Darius Rucker Song

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1gvzUwV93ac

The argument- Rucker makes clear the message of this song in the chorus when he sings “And it’s alright, alright. And I’ve got all I need, and it’s alright by me.” Essentially, he is saying that everything in life is alright when you have what you need.

The audience- The audience is listeners who may not be satisfied with life. This dissatisfaction potentially comes from wanting more then they need and ignoring the blessings they have. Rucker is speaking to these listeners.

The goal- The goal is to help listeners be content with what they have. Rucker wants listeners to acknowledge the important and calculate the blessings they have, even if they don’t add up to much material worth.

How he does it:

First, Rucker uses pathos to appeal to the listeners. He does this by utilizing imagery in his lyrics. For example, in the second verse he describes a walk down by the river under a moon lit sky. He states that it may not be the French Riveria, which allows the listener to get an idea of what this spot may be like. He emphasizes this overall theme of contentment by explaining his satisfaction with the walk despite the less than romantic circumstances.

Second, Rucker also uses logos to convey his ideas. He does not use any statistics but he does lay out a fairly logical thought process as to why he is content in life. He mentions, “The best of Patsy Cline”, spaghetti, and cheap wine as some of the things he prizes in life. All these things are simple, suggesting that even the simple things in life can make one happy.

Third, the evidence is typical to the audience. Most live in some sort of home and have shoes on their feet. They can identify with these types of material items in their own lives, and thus can evaluate whether or not they are grateful for them.

Fourth, the evidence is relevant to the purpose of the song. He describes the simple things like a house or shoes on the feet which tend to be the first to be forgotten when pursuing some of the finer things in life. His lyrics attempt to help the listener remember these blessings.

Effectiveness- I feel that this song is as effective as a repetitive country song could be in conveying its purpose. The message is simple and clear and conveyed easily to a general audience. This simplicity is important to a song that is emphasizing enjoying the little things in life.

Motrin Commercial

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BmykFKjNpdY

Argument- The argument here is contained in Motrin’s slogan “We feel your pain” at the end of the commercial. Essentially, Motrin acknowledge that good moms carry their children with them. Moms that carry their children with them experience pain as a result. Motrin understands these aches, and thus is the prime pain medication to help relieve the pain.

Audience- The audience for this commercial is mothers that have young children that frequently require carrying, and that often feel pain because of all the work and care that their young children require.

The goal- The goal is get mothers to make Motrin their first choice for pain medication.

How do they do it?
First, Motrin uses Pathos to appeal to the struggles of young mothers. They do this by stating that they “understand” mothers. The commercial at one point asks the viewer the question, “Do moms that wear their babies cry more than those that don’t? I sure do.” Whoever “I” is in this commercial acknowledges that they experience pain just like many other young mothers. In effect, Motrin says it is OK to experience pain as a young mother.
Second, Motrin appeals to logos by stating that it has been show that babies carried close to their mothers cry less. Viewers can then make the connection that it is beneficial to carry their baby close to them. However, this comes at a cost- extreme aches and pains. Thus, if it is beneficial to carry one’s baby but carrying one’s baby brings body pain, then logically a mother would need a good pain medication to help.
The evidence that babies carried by their mothers cry less is also very typical to the audience. Mothers may want to know if the benefits of carrying a child far outweigh the costs of doing so.
Finally, the evidence used in the advertisement is relevant. The evidence discusses the benefits and results of carrying a child which is pertinent to the goal of the advertisement- to get mothers in pain from caring for their children to buy Motrin.

Is it effective?-While the advertisement may work for mothers that carry their children, it leaves out a large segment of the population such as mothers who do not carry their children and men. The evidence the ad uses may be a little spotty because there is no credible source cited.

MetLife Advertisement

1. The argument- This ad, with its cutesy “IF” designed to look like a home being reconstructed, argues that a policy with MetLife is better than other insurance policies because the policy will cover all the costs incurred by the rebuilding of one’s home after a disaster.
2. The audience- MetLife is marketing to homeowners, specifically those who feel their insurance coverage is not adequate or those that lack insurance coverage altogether. It also markets to those who feel they live in a “unique” home that the basic insurance policy would not fully cover if disaster did strike.
3. The goal- MetLife is attempting with this ad to get people to buy or switch to their insurance policies.
4. Ethos- MetLife uses Snoopy to appeal to an audience that may be familiar with the popular and comfortable cartoon character. Snoopy helps ease the stress that may come with deciding on a home insurance policy.
Pathos- This ad specifically feeds on the audience’s fears of losing a home in a disaster. This is demonstrated by MetLife’s slogan “Guarantees for the if in life.” Essentially this is acknowledging that losing one’s home is not a guarantee in life, but worrying about disaster frequently is.
Logos- The ad also appeals to the audience’s logic with their “if” slogan. Those that need or desire better insurance could derive a few points from the advertisement. First, as a result of the ad the audience may come to the conclusion that they do indeed live in a unique home. Second, because their home is unique, if disaster did strike their insurance policy might not be capable of covering all the costs. Third, if they feel their insurance policy would not cover all the costs then it might be a good idea to switch to another, such as one of MetLife’s policies. Thus, it would be logical to switch to one of MetLife’s policies.
5. Effectiveness- This ad is very effective in that in plays on a very real fear of many people- the loss of a home. It allows the audience to still feel “unique” while subscribing to a very universal policy that would protect them from disaster.

Note: The advertisement came only in .pdf format and had to be converted using a free program.