Nike Video Advertisement (Good vs. Evil)

URL: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LI83A4Otuio

Product:  The product being advertised is Nike products that are related to soccer (fútbol).

Time Period:  The video advertisement was most likely produced in the late 2000’s.

Purpose:  The advertisement is trying to publicize how dominant their products are when it comes to soccer (fútbol). Another purpose of the advertisement is to try to boost sales in the company’s division of soccer.

Target Audience: 

·         The target audience of the advertisement are people that are fútbol players whether it be on the professional or amateur level. Watching the advertisement will let someone know immediately who the target audience is as one of the first things seen is a case full of soccer equipment (cleats and a soccer ball).

·         What assumptions do the advertisers make about the audience? 

o   An assumption that the advertisement makes about gender is that women are not able to play soccer as good as men. This assumption is not realistic as women are able to compete on the same level as men in some leagues. This assumption reinforces the stereotype of women not being able to play sports as there are no women being represented in the advertisement.

o   The advertisement did not make any assumptions concerning race or ethnicity as there were a variety of ethnicities that were represented throughout the video. 

o   The advertisement did not make any assumptions concerning social class as everyone in the video was practically equal. No signs of wealth or class was shown in the video.

Type of Claim: 

·         Endorsement/Testimonial

The advertisement uses an endorsement as there are multiple fútbol players that are using Nike products throughout the video. This type of technique is very effective because it gives the audience an idea of how well the product works in a situation such as passing a soccer ball from one player to the other.

·         Transfer

The advertisement uses the technique of transfer as the video shows so much positive imagery that is supposed to show that the product can do all of these things such as kicking robots in the head with some Nike cleats. This type of persuasive technique is highly effective as it transfers the action and stunts performed in the advertisement to Nike’s soccer products. This makes the audience want to buy the product because that is what they imagine when they see the product.

·         Plain Folks

The advertisement uses plain folks as some of the fútbol players were just ordinary people that were playing soccer with each other. This will persuade ordinary people to want to buy soccer equipment from Nike as they are able to make the connection that Nike products are for ordinary people too.

Persuasive Appeals: 

·         Pathos

The advertisement uses pathos as the fútbol players show a fearful but serious face when trying to fight the robot ninjas in the video. In this case, I don’t think that pathos plays an effective part in persuading the audience to want to buy Nike products.

·         Logos

The advertisement does not display any evident use of logos as it does not show any type of statistic or fact throughout the duration of the video.

·         Ethos

The video uses ethos due to how the fútbol players are endorsing Nike soccer products. This is highly effective as it allows the audience to see what Nike products can do in a regular person’s hands.

Possible Consequences: 

·         A possible long term consequence of this advertisement is that it could eventually lead to a boost in Nike soccer sales. Possible short term consequences of this advertisement is that it would make the audience want to buy their soccer equipment from Nike and another possible consequence would be people wanting to play soccer because of the video.

·         The advertisement does create unrealistic expectations for the audience as the ad gives them the idea that Nike products will allow them to become as good as the soccer players in the video.

·         The advertisement counters social change as it does not represent female soccer players in the advertisement.

·         Nike, in my opinion, is not socially responsible as they are not purposely not representing female soccer players in the advertisement.

Nike Video Advertisement (Bo Knows)

URL: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AXVAiFBEpwA

Product:  The product being advertised are general Nike products such as shoes and sports equipment.

Time Period:  The advertisement was produced and published in 1989.

Purpose:  The advertisement is trying to sway athletes from all sports and backgrounds to buy Nike products for their respective sports.

Target Audience: 

·         The target audience of the advertisement are people that participate in sports. This can be easily concluded as the video showed athletes that participate in a variety of sports ranging from hockey to running.

·         What assumptions do the advertisers make about the audience? 

o   There are no assumptions concerning gender as the advertisement shows athletes that are both men and women.

o   The advertisement does not make assumptions about race or ethnicity as the video included a variety of ethnicities during the video.

o   The advertisement does not make any assumptions based on class as the video did not decide to express any signs of the participants’ wealth.

Type of Claim: 

·         Transfer

The video uses transfer as the video is providing positive clips that show Bo Jackson using Nike products in a variety of sports. This positive image that the video has of Nike products would greatly aid in the sales of their products.

·         Plain Folks

Plain folks is used in the video advertisement as the video used ordinary people to endorse its products. When the video wasn’t focused on Bo Jackson, the video had clips of ordinary people that participated in the sport giving a testimonial. This persuasive technique is highly effective as the audience are probably ordinary people and because of this, they are able to make a connection with the other ordinary people that participated in the video.

