A Rhetorical Analysis Of Microsoft's Advertising

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On February 2, 2014, one of the most important American events took place… Super Bowl XLVIII. This event will not only be remembered as the world’s biggest football game; but, it will also be remembered as the game with some of the world’s best advertisements. As millions of football fans from around the world watched the two best teams face off, they were treated with the finest commercials that the world has seen. The hard work of large advertising companies made the advertisements just as enjoyable to watch as the game itself. Many ads come to mind. One ad that stands out was Microsoft’s “Empowering” commercial. In that commercial, the advertiser used all three of Aristotle's theory on rhetoric to warm the hearts of millions of viewers…show more content…
The next question asked by the narrator is, “What can it do?” Then, the clips get longer. Next, the ad shows a little boy getting used to his two prosthetic legs by playing baseball. This is followed up by an elderly artist using his Microsoft computer to paint while saying, “When I lost my eyesight, I thought my painting days were over.” The narrator then says, “How far can we go?” The question is followed by images of people around the world using Microsoft technology to learn, communicate, and help others in need. The narrator follows up by saying, “Technology has the power to unite us.” This quote is followed by an image of a soldier, in his military uniform, viewing a webcam, and seeing his newborn son, for the very first time. The commercial gets better. It is followed by a very heart warming and inspirational image of a young girl jumping and screaming as she sees her dad’s face on a webcam, followed by the narrator saying, “It inspires us, technology has taken us to places we've only dreamed.” This quote is followed by an image of a man, with a robotic arm, moving his fingers. Another image is that of a space shuttle being launched in the air, while NASA scientists are…show more content…
Ethos is the credibility and the authority of the speaker. Microsoft used some ethos in this commercial. From time to time a clip of a doctor using Microsoft equipment was displayed. Many humans have high recards for doctors, and associating the product with the profession, only added credibility to the product. The doctor used the product as a tool to save lives, and that made the product a useful tool for humanity. Most of the advertisement showed people using their equipment with smiles and happiness on their faces. This made the viewer feel like Microsoft’s products are top of the line. At the end of the commercial, an image of an NFL player appears who would probably have been devastated after getting ALS, but thanks to Microsoft products, he looks happy that the product sold by Microsoft, allowed him to

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