Understanding the Use of Appeals: The Dodge Dart
In today’s society, a new product or article of merchandise is released into the world market and presented to the public through advertising. Advertisements use many forms of appeal to grab the consumers’ attention and ultimately their wallets. For example, pathos appeals to one’s emotions. Therefore, the use of pathos can be a massive selling tactic in advertisements. When people’s emotions are targeted, they tend to avoid logical thoughts in purchasing products. This is a great advantage to advertisers who know the correct methods and ways to create an ad that will evoke the correct or needed emotions in consumers. In the Dodge commercial, the producers focused on the use of pathos through the desire of the American Dream and the success of a rags to riches storyline. Having brothers work together to reach an ultimate goal and be successful is a story everyone can determine as respectable and worthy. The Dodge Company produced a fictional rags to riches plot line in their most recent commercial to appeal to the emotions of the consumers.
The basic summary of the recent Dodge Dart commercial would be two brothers working together to beat the competitors in the local town to establish the start of their successful car company that would flourish for many years to come. The commercial opens up with the two brothers sitting on the ledge next to each other looking around the upbeat town looking for something productive to do. The idea of creating and inventing a new bike sparks in the brothers’ minds when they see a peer riding around on his own bike. The brothers enter their workshop to start their long night of perfecting their new version of the bike. The next day they met their peer competitors in the middle of town to race their bikes. Before the race starts, the Dodge Dart passes across the screen and makes a dramatic appearance. The end result of the particular bike race is not addressed, but that is because the bike race itself was not the point or held much importance for the end result of the advertisement. The commercial is made to make one believe that this event actually occurred. However, the story itself is completely fictional. Even though the ad is focused on telling the story of the bike race, it was mainly trying to show the importance of competition and how it lead to the brothers’ successful future. Plus, it created the rags to riches plot line needed to appeal to the consumers.
One way the producers of the ad effectively sold the Dodge Dart is through the plot line of a rags to riches story. A rags to riches story is defined as an individual starting at the bottom and facing hardship, but ultimately persevering to greatness and accomplishing their definitive goal. In order to create this rags to riches story, the producers decided the setting needed to be set in a time of great innovation and enormous possibilities for aspiring entrepreneurs. What better way to do this than going back in time when the company was first beginning? The Dodge ad is set back in the 1900’s when the brothers first founded the company. The brothers started out selling automobile parts instead of full vehicles. It wasn’t until 1915 that the Dodge Company began selling full sized automobiles. With this being acknowledged, consumers can reflect on the events occurring in the early 1900s and the early 1920s in the United States. It was around that time that America was becoming a full-fledged industrial economy. The Industrial Revolution was just beginning and new inventions were being produced daily. This explains how the brothers were able to start their career from being typical citizens in society and then eventually being able to become somebody important in the community through a booming car business. This is a typical rags to riches story that people crave and although it is not directly implied, consumers can understand the brothers were rewarded finical stability and could live out their American Dream as their success continued to grow. Therefore, the use of a rags to riches story is effective because it focuses on people’s liking of a happy ending.
The ad hints at the brothers getting their American Dream after their massive success, but it also gets the consumers thinking they need a Dodge Dart to complete their own American Dream. The American Dream is something most Americans strive for throughout their lifetime. The most basic description of the American dream would have to be that everyone wants a home with a white picket fence, well-groomed family, efficient car, and a cute little dog to sit on the porch. The Dodge commercial does a great job at placing the Dodge Dart into this ideal American Dream. The Dodge Dart itself is a great family car because it seats five and has ample amount of storage. Plus, the commercial makes the consumers feel as if they are directly buying the car from the Dodge brothers and helping their company flourish. The creators of the car are seen as good, down to earth people because they came from the bottom and worked hard to make it to the top. Which again, enforces the rags to riches story every American has a weak spot for. If the consumers are feeling they are helping the Dodge brothers complete their story, they feel a sense of happiness and hope that their American dream can be reached as well through the purchase of the Dodge Dart. Therefore, the focus of achieving the American Dream through the purchase of the Dodge Dart was an effective way of selling the car and the company as a whole.
The brothers’ attire adds to the effectiveness of the emotional appeal in the ad as well. For example, both brothers are dressed in worn down clothes that an average middle class family or even lower class family would own during the early 20s. Since the Dodge Dart is targeted at the middle class, it is important to make the ad relatable to the middle class people. Even though the ad is set back in the early 1920s, the brothers were not seen as rich, high class citizens. They were portrayed as the typical person trying to make a dime with the talents they had in a promising economy. It is important that the brothers were seen as average and then through perseverance and competitive spirit made a name for themselves in the automobile industry. This makes people feel as if the brothers are on a similar level as themselves and takes away the intimidation factor.
