The selected advertisement for this paper is Coca-Cola’s ad promoting the “Taste the Feeling” campaign. I found the advertisement on Yahoo Finance website under finance news. The ad is part of Coca-Cola’s campaign to counter negative publicity that associates its sugary drinks with the consumer’s health concerns. The ad shows a picture of a young man and a woman enjoying Coke drinks with zero sugar. Notably, the man is masculine with an athlete body while the woman is slim. Both subjects look happy and captured by the moment as they stare directly into each other’s eyes. The product advertised in this ad is Coca-Cola’s new sugar-free drinks with zero calories but maintains the company’s signature flavor. The ad aims to make Coca-Cola’s zero-sugar drinks appealing to health-conscious consumers by weaving the connection between fun, happiness, and health.
The Advertisement. Source: Yahoo Finance (2016).
The primary audience group targeted by this advertisement is the health-conscious customer segment. Customers in this segment are sensitive about the foods and drinks they consume in order to avoid taking high-calorie foods that increase their vulnerability to obesity and calorie-related health complications. The main evidence showing that the advert targets health-conscious customers is the emphasis on the word “zero” on the bottle. The ad only includes the “Taste the Feeling” campaign, the company brand (Coca-Cola), and the word “ZERO,” which communicates to the audience that the drink has zero sugar content. Additionally, the ad targets young adults, as evidenced by the young adult subjects used in the advisement. The main claim in the advertisement is that Coke Zero is a calorie-free drink and a healthier version of the original sugar-sweetened brands. The claim reassures Coca-Cola’s consumers that the brand has healthier alternatives and counters the claims about the health concerns related to its sugary drinks. This claim is credible due to the use of athletes and slim subjects without obesity signs. The subjects’ appearance enforces the credibility of the claim by communicating to the audience that the Coke Zero brand does not have adverse health effects on consumers.
However, the claim can be more credible if the advert includes statistics and use famous athletes as the subjects. Using statistics and influential figures in adverts enhances credibility by appealing to the audience’s sense of logic. Notably, the advert can be less credible if it is done with obese subjects or omits the Coca-Cola brand. The author uses multiple rhetorical strategies, such as logos, pathos, and ethos, to sell the product to the audience. The author used ethos by including the Coca-Cola brand in the advert to enhance credibility. Coca-Cola is a well-known brand with a logo and name that create trust and connection with the customers. Additionally, the author used pathos to convince the audience by appealing to the audience’s emotions of joy and merriment. The ad also appeals to the audience’s desire for happiness, community, and socializing with friends. Finally, the author used logos to convince the audience using logic and facts. The logic in the Coke Zero ad is that the drink not only quenches thirst but also creates fun moments with friends and loved ones.
Finally, the author utilized the framing effect of cognitive bias to convince the audience through word influence. For example, the advert uses the word “ZERO,” instead of sugar-free or healthy to make the information more attractive and appealing. Besides, the advert uses salience bias by including the strong brand image “Coca-Cola” in multiple sections to enhance the audience’s memorability and ensure that the brand comes to the customers’ minds easily when they need sugar-free drinks. Thus, the ad exploited the framing effect and salience bias to attract the audience’s attention.
References
Dimant, E., Van Kleef, G. A., & Shalvi, S. (2020). Requiem for a nudge: Framing effects in nudging honesty. Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, 172, 247-266.
Doan, V. (2017). Rhetoric in advertising. VNU Journal of Science: Policy and Management Studies, 33(2).
Yahoo Finance. (2016). Coca-Cola Just Launched a Massive New Camp Ad Conversation Around Sugary Drinks. Retrieved from: https://finance.yahoo.com/news/coca-cola-just-launched-massive-141506704.html
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