Rhetoric: The commercial I chose mainly uses logos, but also dabbles in using ethos as well. The commercial uses logos because Apple is showing the viewers that the (then) new iPhone 6s has ‘hands-free Siri.’ The commercial portrays a very familiar character, Cookie Monster, baking cookies and speaking to Siri to command her to set a timer, play music and finally, checking on the timer. Cookie Monster was able to command Siri without activating her by touching the phone. The use of cookie monster is an example of ethos because Apple is using a familiar character for credibility. Although Cookie Monster isn’t exactly a credible source, the use of the character evokes a sense of familiarity and attracts attention to the product. Overall Message: The commercial is trying to sell iPhones; in particular, the iPhone 6s. The commercial is set in a messy kitchen with Cookie Monster (wearing a chef’s hat), a familiar character from the popular children’s series, Sesame Street. He is trying to bake cookies. Cookie Monster is a bright blue puppet that contrasts well against the neutral colors of the kitchen. The main object in the commercial is the iPhone. The commercial also shows the cookies, oven, kitchen utensils and chocolate chips.
The commercial follows Cookie Monster trying to bake his favorite food: cookies. It begins with him closely admiring his unbaked cookies in the oven. He shuts the oven and asks Siri to set the timer on the iPhone to 14 minutes. Siri responds in her familiar voice that she is setting the timer. Cookie starts to wait impatiently. He then asks Siri to play his “waiting playlist.” The phone begins to play the popular classic, “Time in a Bottle”, which becomes the background music for the rest of the commercial. Cookie Monster waits impatiently while the song plays. He clicks the oven light on and off to the beat of the music, tastes the flour, looks through a cookbook, plays with kitchen utensils, creates a puppet show with oven mitts, eats a wooden spoon, looks longingly through a window into the kitchen, and finally, asks Siri to check the timer. Only 51 seconds has passed. Cookie Monster shows his disappointment by pounding his fist on the counter. The screen fades to white with the text “Hands-free Siri on iPhone 6s” flashing across the screen followed by the apple logo.
Production: The cultural code they are conveying is the idea that people seek convenience. The thought that a consumer can speak to their phone and use it like a personal assistant is appealing to the general smartphone customer. The overall message of the commercial is to persuade viewers to either purchase an iPhone or upgrade to the iPhone 6s. Apple is constantly coming out with new products. There is a new iPhone every year. So, in order to keep things interesting to their customers, each new phone must have exciting new features. This commercial is highlighting the fact that Siri has been upgraded to ‘hands-free’, making life easier for the audience. They are using Cookie Monster for familiarity and humor to attract attention, but also to show off that Siri can be activated by voice control. They used baking cookies to show this because it’s a common activity and an activity that could benefit from a phone that has a voice-activated assistant.
Distribution: I saw this commercial while I was watching football with friends on a Sunday afternoon. Apple’s target audience is, well, everyone. And everyone tends to watch football. Luckily, the average football fan ranges in age, gender, and income level, therefore reaching the general population. Apple’s products are expensive, but phone companies make it easier for people to have an iPhone by either offering contracts to lower the price or by paying the phone off every month as a part of the phone bill.
Persuasive Techniques: Visual: The creators of the commercial used point of view and continuity. The commercial opens with the camera showing Cookie Monster looking at his cookies in the oven. The viewers’ point of view is looking at Cookie Monster through the oven, as if they are actually inside of it. This point of view takes the viewers by surprise and immediately draws attention to Cookie Monster. The creators also use continuity to show Cookie Monster waiting. A series of choppy shots show him doing various things as he waits such as eating a wooden spoon, tasting the flour, looking in the oven and looking at the viewers through an outside window. The shots of cookie monster doing various things as he waits implies that time is passing.
Aural: Apple uses tone and tempo to get their point across in this commercial. The tone they set is excitement with a sense of urgency. Cookie Monster loudly asks Siri to set the timer and play music for him. He is impatiently waiting while they bake, using Siri to help him through the process. By using Cookie Monster, Apple sets the tempo by creating a sense of urgency by acting so impatiently for his cookies. His impatience is endearing to the viewer, encouraging them to cheer Cookie Monster on as he waits for Siri’s timer to tick down.
Reflection: It’s important to teach students about the persuasive elements of advertising to help them think critically and to be able to make informed decisions as consumers. However, more importantly in my position as an elementary school media specialist is to teach my students about the telling of a story and how it’s made.
I enjoyed reading chapter 11 in our textbook about storyboarding. It’s fascinating to me that so much thought and planning goes into creating even just one scene for a commercial, television show or movie. The fact that framing the shot by including a close up of a person or how the shot transitions to the next can make such a difference in storytelling is amazing. It really made me think about the illustrations in a picture book and how the different point of view or the placement of an object can tell the story in a whole new way.
A great lesson in the library would be to give students the same page of text and have them create a storyboard. Everyone’s interpretations would tell the story in a unique way.