Melanie Miller
Jin Liu
English 103 031
January 26, 2009
Rough Draft
Rhetoric in Target Commercial
At least 98 percent of households in America own at least one television. The number of commercials the average American views by age 65 is 2 million. The percentage of American’s who believe that “most of us buy and consume far more than we need” is 82 percent. To say that television advertising for a business would stimulate consumer spending would be an understatement. The creators of television advertisements use rhetoric to attract an audience to their product(s). In 2007 Target spent $1,195 million, in 2006 $1,170 million, and in 2005 $1,028 million. With the 2.3 percent spent from the budget on advertising a dull commercial is not to be expected from Target. With thirty seconds to win over consumers, Target uses several rhetorical strategies in their “A Beautiful World” commercial. Through Target’s commercial they send a message to a large audience that they have stylish products that are practical necessities. The narrator is a Target representing their products with a concerned voice for the audience’s best welfare.
Throughout the commercial the music is fresh and uplifting. The audience will feel the optimistic tone given in the Target commercial and will be relaxed about the oncoming thirty seconds. The song is also called “A Beautiful World” which uses sound imagery and obviously compliments the new stylish image that Target has been using to gain more of a higher class audience. As the commercial unfolds, the audience will be aesthetically pleased with attractive, bright colors. It is important for the commercial to not be dull to keep the audience’s attention. Products are aligned in interesting angles and positions. Target made use of out of the ordinary transitions from scene to scene. The products are constantly in motion which enhances the upbeat imagery of the commercial. Choosing good-looking actors to take part in the commercial helped as well. The modern attractive style of the commercial creates an alluring image of the store, making it stand out from its competitors.
The characters include an older, several studious-looking men, a pregnant mother, several attractive young women, a couple, an athletic man, and an older woman. The variety of actors shown in the commercial appeals to the audience’s Pathos. The audience will feel like they can relate to the actors in the commercial and will now feel that they belong in Target along with whichever they associate themselves with. The actors are also well dressed which plays on Target’s new status that is appealing to a higher class that will be willing to shop at Target. The attractiveness of several characters will cause the audience to want to align themselves with the sort of group that would shop at Target. The age representation, the couple, and the pregnant mother will ensure that these types of people will also feel the need to bring their business to the shop. The studious looking actors will build a trust for Target as a smart place for consumers to shop. External Ethos is also a technique used to create a trusting relationship with the consumers and Target. Gaining this stylish image builds on Target’s credibility.
Throughout the commercial there are several scenes in which a key phrase is inserted. The first phrase is “Form Meet Function.” What this phrase is highlighting the panache of Target, but also how they carry necessities. This should give the audience the impression that there isn’t a reason that they should not make the trip to the store. The next phrase that appears in a later scene is “Play it Safe.” This is another ethical appeal to make the audience trust the Target store. This has a universal appeal since for the most part people would be concerned with their own and their families’ safety. The next phrase that materializes on the screen is “Love Your Mother Earth.” With recent movement towards creating a cleaner, less-polluted world the cause-loving consumers will be pleased with this idea. This also appeals to the audience’s pathos with the emotions that would be evoked from the earth-friendly cause. The next line that appears is “Think Outside the Box.” This will attract the less-traditional consumers that will be concerned with the availability and variety offered by their favorite store. The final line that is highlighted on the screen is “Design for All.” This line wraps up the commercial reaching out to the widest audience for Target while ‘design’ will give the stylish image to help with competition. With how the phrases are structured also can be considered to be wrapped up in the final phrase using a climax effect. The diction used in the phrases throughout the commercial appears to be conversational which adds more to the relatable feeling of the actors and the general consumer.
Every product that appears on the screen is available by Target and the division of the products defines their usefulness. The first man is using the studious man sits in the spinning chair and opens his laptop. The next woman is revolving, like the chair but at a slower speed. A modern-looking cone shaped vacuum appears and grows while a woman grabs it and vacuums the floor. The next couple move patterned squares across the floor and then lay down when they are satisfied. To pick the speed up a man bikes across the screen and then is filmed in the background of a spinning tire. Then three colorful circles revolve into three rotating prescription bottles. A corn appears with the husk unraveling in a around it. The corn then morphs in a rectangle which turns out to be a Swiffer pushed by a woman. The scene outside where the woman is cleaning is very natural and continues into the next scene around the tranquil appearing bed another woman is laying in. The scene moves to products appearing in a basket that is then handled and circled around a modern looking woman. The next scene is a man pouring chips down into a bowl which transitions to the next scene with a ladder rising. The woman picks up the ladder as it collapses again and the scene is ended with Target’s logo and their trademark “Expect more. Pay less.” These transitions compliment the style of target and play with a neat visual appeal that makes the normally average products offered give the impression of being modern.
Target’s competitors include Wal-Mart, Kmart, and Costco Resale. This division of stores is in the discount industry. To separate themselves from the competitors, Target needs to convince their audience that they have a higher status, but still contain affordable prices. With the ad’s narrative, interesting and attractive appearance, calming music and variety of stylish characters the Target commercial “A Beautiful World” accomplishes attracting a large audience. Target stands out from their competitors through their advertising. After watching this commercial audiences will tend to build a trusting relationship with them and target. The commercial also lets consumers know that they will find products that they will need at Target, so the trip to the store will be worth their time.
Works Cited
“Bullseye: Target’s Cheap Chic Strategy.” Harvard Business School Worker Knowledge for Business Leaders. 16 August 2004. 24 January 2009 < http://hbswk.hbs.edu/archive/4319.html>
“Target Commercial a Beautiful World.” Target. Youtube.com. 2008. 24 January 2009 < http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sSryPy-ZtVk>
“Target Competitors.” Hoovers. 2009. 24 January 2009 < http://www.hoovers.com/target/--ID__10440--/free-co-factsheet.xhtml>
“Target Corporation Annual Report 2007: Advertising Costs” Target Corporation Annual Report 2007. 2008. 24 January 2009 < http://media.corporate-ir.net/media_files/irol/65/65828/reports/Target07AR_FINAL_OnlineVersion.pdf>
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