Social Progress Commercial

Rhetorical Analysis

1.With your partner, choose one commercial to analyze.

2. Watch the commercial several times to make sure you understand and catch all important
elements, including the purpose. Paste the link to the commercial in the space provided below.
3. Complete the chart below, analyzing the commercial’s rhetorical features and citing specific
evidence from the commercial to support your analysis.

Company: Kia Commercial Title and link: Kia Niro / Hero’s Journey
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KeVHmLY7YZc

Length of commercial: 1:12 Purpose (primary and secondary): use clean energy cars;
buy kia

Rhetorical Analysis of the Commercial

(Give specific examples in response to each set of questions)

Situation: What is the specific situation “Nature needs saving!” and only you can save it by buying a
happening/existing in the commercial? kia Niro!

Audience: Who is the target audience?
Be as specific as possible (age, gender,
marital status, race, social class,
hobbies, etc.)
Target is people who care about the environment enough
to buy a hybrid/ clean energy car. Likely middle age
because buying a car is expensive, and middle class because
the rich want fast cars and the lower can afford it.
Stereotypically white moms.

Context/Exigence: What is the time
and place of this piece? What is
happening in the world? What was the
spark or catalyst that moved the
advertiser to create this commercial?
Time is now because global warming is a problem for the
Now. The whales need saving, the trees, the ice caps are
melting, and the rhinos need saving, too. Those are the hot
topics of climate change. Using this promotes a good image
in the company.

Tone: What is the overall attitude The attitude is comedic. The commercial is meant to appeal
communicated by the commercial? to its audience by being memorable and funny. Not
promoting a sense of obvious urgency, but more subliminal.

Sounds: What words, sounds, music are The guy on the phone sounded urgent “malisa! The whales
used in the commercial? How are they need your help!” The tone of his voice is a somewhat
used? Is the overall sound euphonious obvious intentional rhetoric. The music starts and just
(pleasing) or cacophonous (jarring)? blatantly says “I need a Hero”. Meant to be uplifting. Some

Actors: Does the commercial use
human actors, animals, machines?
(invoked audience)
Setting: Is the setting realistic? Sci-fi or
fantasy? Present time? Past? Future?
Appeals to Ethos, Logos, Pathos: Give
examples. Why?
Choices: What are the rhetorical
choices made in the commercial? Think
about overall structure, devices, diction,
syntax, etc.
Overall, how effective was this
advertisement at achieving its purpose?
Both primary and secondary.
of the sounds like the ‘bong’ on the boat are enhanced to
sound more appealing, later into the commercial Malisa
starts to sound less enthusiastic but that is only used for
comedic purposes (because she died 3 times already). The
part where she splits the ice is an obvious tie to Ice Age,
again for comedic purposes.
The commercial uses a combination of all, machines (cars)
are the product to be sold, the animals “need our help”,
they are all CGI though, otherwise that would be an
expensive commercial. And you have your main character,
“save the world” woman, malisa
Definitely present time, I think fantasy fits it the best
because it's not realistic and neither sci-fi. They include the
ocean, the forest, the sahara, and some forest roads for
product placement.
Ethos: the product, “buy a Kia Niro pretty please”
Logos: this works best in the parts where nature needs
saving. There's some truth to it. Including the part where
they explain that the Niro is the “most efficient hybrid”
Pathos: the whole commercial is a pathos thing, it’s all
meant to appeal to some audience. Everywhere where it is
aesthetically pleasing or anything else
It's colorful, the man on the phone sounds urgent, the
sound of the landscape is pleasing, there are references
that anyone can pick up on. And the music is uplifting. I
explained most of this in “Sounds” because the most
rhetoric is in what is subliminally pleasing
I can't find anything about it, but I'm pretty sure the Niro
was a successful product because it hasn't been
discontinued. I can only assume that the commercial must
have been effective.