Overall, the Dodge Company is attempting to sell their most recent model car, the dodge dart. The producers of the advertisement created a storyline that would appeal the emotional connections Americans have to the classic rags and riches story and the obtaining of one’s own American Dream. Recreating the story of the beginning of the company made the setting of the commercial occur in the early 1920s. This allowed for the producers to create a happy and effective rags to riches storyline. Plus, when reading a rags to riches story, the ending usually includes some sort of American Dream achievement. It is implied in the commercial that it was only the beginning for the brothers, and knowing that the company is still thriving today, it is clear the job and finical stability part of the American Dream was reached. Overall the ad appeals to the hard working, success-striving Americans who need that missing part of their own American Dream and fortunately for them, the Dodge Dart is available to complete and fulfill the missing piece.
The basic summary of the recent Dodge Dart commercial would be two brothers working together to beat the competitors in the local town to establish the start of their successful car company that would flourish for many years to come. The commercial opens up with the two brothers sitting on the ledge next to each other looking around the upbeat town looking for something productive to do. The idea of creating and inventing a new bike sparks in the brothers’ minds when they see a peer riding around on his own bike. The brothers enter their workshop to start their long night of perfecting their new version of the bike. The next day they met their peer competitors in the middle of town to race their bikes. Before the race starts, the Dodge Dart passes across the screen and makes a dramatic appearance. The end result of the particular bike race is not addressed, but that is because the bike race itself was not the point or held much importance for the end result of the advertisement. The commercial is made to make one believe that this event actually occurred. However, the story itself is completely fictional. Even though the ad is focused on telling the story of the bike race, it was mainly trying to show the importance of competition and how it lead to the brothers’ successful future. Plus, it created the rags to riches plot line needed to appeal to the consumers.
One way the producers of the ad effectively sold the Dodge Dart is through the plot line of a rags to riches story. A rags to riches story is defined as an individual starting at the bottom and facing hardship, but ultimately persevering to greatness and accomplishing their definitive goal. In order to create this rags to riches story, the producers decided the setting needed to be set in a time of great innovation and enormous possibilities for aspiring entrepreneurs. What better way to do this than going back in time when the company was first beginning? The Dodge ad is set back in the 1900’s when the brothers first founded the company. The brothers started out selling automobile parts instead of full vehicles. It wasn’t until 1915 that the Dodge Company began selling full sized automobiles. With this being acknowledged, consumers can reflect on the events occurring in the early 1900s and the early 1920s in the United States. It was around that time that America was becoming a full-fledged industrial economy. The Industrial Revolution was just beginning and new inventions were being produced daily. This explains how the brothers were able to start their career from being typical citizens in society and then eventually being able to become somebody important in the community through a booming car business. This is a typical rags to riches story that people crave and although it is not directly implied, consumers can understand the brothers were rewarded finical stability and could live out their American Dream as their success continued to grow. Therefore, the use of a rags to riches story is effective because it focuses on people’s liking of a happy ending.
The ad hints at the brothers getting their American Dream after their massive success, but it also gets the consumers thinking they need a Dodge Dart to complete their own American Dream. The American Dream is something most Americans strive for throughout their lifetime. The most basic description of the American dream would have to be that everyone wants a home with a white picket fence, well-groomed family, efficient car, and a cute little dog to sit on the porch. The Dodge commercial does a great job at placing the Dodge Dart into this ideal American Dream. The Dodge Dart itself is a great family car because it seats five and has ample amount of storage. Plus, the commercial makes the consumers feel as if they are directly buying the car from the Dodge brothers and helping their company flourish. The creators of the car are seen as good, down to earth people because they came from the bottom and worked hard to make it to the top. Which again, enforces the rags to riches story every American has a weak spot for. If the consumers are feeling they are helping the Dodge brothers complete their story, they feel a sense of happiness and hope that their American dream can be reached as well through the purchase of the Dodge Dart. Therefore, the focus of achieving the American Dream through the purchase of the Dodge Dart was an effective way of selling the car and the company as a whole.
The brothers’ attire adds to the effectiveness of the emotional appeal in the ad as well. For example, both brothers are dressed in worn down clothes that an average middle class family or even lower class family would own during the early 20s. Since the Dodge Dart is targeted at the middle class, it is important to make the ad relatable to the middle class people. Even though the ad is set back in the early 1920s, the brothers were not seen as rich, high class citizens. They were portrayed as the typical person trying to make a dime with the talents they had in a promising economy. It is important that the brothers were seen as average and then through perseverance and competitive spirit made a name for themselves in the automobile industry. This makes people feel as if the brothers are on a similar level as themselves and takes away the intimidation factor.
Overall, the Dodge Company is attempting to sell their most recent model car, the dodge dart. The producers of the advertisement created a storyline that would appeal the emotional connections Americans have to the classic rags and riches story and the obtaining of one’s own American Dream. Recreating the story of the beginning of the company made the setting of the commercial occur in the early 1920s. This allowed for the producers to create a happy and effective rags to riches storyline. Plus, when reading a rags to riches story, the ending usually includes some sort of American Dream achievement. It is implied in the commercial that it was only the beginning for the brothers, and knowing that the company is still thriving today, it is clear the job and finical stability part of the American Dream was reached. Overall the ad appeals to the hard working, success-striving Americans who need that missing part of their own American Dream and fortunately for them, the Dodge Dart is available to complete and fulfill the missing piece.