"Stand" Rascall Flatts

Audience: The target audience of this song is comprised of determined individuals who invest themselves in something they love, such as athletics, music, sports, or other forms of expression. They are putting their all into something they care about, but are currently discouraged to the point of giving up. Those in this position, though feeling helpless and alone, will continue to fight, as the lyrics explicitly state. These individuals have what it takes to stand.

Argument:
WATCO the discouragement you are currently facing?

Enthymeme:
The struggles you are going through will help you to find hope and strength within yourself, because you have the will to stand and the determination to pull yourself back up again.

Whatever causes you to have the will to stand and the determination to pull yourself back up again will help you find hope and strength within yourself.

Goal: To remind the audience of the indigenous strength within that will enable them to become better and continue their journey of self-discovery.

How: Relevant-the message is simple and is expressed clearly through the lyrics. The audience can relate to the message because the words mean something to them. The first line addresses the audience as feeling like a “candle in a hurricane”. This idea relates to their situation, and makes this initial statement, as well as the rest of the song, relevant to their situation.

The progressive nature of the lyrics serves as the logical base of the argument. The song starts out by describing the state of the target audience as being discouraged and wanting to give up. Then, as the song proceeds to the chorus, the initial discouragement and frustration serves as the motivating factor to “get mad [and] get sad”, and then get back up and keep going. By the end of the song, the discouragement has turned into resolution, and implies that the individual, through the struggle, has become more refined.

Effectiveness: The most effective element of the lyrics is that of their progressive nature, and the way in which the imagery appeals to the audience. For those that feel that they have given everything to something, but are frustrated with their progress or results, this song serves as a reminder that these challenges will make them stronger, and help to further define them as a person.

Commercial: State Farm Insurance

Argument: State Farm Insurance is more beneficial to parents of teen drivers than other insurance plans. This is because State Farm has implanted the Steer Clear Program into an insurance plan in order to establish better security for both the parents and the teen drivers.

Audience: This commercial is targeting concerned and safety conscience parents of teen drivers. In the commercial, the father asks who is going to be going to the movie before he lets his daughter borrow the keys. This shows that he truly cares about what his daughter is doing and who she is going to be with. Thus, the audience includes parents of teenage drivers, that have a genuine interest in their children's lives.

Goal: To show parents of teen drivers that there are insurance plans specifically for their situation, that will benefit their situation.

How:

• The voice of Patrick Dempsey helps establish credibility becasue he is a well known figure in society. His deep and reassuring voice helps the argument as well.
• In the beginning of the commercial, the daughter is shown as a little girl, but then in the end is shown to be a teenage driver. Those of the target audience watching this commerial are led to remember thier teenage son or daughter as a younger child, which more efficiently evokes a feeling of love and concern than just showing the girl as a teenager.
• The reality is that teenage age drivers are growing up, and are in need of additional precautions taken by parents. One way to take such a precaution is to get State Farm Insurance, with the Steer Clear Program.
• The commercial mentions that this plan offers lower rates, which would definitely spark the interest of the audience as well.
• The father asks who is going to the movie. In doing so, it is established that he is really watching out for his daughter, and cares about who she is with. This reaches beyond insurance coverage, and suggests that State Farm is also interested in the actual welfare of the individuals that are being covered by their insurance plans.

Is it effective? Yes. For those parents that have teenage drivers this commercial would be very effective. One of the most persuasive elements is pathos. The contrast of the little girl in comparison to the teenage daughter leads the parents to think about getting specialized insurance plan, whereas they might not have thought about it before.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j_dkyByzD-Y

Introducing: Gatorade Tiger

Audience: The ad is targeting average athletes, most likely teens and young adults that are athletically driven and want to become more excellent at a particular sport or sports. More specifically, the target audience consists of athletes who look up to Tiger Woods and view him as a role model.

Argument: Gatorade Tiger will help one to perform at their best athletic potential.

Goal: The goal is to convince young athletes that Gatorade Tiger will help boost their performance and success, and thus lead them to buy this product.

How:
Ethos: The key element of the ad that makes it most apealing to the audience is the Tiger Woods connection. Tiger Woods is a legendary athlete, and by linking him to this product, the audience naturally wants to try it, because the ad implies that Tiger ususes this same product.
Gatorade already has an established credibility in the athletic world, and adding the element of Tiger Woods makes the use of this product more credible to young and aspiring athletes, because they want to become more like him, and can do so by drinking not just Gatorade, but Gatorade Tiger.

Pathos: The simple and striking words in the ad stand out and have meaning to the audience. The main emotion evoked through this ad is a motivation to become better. For a young athlete that is driven to become better, the words "inspiring", "amazing", and "best" are all appealing and positive terms, which ignites an interest that makes the ad more convincing to them.

The design of the ad layout is also a factor in the appeal to the audience. The colors are bold and striking, just like the text, and produce a similar effect.

Logos: Tiger Woods is a great athlete, and it is implied that he drinks Gatorade; thus, those that drink Gatorade Tiger will become better athletes.

Efficacy: This ad is effective to the target audience. The elements of ethos, pathos, and logos are used well and produce an appeal for the audience to try this product.