Rhetorical Analysis #3

Alright folks, you had all better pay attention to this one - I had to really dig deep into the vaults of television advertising history for this choice snippet. As always, check this link out first: http://youtube.com/watch?v=8SN4DaXwbm4 .

Now that you've been reexposed to that other plane of existence that was the early nineties, let's see just how Pringles laid down their argument.

Throughout the commercial, the viewer is of course shown many frames focusing on the Pringles name brand, logo, and signature can shape; the viewer is also presented with a few short frames centering on somebody eating a generic brand of potato chips. The contrast shown is also the argument in the commercial: when a consumer is given the choice of buying either Pringles or some other brand of potato chips, he or she should opt for Pringles.

Because of the actors' apparent ages and the fast-paced rhythms and camera shots, Pringles is targeting a young adult demographic for their product. The actors are just old enough to connect with either a teen-aged or early twenties crowd, and the dance-beat style can tapping sounds akin to something like the era's pop music. Also, because the contrast is made between messy, greasy "regular" potato chips and cleaner, baked Pringles, another potential target audience is health-conscious parents, or even health-conscious people in general.

In order to argue the issue and reach the intended audience, Pringles is shown to turn a terribly boring day into a veritable dance party - friends all get together and make beats and dance. Not only that, but they are definitely having a great time eating Pringles and being together. To emphasize these two points, another guy is shown eating Potato Chips (some generic brand, meant to represent the alternatives to Pringles) - he is not dancing or having a good time like the others, and surely doesn't have any friends - he's alone with his greasy chips. The greasy chips bring us to the next point: No grease or oil is shown in the parts with Pringles, while the Potato Chips are obviously a greasy mess. To seal the deal, the viewer is left with the impression that this amazing snack dance party will never end with Pringles, because "once you pop, you can't stop." We are also left with the baked taste in our mouths that make us forever regard Pringles as a step above the normal Potato Chip.

This add, even without spoken word, is effective (or was, back when it aired). It reached all of the target audiences with fairly applicable messages, and left one wanted to bite a stack of clean, baked Pringles and bust a move.