The advertisement that I chose to analyze was a Gatorade television advertisement that features two NBA (National Basketball

Association)

superstars. One of them is Dwayne Wade who currently plays for the Miami Heat and the other is Kevin Durant who currently plays for the Oklahoma City Thunder. Both the Thunder and the Heat faced off in the finals in 2012, which makes the choice of both players relevant. In the commercial you see Kevin Durant going to make a dunk during a basketball game, his shot is blocked mid-shot by Dwayne Wade. He wakes up only to realize that it was all a bad dream. Upon waking up you see Durant working his butt off in the gym and drinking/eating Gatorade products. After this it flashes back to the basketball court when Durant goes to make the same dunk that he was going to make before, Wade goes up for the block, misses, and Durant makes the basket. Except now the roles reverse and the image flashes to Wade waking up from a bad dream after having been dunked on, by Durant . The commercial ends with the words Win From Within flashing on the screen followed by the Gatorade logo. Almost everyone has their own dreams, some of us want to grow up to be a princess, some want to be Leonardo DiCaprio, the realists want to be happy, and some people wouldnt mind growing up to be a professional athlete. It all comes down to the fact that we all have our own fantasies and according to Jack Solomon America is a nation of fantasizers that are easily enthralled by a veritable Fantasy Island of commercial illusions. This concept of the American

fantasy was something that I think the Gatorade commercial used to its advantage. Unfortunately, becoming a professional basketball player is not something that everyone can do. In this advertisement Gatorade makes you think that if you drink their products you might get a little bit closer to that dream than you would be able to without them. You most likely wont become Kevin Durant or Dwayne Wade but you might become a little bit faster or stronger by using the product, as Kevin Durant did in the commercial. In Robert L. Roots article, The Rhetorics of Popular Culture he states that Aristotle believed that there are three ways a Rhetor (speaker) can persuade an audience. The three appeals are ethos, logos and pathos. He says that the ethos is the ethical proof, the convincing character of the speaker. The Gatorade commercial made use of this appeal by using Kevin Durant and Dwayne Wade to sell the product. Whether or not the product actually works or tastes good, people will buy the product because of the mere fact that two famous people are the focus of the commercial. Being that they are both celebrities, the general public would view them as ethical which is always a good trait to have when trying to persuade an audience to sell a product. Dwayne Wade and Kevin Durant were good choices not only because they are professional athletes, but also because they are both stars on their opposing teams. It also helps that they both went to the NBA finals in the 2012. Another benefit to having them in the commercial is that along with attracted Durant and Wade fans; the advertisement attracts Miami and Heat fans and Oklahoma City

Thunder fans as well. Root goes on to state that pathos is an appeal to the emotions of the audience. The Gatorade advertisement also makes use of pathos in persuading the audience to buy the product. The emotion that I think the commercial appeals to is fear. Both Durant and Wade wake up in a sweat after thinking that they got beat. I think it makes use of the fear of not being good enough. Both athletes drink/eat Gatorade products to not let this fear of not being good enough become a reality. Hopefully by seeing that Gatorade helps to diminish this fear, the audience would be inclined to buy the product. The third appeal that Root talks about is logos, which is the logical proof or the proof that appeals to logic. In the Gatorade commercial they use this appeal at the end of the video when it the words Win From Within flash on the screen. By combining all three of Aristotles appeals the Gatorade commercial makes a very persuasive argument in getting the audience to buy the product. Using celebrities in advertisements such as Kevin Durant and Dwayne Wade is something that is done all the time because it works on the mind, whether the audience is aware that it is happening. In Jib Fowles article, Advertisings Fifteen Basic Appeals, he states, making use of a specially selected image is designed to stimulate sub-rational impulses and desires. In the case of this Gatorade commercial this is the use of Durant and Wade to evoke subconscious emotion. In Fowles article he also talks about the fifteen appeals used in advertising and the Gatorade commercial makes use of several of them. A few of them that are implemented in the advertisement are the need

to achieve, the need to dominate, and obviously physiological needs! The advertisement is selling you a beverage for Petes sake! The need to achieve is shown in the advertisement is when Kevin Durant gets his dunk blocked, and vice versa. The need to dominate is shown when both Durant and Wade want to be better than the other, and the psychological needs are shown when they are drinking the Gatorade. Because both Durant and Wade are trying to achieve these needs, and they do so with Gatorade it, the audience again is more inclined to buy the product. The combination of all the concepts that I just stated, are some of the reasons why the Gatorade advertisement is so effective. These concepts include Aristotles three appeals; logos, pathos, and ethos, the need to fulfill fantasies, the use of celebrities, and finally the implementation of F owles fifteen basic appeals. Overall I think that they commercial did a very good job in persuading its audience to buy the product. When I first saw the commercial I was instantly engaged. I was drawn into the advertisement the most by the use of the two NBA stars Kevin Durant and Dwayne Wade. As far as Im concerned e ven if you arent thirsty at this very moment, after viewing this television advertisement you will probably be so parched that you will head out to the store to buy some Gatorade as soon as possible!