Diction of 1960 Cocoa puff commercial

The word choice implemented in this commercial is very clever. The most memorable and important part of this commercial is the phrase "Cuckoo for Cocoa Puffs". The repetition of this phrase by the Cuckoo bird engraves the idea of how awesome cocoa puffs are in the viewers head. The narrator pulls the viewer in when he starts off the commercial saying "young friends". The audience is young children of ages 5-12, and when children hear a calm, friendly voice, it gives them comfort. This friendly remark is a great way to start a commercial intended for a young audience. The commercial goes on using words like "delicious", "luscious", and "Hershey chocolate". Although simple, these words both establish ethos, like I described in my last post, and make Cocoa puffs seem extremely desirable. The importance of diction in this advertisement is revealed between these two commercials. "Cuckoo for Cocoa Puffs", the catch phrase used by the Cuckoo bird in 1960, is stilled used in 2013. A span of over 50 years went by and this phrase has continued to thrive and prove its importance in advertisements. I know when I see or hear about Cocoa puffs, I think of the phrase "Cuckoo for Cocoa Puffs". This makes me think of how crazy the Cuckoo bird was because of the delicious cereal. Not many cereals have a catchy and long-lasting catch phrase. The history of using the same phrase in Cocoa Puff advertisements proves how essential word choice is.

Style of 1960's Cocoa Puffs Commercial

This 1960's Cocoa Puffs cereal commercial is directed towards a specific audience: children.  The makers of this commercial were very much aware of the interests of young boys and girls and, thus, created it to appeal to their senses.  The manner in which it appeals to children is through its use of style.  One particular style seen throughout the commercial is diction.  The narrator uses words that are simple, fun, and easy for children to understand, such as "wanna have some fun?"  What child would say no to this question?  Another significant aspect of style incorporated in this commercial is the tone of the narrator and cuckoo bird.  The narrator's tone is very informative.  He is informing an audience who is very young and impressionable.  Children are very easily influenced.  Chances are, most children who watched this commercial actually believed the idea that if they did not have these delicious Cocoa Puffs, they would go crazy.  Furthermore, the tone of Sonny the Cuckoo bird is psychotic.  Children will see this behavior and believe it is okay to behave in such a manner.  Not only does it send a message to children, but to parents as well.  It is almost as if the commercial is threatening parents to buy Cocoa Puffs cereal for their children.  If parents want their children to be happy and sane, then they must provide this cereal for them.

-Therese Renzi

Sense of Humor: 2013 Cocoa Puffs Commercial

Previously, I had mentioned that there is humor present in this commercial, but I was made aware that I did not go into detail about it. Children, especially around the ages 5-12 years old, find it humorous to do what we call "silly stuff," which is essentially being hyperactive and loud; everything Sonny the Cuckoo Bird is doing. Throughout the commercial, as Sonny destroys the lab and floods it with chocolate, he does so with a big smile or grin on his face thus making it seem to children that this is funny and it's okay because at the end the scientists who were observing just looked at each other expressionless, and there wasn't any type of consequence. Since it's known that the audience targeted copies everything they see because they're at such a vulnerable age, they will most likely begin acting this way towards their parents because in their mind it's funny. 

Color choice: 2013 Cocoa Puffs commercial

In the 2013 commercial the main two colors that stick out throughout the advertisement are the brown of the chocolate and the orange of the bird. The background is mainly different shades of white and gray, which helps to emphasize on the bird and the cereal. This makes it fairly easy for the young audience of the commercial to pick out what is important and what to look at for. There are also bright red letters that pop up and keep flashing that say "in progress". This helps to draw the viewers attention to a "live" experiment that is taking place. The overall use of the colors is to allow the main parts of the commercial to stand out, which would be the bird, the cereal, and the experiment. These three aspects of the commercial need to be focused on in order to make the advertisement successful, which is why the viewer's attention is supposed to be drawn towards them.

Pathos in 1960's Cocoa Puffs Commercial

In this 1960's Cocoa Puffs commercial, a rhetorical appeal that stands out is pathos.  The commercial targets the emotions of young children.  First and foremost, the commercial is a cartoon.  This in itself is really going to draw in the attention of most children.  When the commercial begins, Sonny the Cuckoo bird is seen playing on a swing, just as many children enjoy doing.  He then starts singing about the "yum yum" Cocoa Puffs.  What child doesn't enjoy a nice, little, catchy tune.  What's more is that this tune is so short and simple that children will be able to catch on to it fast and may even start singing it themselves around the house.  The bird only gets more hyper when a box of Cocoa Puffs Cereal is placed in front of him.  Children in general have a lot of energy and can get very hyper.  Also, most children probably like chocolate and/or cereal.  The thought of combining these two delicious foods has got to be extremely enticing to children.  Most children would think the idea of a crazy, singing, dancing bird is really silly.  Thus, they would probably smile or laugh at the silliness of this very cuckoo bird.

-Therese Renzi

Rhetorical Appeals: Pathos and the 2013 Cocoa Puffs Commercial

In the Cocoa Puffs commercial aired in 2013, the narrator establishes pathos by appealing to the audience's imagination, imagery, diction, and even their sense of humor. The narrator appeals to the audience's imagination, is by using a character that does not exist in real life, yet in the commercial he is very realistic, and his personality is very similar to the audience's. The vibrant colors also lure the audience's attention in a way. Keep in mind that the audience's age ranges from 5-12 years old, so a very hyperactive cartoonish bird fits them perfectly. By emphasizing on Sonny the Bird's constant excitement and his famous phrase "Cuckoo for Cocoa Puffs," imagery and diction come in; they both make Sonny less of a cartoon, and the diction is very simple; enough to appeal to the readers' fairly newly developed language skills.

Ethos in 1960 Cocoa puff commercial

In this commercial the narrator establishes ethos. The narrator is a well spoken, yet calm man that seems to know what he is talking about. But more importantly when he describes how "delicious", "luscious", and "crisp" the "Hershey" Cocoa puffs are, there are images in the background of the chocolate corn puffs being poured into a bowl and getting mixed with milk. These images catch the viewer's eye because of how irresistible and delicious it looks. The way the chocolaty cocoa puffs are presented to the viewer not only catches the eye, but also backs up the narrator's description. The narrator knows what he is talking about and he gives the viewer a sense of how delicious the cereal is from listening and watching the commercial.