Sandra's

Nicole S
Enc 1101-161
Core 2

Dr. Selitto
12 Apr 2008

The Color of a New Age

America has been a very vulgar country when it comes to advertising. Always advertising sneaky ways to get money from potential customers, but thats just advertising as a whole. When it comes to the product being discussed today, there have only been intriguing ploys and heart felt messages. Aside from the Macintosh and personal computer television commercials, but we are not talking about that today. Today we are talking about all of the other companies that sell affordable laptops. Most of the time the commercials of the advertisements are quick and to the point. Discussing prices and specifications that make their product ideal. Some of these also come with a heart felt message about college students that have left home and do not have the same luxuries as they would at home. The argument in and advertisement that will be discussed today will be the Dell (red) laptop computer. A laptop that has been fitted with the (red) logo with a red skinned casing that lets everyone know when you bought the computer, it was bought for a great cause.

Down the crowded streets of a well known street walks a man with shaggy brown hair in his early twenties, carrying a Dell (red) laptop. The crowds around the young man start to notice him walking with his laptop and start to follow him like he is a celebrity. The crowd and the young man start to create a parade going down the street celebrating him. The explicit argument is not verbally stated because there is no talking and no announcer voice throughout the commercial advertisement. The implicit argument is that people with love anyone with this laptop and follow them around like a celebrity. The ethos or credibility of the company is that it has been trusted for lower priced quality products for years. The logos or logic of the actual commercial is not explained by words but by the action of everyone congratulating the customer for what they have purchased. The pathos or emotion being felt is good from the crowds especially when they notice that he is carrying a Dell (red) laptop for a good cause.

The target audience for this commercial was young to mature adults because I believe that younger people may not understand. The actions portrayed have some mature themes as well, such as young women rubbing against the shaggy haired young man with the laptop like they would any attractive male celebrity walking down a public street. The target audience believes that Dell competitively priced quality laptops are worth buying on limited funds, but is now a more attractive offer when you are buying it for a charity like (red). The target audience values the ability of products like these. The ram, memory and hard drive space are a few very important things about this product, but this one is special when bought because a donation is made at the time of purchase to an organization called (red). The target audience can assume that a good portion of what they pay for the laptop will go to help dire situations in Africa from the (red) organization. They can also assume that the laptop will be adequate for the price they pay. Dell is trying to communicate that when this laptop is purchased one will feel amazing, or by what they show us through commercial, an attractive celebrity.

I was persuaded by this advertisement to buy a Dell (red) laptop, but unfortunately I am a college student and do not have the funds for such a purchase. I am in the target audience and I agree that the company has reached their target audience because it is reaching me. I agree on the beliefs being that buying a Dell (red) laptop will make you feel like a great person, because it is for a great cause. The values of helping another country are also very agreeable, as helping people less fortunate should. assuming that people already know about (red) and that Dells are a quality laptop for people with limited funds is agreeable. Ethically its agreeable because its is two big companies looking out for the greater good. The pathos is also agreeable because it plays well with ones emotions to encourage you to buy their product.

With America being such a vulgar advertising country I am glad to see that we do have a few good strands of advertising out there. Even if some of these well rounded, good sounding, heart felt advertisements are only out there to get our money, some still feel like a good message. In this case the potential customer may forget all the wrong the television has done to him with the obnoxious advertisements and let this one stand still in his mind and sink in to let him believe that Dell would want him to buy a laptop that is not only affordable but giving at the same time. With Dell you are giving back to people in need, and that is seen as a good advertisement.