Martin Alvarez; Matías Pintado

06/03/2023

ANALYZING A PRINTED AD

The ad created by the Ford Motor Company presents a variety of techniques in order to
promote their new Escape Hybrid vehicle and at the same time, entertain the audience.
This ad is undoubtedly a testimonial propaganda, clearly evidenced by the usage of the
famous and recognizable character ‘’Kermit’’. The use of this character is a compelling
strategy to increase the awareness of the message, since he serves as the everyman
protagonist of numerous Muppet productions, and the audience can feel amused by his
fame and the way it endorses the vehicle. In the ‘’Muppets’’ film, the character Kermit
mentions that ‘’It’s not easy being green’’, but in the advertisement, Ford utilizes the
line “I guess it is easy being green” (a very creative compelling strategy, since Ford
creates this new story) as a metaphor to emphasize the environmental advantage of the
hybrid car. Ford is employing a well-known character's catchphrase and modifying it
exclusively to promote the product, deriving into a hilarious method to engage the
audience. Similarly, the green color plays a crucial role at conveying the message,
because it is intimately associated with nature and it reflects the great beneficial effect
of the hybrid vehicle, as well as sharing a connection with the main character, who is
also green. In conclusion, this advertisement uses persuasion strategies in the way it
introduces a character, his color and his most famous quote to draw the audience's
attention towards the assistance the product provides and helps the environment.

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