Among the myriad of advertisements in the printed media, car advertisements have been the most elaborate and persuasive over the decades. The first car advertisements appeared in the media at the beginning of the 20th century and aimed at upper-class men. They used graphic representations of the car and detailed descriptions to persuade the potential customers. However, with time, the car ceased to be a luxury. In the 1950s, cars were already perceived as a means of transportation in America and were owned by many people. In the years to come, more and more cars were produced, so advertisers made every effort to sell them to the capricious public. THESIS STATEMENT: This paper provides a rhetorical analysis of the 1971 Jeep Commando advertisement (See Appendix), with focus on its logos, ethos, and pathos.
Context and Description of Advertisement
Historical, social, and political context. The advertisement was published in 1971. At that time, most Americans had already bought cars as repeated purchases. The cars had ceased to be novelties, so all attention of advertisers was focused on how to convince people to buy a new car and replace the old one. In order to achieve their aims, the advertisers created the feeling that car was no longer a means of transportation but a means of having enjoyable lives. Having a car was associated with having opportunities for adventurous, exotic, powerful, and romantic lifestyle (Stevenson, 2008).
Target audience & reason for advertising. The target audience for this advertisement is men who like adventure, freedom, and would like to look powerful. This may also be married couples judging by the fact there is a smiling woman in the car and there are two fishing rods. These are middle-class people who can afford buy a new car based on its improved design if to compare with older cars. The reasons for advertising is to persuade people they need a unique car that will help them travel even in the rocky terrain.
Advertisement description. The advertisement features a 1971 Jeep Commando automobile. It is parked somewhere on a beach, close to water. Rocky terrain surrounds the car. Large rocks, impressive boulders, and numerous cobblestones both in the foreground and in the background make up the rugged view. Sea waves are breaking against the big rocks in the background. It is afternoon, and the sun is bright. The Jeep is the central object in the picture and it occupies almost a half of it. There is a couple inside, the woman is laughing, and the man is looking at the woman (apparently laughing or smiling), but his face is vague. In the backseat, one can see two fishing rods. The big caption, in black bold letters, is placed in the top part of the advertisement. Another portion of the advertising text is located in the lower part of the advertisement. In this section, the text is printed in bigger and smaller font size. It contains both slogans and a detailed description of the car’s properties and design.
Analysis of Rhetorical Appeals.
Reasoning (logos). A great portion of the persuasive effect in the Jeep advertisement refers to the logos part. Logos basically refers to appealing to the reasoning skills in the audience. In this advertisement, logos is represented by creating a reasonable description of the merits of Jeep Commando. The text of the advertisement is built in well-structured manner and covers: its strength and engine characteristics, its looks, and its interior. It ends with a conclusion: “Altogether, it’s the new Jeep Commander – the most exciting 4-wheel drive vehicle in America.” The slogan “Drive your Jeep vehicle with care and keep America the Beautiful” gives one more reason why the customer should prefer this car over any other brand. Besides, the words like “new,” “up-to-date,” “powerful,” etc, typically appeal to the reason: they imply “very good.”
At the same time, appeal to logos is achieved not only through the reasons represented as the text. The picture of the car, too, plays a great role. For example, the fact that this Jeep’s environment is large boulders, cobblestones, and sand makes us realize that this car is very strong and particularly durable. Besides, the fact that the couple’s faces are not clearly seen may mean that this car is for anyone, not just people of a particular social class. Additionally, the fact that the advertisement is black-and-white allows focusing not only on the picture, but also on the text, which lists the properties of the car. Also, it prevent customers’ possible disappointment with the color.
Character (ethos). Ethos refers to establishment of credibility through emphasis on reputation. In this advertisement, credibility of the car is established through repeated references to its brand Jeep. We come across the brand name Jeep around 10 times; it is printed in various sizes including the largest font at the top and at the bottom. With reference to appealing to the brand’s reputation as a trustworthy car, the following slogan is interesting: “Toughest 4-letter word on wheels. Jeep.” Thus, the creators of the advertisement used the reputation of Jeep brand to form the perception of the excellent car in buyers, who have never actually seen the car neither driven it. Also, the noun phrase, “a new model of old favorite,” is used to capitalize on Jeep’s earlier demonstrated merits. In addition, the credibility of the advertisement is established through two schematic drawings inserted in the actual text of the advertisement.
Emotion (pathos). This advertisement appeals to the emotions of the audience through creating positive and relaxed mood by the view of the smiling couple, with a young beautiful woman, and by the view of the marvelous sunny day. The view of the sea creates a feeling of freedom as a result of associating the sea with large, endless areas of water. Also, the view of the car, which has apparently overcome many miles and has provided the couple with unprecedented geographic opportunities, adds up to the feeling of freedom and power. The view of the two fishing rods, which hint at the fishing plans of the couple, creates a feeling of happy leisure time, relaxation, and fun. The view of the Jeep amidst a craggy terrain creates a feeling of power over the natural forces, and, at the same time, the feeling of unity with nature. One of the greatest feelings evoked by the advertisement is that of romantic relationship: a man and a woman in a car, away from the rest of the world, in love.
Alongside this, there is a feeling of adventure and of escape. Getting to some isolated place, with only nature around, evokes the feeling of excitement. This so-called “excitement factor” appeals to the feelings of the potential customers and plays a great role in making them want purchase a new car and replace the old one. In addition, the use of large fonts in the leading slogan of the advertisement is a kind of aggressive advertising which aims to impress, to capture attention, and make the audience remember the car and its advantages.
Finally, the use of different rhetorical figures appeals to the feelings and imagination. Specifically, the advertisement uses alliteration: “Never before so strong and so sporty”. In this sentence, the inversion is used to produce emphatic speech. Use of slogans, such as “Jeep guts,” produces the effect of a memorable phrase. Indeed, it is easy to remember such slogan; besides, it is rather effective as it appeals to the feeling of power and physical strength (“guts”).
Conclusion
Overall, in this advertisement, the authors effectively combined the use of the persuasive effects of logos, ethos, and pathos. The advertisement of 1971 Jeep Commando is one of the most convincing car advertisements I have ever seen.
- Stevenson, H. (2008). American Automobile Advertising, 1930-1980 : An Illustrated History. McFarland & Company.
- “1971 Jeep Commando” (N.d.). Retrieved 25 June 2014 from http://www.lhmopars.com/
