Rhetorical Analysis of a Cultural Text
Persuasion plays a central role in enhancing communication in a way that may improve the way people understand information. In this case, identification of the target audience and the appeals used to invoke the emotions is worthy of analysis to determine if the context of a text is effective. The cultural text that will be used for the rhetorical analysis is the coca cola’s ad “I’d Like to Buy the World a Coke.” The ad is a television commercial in form of a song and was first aired in 1971.
Coca-Cola’s ad, “I’d Like to Buy the World a Coke,” is deemed by many people as the world’s famous commercial. The commercial involves a group of people singing from a hilltop in Italy (Coca-Cola). The people are from different cultures, and most probably, from all parts of the world. They sing as they enjoy a bottle of coke. From an informed perspective, the main idea is to show how the beverage can bring unity, happiness, and harmony among the people despite their racial or cultural differences. Ideally, the techniques employed by the producers to make the commercial, aims at influencing people across the world to view the beverage in a different light; thus, improve the market base of the drink. The commercial is effective in appealing to the emotions of people in the world, who are in different colors and different shapes, using a style of production and the pathos rhetorical device of appeal.
The most profound technique that was employed by the producers of the commercial is pathos, which entails appealing to the emotions of the target audience using what they value and is receptive to them (MacDonald 66). In this case, it is crucial to identify a message that will resonate with the audience to create a connection with the item that is on the advertisement. In this context, the commercial highlights issues and provides prove, thereby creating a connection that makes sense to the audience. The use of pathos in the commercial is composed of images, and the message of the song. At the time the commercial was aired, in 1971, people in America were already opposed to the Vietnam War and Cold War, which created political turmoil (Carver, David and Barbara 196). In this context, there was need to create hope and show concern using messages of hope and oneness. Messages conveyed by the commercial were likely to invite responses from the public. Pathos is an appeal to the very emotions that the people care about and thus, the commercial was received and discussed among the people because of its relationship with the things that they were concerned about.
The Coca-Cola commercial creates an emotional appeal to the people through taking a stance of peace, love, and harmony that brings the world together. By using the stanzas, “I’d like to teach the world to sing/ In perfect harmony” (Coca-Cola). The commercial connects with the feelings of the people. The United States was in political turmoil, and the world was in disharmony because of wars and the Cold War (Carver, David and Barbara 196). In light of this, people were worried as nations disagreed on various socio-political issues. In identification of the problems, the creators ensured that they involved people of different colors and different ethnicities with the aim of creating harmony. Outstandingly, the idea of unity and harmony would thus be received clearly, and people identify with the song. On the other hand, the message connects with the product as the people have come together to enjoy the coke drink. It continues to state, “I’d buy the world a coke/ And keep it company/ That is the real thing” (Coca-Cola). Contextually, the stanzas create the relationship envisioned between unity of the people, relationship between many individuals and the world peace. The effectiveness of rhetorical techniques usage lies on the ability of the individuals to bring a connection between the emotions aroused by the statements and the commodity promoted.
From an informed perspective, the message that the company conveyed was enjoyable to every individual in the world. For instance, the information did not take sides on the issues of national importance. It was just a simple idea that Coca-Cola was for peace the same way anyone in America and any other part of the world thought. In this perspective, the pro-government and anti-government citizens could not feel targeted by the commercial. The intention to break the barriers of race, social status, and political ideology informed the inclusion of diverse, multicultural, and multiethnic actors. Most probably, all the populations responded positively to the commercial through informed viewing of the commercial; thus, increased viewership and purchases for the brand because of the emotional appeal to what people loved and hoped for during the time.