·         Endorsement/Testimonial

The advertisement used numerous testimonials and endorsements as they had famous athletes and ordinary people participate in the video. The use of endorsements was highly effective in using it in the advertisement as the audience is making the connection that using Nike will make them as good of an athlete as Bo Jackson.

Persuasive Appeals: 

·         Pathos

The advertisement uses pathos as the athletes that are endorsing Nike products are enjoying playing their respective sports. This is effective as the audience is able to connect happiness when playing sports with Nike products.

·         Logos

The video did not include any straight facts or statistics which makes logos nonexistent in the advertisement

·         Ethos

Throughout the duration of the advertisement, the video showed numerous accounts of ethos as the video had a number of celebrity and plain folk endorsements. Some endorsements were of famous athletes during the late 1980’s and other endorsements were just by ordinary people. The use of this type of appeal was highly effective as it allowed the audience to connect athleticism with Nike products, making them want to buy Nike products to become a better athlete.

Possible Consequences: 

·         A long term consequence of the advertisement is that it would boost Nike sales while a short term consequence would be the audience going out and buying Nike products.

·         The advertisement does not create unrealistic expectations as the ad used normal people competing in sports using Nike products. The use of normal people allows the audience to know that they can participate in any sport they would like as long as they tried.

·         The messages in the advertisement neither encourages nor undermines social change as the advertisement nothing concerning social standards.

·         The advertisement is not socially responsible as the ad is not trying to encourage or counter any social changes.

Nike Advertisement (Tiger Woods)

Product:  The product being advertised is Nike’s golf products.

Time Period:  This advertisement was published in either the late 2000’s or early 2010’s.

Purpose:  The purpose of the advertisement is to assist in the sales of Nike golf products.

Target Audience: 

·         The target audience of the advertisement are people that have an interest in golf such as professional or amateur golf players. You can tell that the advertisement is targeted towards those that have an interest in golf as the picture is displaying a well-known golfer competing in a golfing tournament.

·         What assumptions do the advertisers make about the audience? 

o   An assumption that could be made about gender could be that men are the only ones that are able to golf on the professional level. This assumption would be unrealistic as both men and women participate in golfing activities both on the amateur and professional levels. This assumption would reinforce stereotypes about gender identity as it reinforces the idea that women don’t compete in many professional sports such as golf.

o   There are no signs of assumptions that are based on race or class in the advertisement.

Type of Claim: 

·         Endorsement/Testimonial Claim

Tiger Woods, a famous golf player, is shown in the advertisement using Nike products. This type of claim is very effective as it sways the target audience to want to buy their golf products from Nike because of how a well-known golfer is endorsing the product. 

·         The Weasel Claim

In the advertisement, the creators input a quote, “Winning takes care of everything.” The weasel words used in this is “takes care of everything”. This type of claim is effective as it connects the idea of winning with using Nike products as the quote is put on a Nike advertisement.

·         The Vague Claim

The advertisement uses a quote that states, “Winning takes care of everything.” The advertisement is using colorful words that can’t be verified, such as how the quote cannot be verified. This type of claim is very effective due to how the advertisement is connecting its products with the aspect of winning.

Persuasive Appeals: 

·         Pathos

Pathos is used in this advertisement as Tiger Woods has a serious and fearful expression while waiting to see if his ball will fall in the hole. This type of appeal is not the best as it shows fear and nothing positive in the image provided in the ad.

·         Logos

The advertisement does not include logos as there are no statistics or facts in the ad.

·         Ethos

The advertisement uses ethos as there is a celebrity endorsement in the ad. This is an effective way to sway the target audience as it provides credibility to the product being advertised, and it also projects the idea that the product is of top quality as it is being used by an elite golfer, Tiger Woods.

Possible Consequences: 

·         A possible long term consequence of this advertisement is that it will boost sales in Nike products related to golf. A possible short term consequence is that it will sway the target audience to purchase Nike products related to golf.

·         The message is creating an unrealistic expectation as it is projecting the idea that wearing Nike products will make the consumer as good as Tiger Woods in the sport of golf.

·         This advertisement undermines social change as it reinforces the stereotype that men are the only ones that are able to compete on the professional level for sports such as golf.

·         This advertisement, in my opinion, is not socially responsible as the ad does not clearly and explicitly express any negative views or opinions about women not being able to compete on the professional level of sports.

Under Armour Advertisement (Ballet)

Product:  The product being advertised is the entire Under Armour collection.

Time Period:  The advertisement was probably published in the 2010’s.

