I chose this advertisement for my Visual Rhetoric paper because I feel that Coca-Cola did a phenomenal job in persuading the viewer to buy their product. The simplistic white background gives way for the glass coke bottle to become the forefront of the ad. The slogan "live on the Coke side of life" plays with the viewer's emotions. This catchy slogan makes the viewer believe that their life as it is right now is not as extravagant and exciting as it can be if he/she was drinking Coca-Cola. The use of the color red in the slogan and in the name of the product at the bottom of the advertisement is significant in that it is the color that Coca-Cola is known for, and that they use in many of their ad campaigns. Also, red is a visually appealing color and therefore the contrast of the red slogan with the white background makes the slogan to pop out and catch the viewer's eye while flipping through a magazine. The use of the glass bottle in the advertisement as opposed to the use of a plastic bottle or can ads to the reader's interest in the advertisement. The glass bottle has no label on it, except for that of the word "Coke" in white letters. This is because the illustrator wanted the viewer to see the rich brown color of the Coke spewing from the top of the bottle. The dark spewing Coke from the top of the bottle adds visual intereest to the reader because it is not a technique seen in any other ad campaigns from other leading competition. In the spewing Coke there are images of a microphone, guitar, and a broken up piano keyboard. Also seen are people - one person is singing, another playing bass and one playing guitar, and lastly one person dancing freestyle. This image is one of excitement and fame, which appeals to many viewers who crave this type of lifestyle. Coke uses this type of advertisement to appeal to every audience. It does not distinguish between race, gender, or socioeconomic class which makes it very appealing to all people. Many people have the common dream of living a carefree lifestyle full of exhilarating fame which makes the ad very compatible to many people. Coke did a good job of evoking a craving for fame and glory through their use of color imagery and persuasion in their advertisement.
Emma,
ReplyDeleteYou've got a solid thesis statement going here. I think you can make a really good argument with it, but I do want to offer one "criticism." In your blog post, the whole idea of "fame and entertainment" that seems to be integral to the thesis is hard to find, pushed toward the last third of the post. This might be a better topic to lead with; visually, your post leads the reader around the ad like a game of hopscotch. Try a little exercise where you take the ad apart from the top down or the bottom up and see if that gives your paper a little clearer flow. Does that make sense? If it doesn't, I can think about a different explanation and brainstorm ideas with you.