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.
I thought your explanation of the pathos used in this commercial was spot on in how it appealed to the age group of the audience. The use of the colors, hyperactive bird, and catchy phrase all make the commercial memorable to young children. However, in the beginning you mention the sense of humor it draws but don't back it up later on.
ReplyDeleteThe diction used in the commercial, combined with the delicious looking cereal, is definitely the most appealing part of it. The chocolatey swirl and the slow motion spoonful of cereal is enough to make any child instantly hungry. The hyperactive bird makes the child want the cereal just as much as the bird, and then they go bug their parents until the cereal is bought.
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