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.

Rhetorical Appeals: 2013 Cocoa Puffs Commercial

In the 2013 Cocoa Puffs Cereal commercial, there are appeals to logos and ethos in order to persuade the targeted audience of 5 - 12 year old kids. The commercial sets the stage in a Cocoa puffs lab. There is an experiment taking place that involves the bird trying to restrain from eating the cereal and seeing how long the bird can last. This shows an appeal to logos because the commercial is using an experiment as its evidence that Cocoa Puffs cereal is irresistible. This appeal is also shown when a timer is put on the screen to show how long it takes the bird to go crazy and need to eat the cereal. The timer is the commercial's source of proof that "you can see for yourself" that the bird goes crazy over the cereal in a matter of seconds. The commercial also uses the appeal to logos on the scenery with the set up of a high-tech lab. There are big computers and other technologies in the background that make the scene look official and trust worthy. There is also an appeal to ethos implemented into the commercial when two scientist are watching over the experiment. They represent evidence that a real experiment is taking place and is being studied. Scientist are considered a source of valid and correct data, so the use of them shows an authority figure who people usually don't question.

Rhetorical Situation for 1960's Cocoa Puffs Commercial

This 1960’s Cocoa Puffs Commercial is targeting all the “young friends” in the audience.  It opens with the well-known Sonny the Cuckoo Bird swinging on a swing and singing about “yum, yum” Cocoa Puffs.  The bird jumps off the swing and dances around as he flaps his arms.  Clearly, he is a very happy bird.  However, we are beginning to get the idea that he is a little crazy.  He is a smiling, frolicking, spastic bird singing about the deliciousness of this particular cereal flavor.  Throughout the commercial, we also hear the voice of a narrator.  He asks us the question, “Wanna have some fun?” and then tells us to watch.  This makes the audience curious as to what is going to happen.  We are drawn into the commercial and then, when he makes this comment, we are hooked.  We have to keep watching to find out what this so-called “fun” is.  A table with a bowl, milk, and Cocoa Puffs cereal is placed in front of him.  As he is frolicking around, he bumps into the table.  If you thought Sonny the Cuckoo Bird seemed crazy before, you haven’t seen anything yet.  Seeing the Cocoa Puffs cereal makes him go absolutely nuts.  He begins shouting and moving his body around frantically.  The narrator makes a logical appeal to the audience, providing an explanation for why this bird is so cuckoo for Cocoa Puffs.  He reasons that it is because the cereal is made with real Hershey’s cocoa, which makes them irresistible for anyone who craves a chocolaty taste.  Furthermore, the narrator establishes an ethical appeal by using the name “General Mills,” which is a popular and well-known cereal brand.    

-Therese Renzi

Audience Analysis Cocoa Puff commercial 1960

Audience analysis 1960 commercial:

The audience of this commercial advertising Cocoa Puffs cereal in 1960 was young children around the ages of 5-12. The children were most likely diverse in background, and they were not educated on nutrition. It is assumed, like most children, that the majority of children love the taste of chocolate and eat cereal regularly for breakfast. Children of this age enjoy cartoons and animations like the cuckoo bird. This being said, the children will garner a unique interest in this commercial because of the cuckoo bird going "cuckoo for cocoa puffs". The reaction to this chocolaty cereal by the cuckoo bird, influences children to also have that passion and excitement for this particular cereal.

Rhetorical Situation: 2013 Cocoa Puffs Commercial

This is a Cocoa Puffs commercial catering to kids, made in 2013. Cocoa Puffs is a cereal brand that is popular today, and is commonly known everywhere. The commercial sets a stage of a Cocoa puffs lab, where an experiment is taking place. The experiment is studying how long the bird can go without going crazy for the Cocoa Puffs. The commercial is taking a more high-tech approach. Kids now are always on their Ipads, Ipods, Xboxes, etc and so technology is a big part of everyday life. The newest and most complicated technologies are especially eye catching to kids and is wanted by everyone. The use of an experiment is needed for today's society because you cannot convince anyone to buy or believe anything without backing it up with proof. The experiment is the commercial's "proof" that the cereal is irresistible and great tasting. This part of the commercial is added on to with the use of scientists, who are watching and recording data. This is showing an authority figure, a scientist, is conducting the experiment, which is telling the viewer that the experiment is reliable. This is also needed to convince kids because if a scientist says something about the cereal or approve of it, then so will kids watching. This commercial is able to use cartoons to portray to kids that Cocoa Puffs is proven to be extremely good and irresistible cereal through an experiment that tested and proved this statement.    

Margo Ricks

Audience: Cocoa Puffs Commercial 2013

The main audience for this commercial is children from ages 5-12. Children were not only attracted to the very "chocolaty" vibrant images of the cereal throughout the commercial, but also the numerous machines of technology engages children considering technology is a big part of children's everyday life today. The reaction that Sonny the Cuckoo Bird has when he's around the cereal, also implies that this is how children should feel when they're around the cereal. Children are supposed to go "cuckoo for cocoa puffs," meaning to them they have to have them.