Purpose:  The purpose of the advertisement is to convince the audience to purchase Under Armour products.

Target Audience: 

·         The target audience of the advertisement are people that are involved in ballet. This is due to how the advertisement shows a ballerina practicing in Under Armour clothing.

·         What assumptions do the advertisers make about the audience? 

o   An assumption that the advertisement made about gender identity would be that women are more likely to practice ballet. This is realistic as not that many men pursue the activity of ballet. This reinforces the stereotype that ballet is a girl’s sport as there are no male ballet performers in the advertisement.

o   The advertisement does not make any assumptions concerning class or race.

Type of Claim: 

·         Endorsement/Testimonial

The advertisement uses a testimonial as it shows a runner that is running in the shoes being advertised. This type of claim might not be as effective as a testimonial from a celebrity but this testimonial would sway some ballerinas to want to buy this product as they can image a person wearing the product already.

·         The Vague Claim

The advertisement uses a series of words, “Will Trumps Fate”. This series of words are not clear and are just colorful words that are essentially meaningless as its credibility cannot be verified.

·         Plain Folks

The advertisement uses the technique of plain folks as the advertisement uses an ordinary person to endorse its product. This use of an ordinary person in the advertisement is highly effective as it can lead some to believe that ordinary ballet performers practice in Under Armour clothing and not in other brand name products.

Persuasive Appeals: 

·         Pathos

Pathos is not used in the advertisement as there is no type of emotional appeal that is included in the ad.

·         Logos

The advertisement does not include logos as there are no statistics or facts in the ad.

·         Ethos

Ethos is used in the advertisement as it shows a ballerina practicing using Under Armour clothing. The ballerina is successfully persuading the target audience to purchase Under Armour products due to the credibility she displays by practicing with the brand’s clothing.

Possible Consequences: 

·         A long term consequence of the advertisement is the boost in Under Armour clothing sales as ballerinas consume more of the Under Armour product. A short term consequence are ballerinas purchasing Under Armour products in response to seeing the advertisement.

·         The advertisement does not create any unrealistic expectations as there is nothing that the advertisement is leading to.

·         The advertisement counters social change as it reinforces the idea that there are no male ballet performers. The advertisement only shows a female ballerina with no signs of a male performer, this can elude to the opinion that ballet is a women’s sport.

·         This advertisement isn’t responsible for the message in the ad as it is not clear that the message was purposeful.

Under Armour Advertisement (Running Shoes)

Product:  The product being advertised is Under Armour running shoes.

Time Period:  The advertisement was most likely produced in the 2010’s.

Purpose:  The advertisement is trying to aid in the sale of Under Armour’s “Speedform Apollo” running shoes.

Target Audience: 

·         The target audience of the advertisement are athletes that run often. You can tell that the advertisement is targeting runners as the advertisement features a runner using the shoes.

·         What assumptions do the advertisers make about the audience? 

o   An assumption about gender that could relate to this advertisement is that men can run faster than women runners. This assumption is realistic as men are able to run faster than women in activities such as track events and marathons. This reinforces the stereotype that men run faster than women.

o   An assumption about race that the advertisement could make is that African Americans are excellent and fast runners. I would have to say that this assumption is unrealistic due to how anyone would be able to run fast. This assumption reinforces the stereotype that all African Americans are fast runners.

o   There is no clear assumption that can be made concerning class in the advertisement.

Type of Claim: 

·         The Weasel Claim

The advertisement uses weasel words as it uses the weasel word “like”. This type of claim is effective as it makes the shoe seem like it will make the user run faster than it could before.

·         The Vague Claim

The advertisement uses a vague claim as it is using a subjective opinion that defies verification, “This is what fast feels like.” This type of claim could lure the audience to actually purchasing the product due to its colorful words.

·         Endorsement/Testimonial

The advertisement uses a testimonial as it shows a runner that is running in the shoes being advertised. This type of claim might not be as effective as a testimonial from a celebrity but this testimonial would sway some runners to want to buy this product as they can image a person wearing the product already.

·         Transfer

Transfer is used in the advertisement as the advertisement is using positive words and images to suggest that the shoes are a good product. This type of persuasive technique is effective as some people can be swayed with a simple image of the product.

·         Plain Folks

Plain folks is used in the advertisement as it shows a regular person running in a pair of shoes being advertised. This is effective since it projects the idea that anyone can wear these shoes to become a runner like the one shown in the picture.

Persuasive Appeals: 

·         Pathos

Pathos is used in the advertisement as the runner in the advertisement does not seem so happy that he is running in the desert. This type of appeal is not as effective as something like ethos as this appeal sides with negativity and not positivity with the product.

