At first glance this Dodge Charger print advertisement jumps off the page. A hotrod red, powerful looking, American muscle car poses in a desert exhibiting exceptional contrast with its background. At first impression the large bolded print implies to the viewer that Dodge has combined the concepts of traditional American muscle and hybrid technology. It appears as if the marketers have successfully delivered their desired message given the constraints. Their ad uses the given space and is able to hold the reader's attention. However, it is when a viewer actually takes the time to go beyond this first glance that the ad's rhetorical message comes into question.
The ad makes several pathetic appeals. The choice to use a red car not only allows the ad to stand out, but also conveys the symbolism that a red sports car holds in American society such as success, sexuality, and power. Furthermore, the word choice used throughout the ad gives off suggestion of an emotional appeal. The words "unleashed," "power," and "torque" as well as the suggestion of burning rubber all conform to the image of the American muscle car. Furthermore Dodge's well-known slogan, "Grab life by the horns" argues that driving a Dodge, as opposed to a vehicle from some other automobile maker, gives you some sort of power or control. However, despite these appeals it should be noted that obviously driving a Dodge Charger is unlikely to give you the steotypical characteristics of someone who drives a red sports car and certainly is unlikely to give you increased control or power as the slogan suggests.
The marketers also clearly attempted to achieve an advantageous ethical appeal. The primary example of this can be seen in the overall language in the smaller text which implies Dodge's expertise in the auto industry. Furthermore, in the bottom right hand corner, there is a symbol for "five star crash test rating," "Chrysler Financial," and "buckle up." All of these, except maybe the second given Chrysler's current financial situation, go towards the ethical appeal of the accompany. The marketers want to establish, through these symbols, a feeling of good will from the audience towards their company.
While the previous appeals are extremely common in advertising and no reason for alarm, the problems with this particular ad arise in the logos of their argument. When taking a look at what is actually written in large bolded print the audience reads, "The Charger Hybrid - It Burns Gas And Rubber." This is an absurd statement! The only logical argument for purchasing a hybrid car would be to decrease the amount of gas used (either for financial or environmental reasons). The very next line after announcing the hybrid car advertises that the car "Burns Gas." Continuing reading the audience sees many references to the power of the Dodge Charger but nothing more about the hybrid aspect (not gas mileage, not anything). The closest associated fallacy would be non-sequitur, but even this doesn't seem to fit quite right. The logic of this ad is just inherently flawed. While attempting to push a hybrid-muscle car Dodge marketers simply contradicted themselves in an illogical manner.
At first impression this ad appears to successfully achieve the goals the marketers had in mind, while at the same time practicing ethically sound rhetoric. However, if an audience dwells on the page at all, the logical fallicy of the ad is right in front of them in the form of large bold letters.
Dodge markets it new Charger Hybrid in an excellent way. People looking for an all-American muscle car want to stand out. No man wants to be driving the same car as his neighbor. There is no better way to stand out than by pulling into your driveway in a bright red all-American muscle car. This ad uses a pathetic appeal aimed at the audience’s desire to stand out, and a bright red car in the middle of a vacant desert definitely portrays the image of standing out. Not only does a man want a car he can show off, he wants something he can have fun with. The bold words “it burns gas and rubber” together with the statistics of horsepower and torque undoubtedly gives the driver all the power he needs to entertain himself in his new ride. At the very bottom the “Five Star Rating Crash Test Rating” shows the reader that Dodge is a safe car manufacturer which is a positive statement of the company’s ethos.
ReplyDeleteNot only is the new Charger an all-American muscle car, it uses hybrid technology which allows the owner to save money and help the environment. These are two very important needs with the current financial situation and the growing concern with global warming. It seems Dodge has done a top-notch job in marketing its new Charger Hybrid to those who want to stand out yet still save money and help the economy until you read the bold print “it burns gas.” Their logos here is blatantly contradicting the purpose of a hybrid vehicle. It makes no sense to advertise “burning gas” for a vehicle which by definition is designed to save gas. Everything leading up to this point in the ad is perfect for promoting a muscle car that saves gas by using hybrid technology while maintaining all the necessary power that is required in a muscle car. By altering that line just a little bit such as “It saves gas yet still burns rubber” would save the reader an enormous amount of confusion. The readers would then not have to wonder if the new car was going to save them money or empty their wallets at the pump.
The creators of this ad definitely succeeded in appealing to an audience looking to stand out with a superior car, yet have failed in appealing to customers looking to save money and help the environment. Dodge did a good job catching the reader’s attention and drawing them in to their new Charger, they just better hope a flashy picture is all that is needed to sell this gas saving/gas burning car.
S.T.L.