Friday, September 19, 2008

Rhetorical Analysis 2: Commercial



The argument being made is that if you shave with their razor, your skin will be as smooth as a baby. They say that if your skin is as smooth as a baby's, women will want you, the assumption being that women love smooth skin. The audience is men that shave, and perhaps specifically fathers of young children, though I don't think it needs to be that exclusive.

I believe the main way that the argument is being made is through humor. The commercial parodies action heroes like Sylvester Stallone and Bruce Lee using a baby! The whole concept is that of fathers being jealous of the attention their sons are getting from their mothers, which is also humorous. There isn't really any logic or appeals to authority.

There is sufficient humor to make the audience laugh, which is probably winning half the battle, knowing men. However, there are no facts or studies, or anything at all really to back up what they are saying. Their reasoning is about as typical as men's reasoning ever is when it comes to attracting women. They all want a woman to snuggle up to them like that, and it makes sense that a razor could make them attractive in that way. It is accurate in that they know the best way to persuade their audience--action parodies, humor, and the promise of beautiful women. I don't know that it is relevant to the argument, but it is relevant to the audience.

This argument is effective because it works well for its audience. It makes men laugh, and it gives them promises of being kissed all over by hot women. What more could they ask for?

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