·         Logos

The advertisement does not include logos as there are no statistics or facts in the ad.

·         Ethos

The advertisement uses ethos as it has a person using the product being advertised. This is effective as it would persuade some of the audience to buy the product since it is being credited by a somewhat decent looking runner.

Possible Consequences: 

·         Possible long-term consequences that this advertisement has is that it would boost the sales in the product being advertised and that it would create a plethora of runners as the image in the advertisement might make ordinary people think about the activity. A short term consequence to this advertisement would be runners buying Under Armour running shoes instead of other brand name shoes.

·         The advertisement’s message may be leading on to an unrealistic expectation as it is projecting the idea that using the shoes being advertised would lead to being able to run faster.

·         This advertisement undermines social change as it reinforces the stereotype of men and African Americans running faster than other races. It also undermines social change in the aspect of men versus women in who is faster. The advertisement shows only a male runner and not a female one and this could imply that women are not fast.

·         This advertisement is not socially responsible as it does not blatantly express the stereotypical messages that could be conveyed in the ad.

Under Armour Video Advertisement (Rule Yourself)

URL: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ikmd-vtRCqo

Product:  The product being advertised are Under Armour products for basketball, ballet, and golf.

Time Period:  This advertisement was published in 2015.

Purpose:  The advertisement is trying to convince athletes to buy their sports equipment from Under Armour and not from competing brands such as Adidas.

Target Audience: 

·         The target audience are athletes that participate in basketball, golf, and ballet as those are the sports that being represented throughout the advertisement video.

·         What assumptions do the advertisers make about the audience? 

o   The advertisement does not make any assumptions concerning gender due to how both males and females were fairly represented throughout the advertisement.

o   There are no assumptions being made in this advertisement that concerns ethnicity. This is because there is a variety of races that are being represented in the advertisement.

o   The advertisement does not make any assumptions that concern wealth or social class as the video only shows people playing sports and working out and nothing concerning a person’s wealth.

Type of Claim: 

·         Endorsement/Testimonial

The advertisement uses an endorsement as there are numerous athletes that are endorsing Under Armour throughout the video. This type of claim is very effective as the athletes’ endorsements boosts the credibility of Under Armour products.

·         Plain Folks

Although the advertisement uses a celebrity endorsement, they also use two endorsements that use ordinary people such as the ballet performer and the golfer. This type of claim aides in the idea that Under Armour is used not just by professional athletes but also normal ordinary people that participate in sports on the amateur level which would sway them to want to purchase Under Armour products instead of other competing brands.

Persuasive Appeals: 

·         Pathos

Under Armour does not use pathos in the advertisement as the athletes have no clear facial expression that expresses a positivity or negativity.

·         Logos

The advertisement does not use logos as there are no straight facts or statistics in the video.

·         Ethos

Ethos is used in the advertisement due to how the video uses athletes to endorse their products to boost the credibility of their products. This type of appeal is effective as it gives the product credibility due to how both elite and amateur athletes use Under Armour products.

Possible Consequences: 

·         A possible long term consequence of the advertisement is that it would boost Under Armour sales while short term consequence would be that people are choosing to buy Under Armour products rather than other brands such as Nike or Adidas.

·         The advertisement does not create any unrealistic expectations for the audience as the video only shows athletes practicing and nothing else.

·         The messages in the advertisement do not counter or encourage social change as the video shows no type of social standards in the video.

·         The advertisement is not socially responsible as the ad is not trying to encourage or counter any social changes.

Under Armour Video Advertisement (Protect This House)

URL: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YC6jEfxmosc

Product:  The product being advertised are Under Armour products used for sports and exercise.

                              

Time Period:  This video advertisement was published in the mid 2000’s.

Purpose:  The advertisement is trying to persuade the audience to consume Under Armour products instead of other brands such as Nike or Reebok.

Target Audience: 

·         The target audience are people that are involved in sports or exercise. The target audience can easily be recognizable as the video shows nothing but people playing a sport or working out. 

·         What assumptions do the advertisers make about the audience? 

o   The advertisement does not make any assumptions concerning gender due to how both males and females were fairly represented throughout the video advertisement.

o   There are no assumptions being made in this advertisement that concerns ethnicity. This is because there is a variety of races that are being represented in the advertisement.

o   The advertisement does not make any assumptions that concern wealth or social class as the video only shows people playing sports and working out and nothing concerning a person’s wealth.

