features athletes from the United States preparing for the 2016 Olympic Games. It features various athletes in training to elicit an element of determination and sacrifice that is necessary for an athlete to earn a gold medal in the Olympics. However, the main aim is to associate the value of gold in Olympics to the natural elements that are present in trace amounts in the human body, especially the heart. Because each person has gold elements in the body, they are highly valued and innately capable of greatness if they sacrifice and are determined. The target audience includes people interested in sports and fans of the Olympic Games.

The advertisement aims at creating a positive relationship between the value and essence of gold with the sporting gear found at Dick’s store. For instance, because gold is precious and valuable, athletes expend energy and time to earn it. Similarly, because of the value of sporting products from Dick’s store such as Nike shoes, buyers should admire and purchase them. In other words, the advert aims to convince the viewer that the sporting gear at Dick’s stores are precious, durable, valuable, and better than what the competitors offer.

Analysis of Advert’s Elements:
Text
The commercial does not use text in the course of the narration. Rather, the only text appears on the back of one of the athletes, Homer, for team USA in fencing games and later at the end of the advert indicating the ownership of the sporting goods. The essence of the texts is to show that Dick’s Sporting Goods is pleased to be a part of the sponsors for team USA in the Olympics. The fact that the commercial avoids textual interruption in the course of the narration serves to allow the target audience to follow the story, view the scenery, and appreciate the sincerity of Dick’s Sporting Goods.

Characters
The commercial includes several characters, which are athletes on team USA for the Olympics of 2016. Among the featured athletes in the advert include fencer Daryl Homer, boxer Shields Claressa, gymnast Leyva Danell, long jumper Paralympic Gillette Lex, volleyball player Kerri Walsh-Jennings, a hammer throw athlete, Kristin Smith, and Laura Ryan who is an employee at Dick. The inclusion of the athletes is necessary because the merchandise primarily targets audiences that are active in sports. Additionally, the athletes are famous in their fields and represent the nation in an extraordinary event, which inspires their followers to emulate them in style and sportswear. The athletes are a showcase of strength, determination, and passion, which is necessary for each person to tap into the gold within them.

Setting
The setting of the commercial is varied in each case of the athlete in focus. Each of the athletes is shown in his or her environment of training, for example, the beach for a volleyball player and indoors for a gymnast and fencers. However, other natural sceneries in the storyline support the narration of Gold as the main aim for both the athletes in the Olympic Games and for each human being because of their association with evolution and creation. The sceneries, which include the eruption smoke of a volcano, the riverbank of small streams, the desert lands, and in refineries, paint a picture of the wealth of earth and help the audience relate to the environment.

Storyline
The storyline is the most compelling and appealing element of the commercial. It focuses mainly on the gold reserves present in human beings because of their association with nature. Although the athlete’s focus is simply to win gold in the Olympic games; however, it serves to inspire the audience to tap into the gold within through determination and sheer expenditure of strength, will, and passion. The storyline develops slowly from the eruption of a volcanic, which releases the earth minerals such as carbon and gold hid for years to the flow of the gold along the streams. The audience is then able to see some people picking some of the gold along the rivers and refining it for purification while the majority of the characters have to work and sweat to earn it.

Music
Because the narrator is unknown to the audience, the background music provides a soothing atmosphere for concentration. The sounds on the background correlate with the event in narration. For example, the blast sound is heard when the volcano erupts while the boxers breathing is presented with her practice scene. The essence of the music and background sound in the course of the narration is helpful for concentration. It allows the viewer to associate the pictorial, image, and the sound with the storyline for optimum inspiration (Lee 8–9). It is captivating.

Fonts
With the only writing appearing at the end of the video to indicate the ownership of the advert, the white color of the font allows for contrast with the dark background. The font is about size 20-22 and is bold. It is centrally located on the screen to increase the ease of view.

Colors
The video contains a mixture of bright and dull colors, which correlate with the scenario, and the gear of the athlete. For example, the video begins with a dark background bright rainbow colors appearing in the dark. A dull colors section then follows the scene because of the volcanic ash. However, each mention and representation of gold feature bright colors, such as golden, blue, or white, which are symbolic of purity and victory.

The rhetorical appeals: Ethos
The advert has famous athletes presenting the brand of Dick’s Sporting Goods with a symbolism of Gold. They are athletes who represent the whole nation in global Olympic Games, which means they have the rhetorical appeal of a good reputation to be ambassadors of the brand because their dedication and determination to win gold with Dick’s sporting gear is a testimonial. Additionally, the video storyline is about inspiration from nature. Reminding the viewers that each human being has trace amounts of gold in their body, 0.2 mg, serves to support the inalienable right of equality and ability to succeed.

Pathos
The central message in the commercial is that there is gold in every individual. It appeals to the emotional aspect of the audience and the athletes (Lee 3–4). The message entails the value of gold, its purity, and desirability and reminds the viewer and he or she has a reserve of the element, with the highest amount of the heart. It inspires the audience and creates a positive association between gold (purity and value), personal desires (such as boxing), and the store’s gear (Dick’s sporting goods, NIKE).

Logos
The video contains statistical facts such as the 0.2mg of gold in the human body and relates it to the message of inspiration. The association with nature and use of ‘–er’ words such as ranks the brand and its message in a superior position, which draws the viewer to the claims made in the video.

In conclusion, the “Gold in US” commercial is successful in promoting Dick’s Sporting Goods because it appeals to the emotional, logical, and ethical elements of the audience. It associates the determination of athletes from the US in the Olympic Games to their desire to win gold and compares its value to their products.