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Nathaniel Donohoe

Emily Litle

English 121

17, September 2018

Dedication is Constant

Dedication is a trait that people have to show their commitment to a task or purpose.

That’s exactly the message that Adidas is attempting to send to their customers using this ad,

while promoting their new clothing line, “Climaproof.” Adidas has been one of the biggest sports

apparel brands known to dominate the industry. This time, Adidas released attire specifically

designed for golfers across the world. Mainly to comfort the player in any type of weather, to

keep them relaxed and in the zone, ready to tackle any obstacle. “The winds may howl. The

greens may freeze. The fairways may turn into rivers. The weather is always a variable, but your

dedication is constant. Play when no one else will.” By this, Adidas is telling you that their

product can keep you dedicated, even during the most harsh environments.

The ad starts off with Sergio Garcia, PGA Tour player since 1999, going out for morning

round of golf. The weather seems cold by the way he rubs his hands together in attempt to stay

warm. For about 2 seconds, it shows a very cloudy and windy climate as Sergio looks down at

the ball. He then pulls a ball closer to him by using his club and the weather appears to change

into a dull setting, sky is grey, clouds are blocking the sun, and it’s pouring rain. The camera cuts

away to a close up of Sergio and he looks focused, although the rain is beading up on his hat, he

continues to look at his target and strike the ball. The camera then shows the entire driving range,

only to find that he is alone, staying truly dedicated to what he loves. While holding the same

stance the setting changes to much hotter, clear sky of day. With a ball sitting on the horizon of a
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fairway, you can see the mirage of heat in the background, along with the buzzing noise of a fly.

For a second the sun seems to be glaring down on him as he prepares for his next shot. Right

before he makes contact with the ball, he finishes his swing in the same cloudy conditions as

before. The wind continues to cut through his pants, as he holds the bill of his cap down before it

blows away. The narrator then says, “Play when no one else will.” and the numbers “18/365”

appear in the center of the screen, just as he takes a whack at the ball with his driver.

Many people are confused when they see the numbers “18/365” but they have a very

significant meaning. The number 18 stands for the amount of holes in a round of golf and 365 for

the amount of days in a year. Adidas believes you should be able to play golf every single day of

the year, any season, with no setback; hence “18/365” being the slogan of the ad.

The target audience that Adidas wants to sell their product to are not just dedicated golfers,

but anyone looking for good fitted apparel to keep them in the game. Adidas uses a celebrity

endorser to help catch the viewers’ attention which can increase sales. To illustrate, Adidas used

Sergio Garcia to model the clothing knowing that his popularity would influence customers. It’s

basically like him “approving” that it’s a good product, and if he owns this product, why can’t

others. Even if you don’t know who Sergio Garcia is, the commercial makes you realize he is a

very good golfer by showing his skills. Since the company used pathos in their ad to win over the

audience, they now feel reassured to know that this gear can help them withstand harsh weather

conditions while keeping them comfortable. Thus, convincing the customers to purchase their

merchandise, almost even makes you feel like you’re able to stay as dedicated as Sergio Garcia

is while wearing the product. The ad could’ve possibly been even better if the creators used some

type of logos. For example, Adidas could’ve used expert opinions by bringing in some other pro

golfers and letting them wear/ use the product to give further results and opinions. With this, they
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can add anything from quotes, to stats recorded in a lab to prove that this invention can in fact

withstand the harsh conditions it says it does. Logos is all about stating the facts and using logic

to persuade you to buy or do a certain thing, or maybe even think. Maybe next time they’ll

consider using every type of persuasion method to cover every question that the buyer might

have.