Type of Claim: 

·         Endorsement/Testimonial

The advertisement uses an endorsement as there are many athletes participating in sports throughout the video. This type of claim is highly effective as the athletes shown throughout the video show off their skills using Under Armour products and this boosts the credibility of company.

·         Transfer

The advertisement shows people excelling and playing well in their respective sports and this gives the audience a positive idea about Under Armour products. This is effective as it puts a positive image of Under Armour products into the consumers’ heads.

·         Plain Folks

The advertisement uses plain folks as Under Armour used regular athletes to show off their products. This is effective as it helps consumers connect with ordinary people and it also gives them the idea that Under Armour is used by everyone whether they be professionals or ordinary people.

Persuasive Appeals: 

·         Pathos

The advertisement uses pathos as they show people enjoying and having fun working out and playing sports in Under Armour clothing. This is effective as the audience can connect positivity and enjoyment with their products.

·         Logos

The advertisement does not use logos at all as the video does not provide any straight facts or statistics in the video.

·         Ethos

Ethos is used in the video advertisement as Under Armour uses a multitude of athletes in the video to show off their products. This is effective as the audience will be able to know what they can do with the Under Armour products. It also gives the audience the idea that Under Armour is for everyone and not just the athletic elite.

Possible Consequences: 

·         A possible long term consequence of the advertisement is that it would boost Under Armour sales. A possible short term consequence is that people would buy Under Armour products rather than spending their money on other brands such as Reebok.

·         The messages in the advertisement do not create unrealistic expectations for the audience as it does not show someone winning the Olympics with Under Armour clothing. The messages in the ad rather show realistic expectations such as falling down on the soccer field or someone struggling through an intense workout.

·         The advertisement does not counter or encourage social change as the video shows nothing other than people working out or playing sports.

·         The advertisement is not socially responsible as the ad is not trying to encourage or counter any social changes.

Nike Advertisement (Losing Weight)

Product:  The product being advertised is the entire Nike brand collection.

Time Period:  This advertisement was most likely published in the 2010’s.

Purpose:  The advertisement is attempting to aid in the sales of Nike products. The secondary purpose of the advertisement could be trying to encourage a healthy lifestyle for those that are facing obesity.

Target Audience: 

·         The target audience of the advertisement are people that are trying to lose weight. You can clearly be able to recognize who the target audience is as it is people that are trying to lose weight like the boy in the advertisement.

·         What assumptions do the advertisers make about the audience? 

o   There are no clear assumptions made in this advertisement concerning race, gender, or class as none of them can be clearly seen in the advertisement.

Type of Claim: 

·         Endorsement/Testimonial

The advertisement uses an endorsement as there is a young boy running in the advertisement. The use of an endorsement would actually aid in the effectiveness of this claim as the endorser is using Nike products to lose weight. This gives consumers the connection of losing weight with Nike products when they are deciding what workout clothing they should purchase.

·         Transfer

The advertisement uses the image of the boy running to relate to the positive image of losing weight and being at a healthy weight. The use of this technique persuades the audience to want to purchase Nike so that they can be like the boy, losing weight.

·         Plain Folks

The advertisement uses the persuasive technique of plain folks as the boy in the image is just a regular person that is trying to lose weight with exercise. The use of this persuasive technique is effective in persuading the audience to want to purchase Nike as the target audience are ordinary members of society and not of some social elite that would look down on the advertisement.

Persuasive Appeals: 

·         Pathos

Pathos is used in the advertisement as the boy is clearly not enjoying his run. This type of appeal is probably not the best as it shows negativity due to how the boy is not happy in the picture.

·         Logos

The advertisement does not include logos as there are no statistics or facts in the ad.

·         Ethos

The advertisement uses ethos as it has a testimonial from the boy running in the image. The effectiveness of using the boy helps the product appeal to those that are also trying to lose weight as it gives the target audience a connection, losing weight is connected to wearing Nike during workouts.

Possible Consequences: 

·         Possible long term consequences of the advertisement is the decrease in obesity in consumers of Nike products or the boost in Nike product sales. A short term consequence could be obese people buying Nike products and also starting to change bad habits by starting new ones such as beginning to exercise.

·         The message that the advertisement has does not create unrealistic expectations because losing weight is within a person’s grasps, it is up to the person if he or she is motivated to actually lose the weight.

·         The message in the advertisement encourages social change as it is trying to change the current social norm of obesity. America has a growing trend of childhood obesity and Nike is trying to counter that trend by putting ads out there that show real people losing weight, becoming healthier by exercise and better food habits.

·         Nike is socially responsible as it had purposely used an obese boy to try to encourage a healthier lifestyle for those that are obese and to also boost its productivity.