Scruggs 1
Christi Scruggs
Dr. Heiniger
ENG 1013 – 05
September 14, 2015
Gibson Pure Guitar Ad
In my discourse community of playing guitar, for the most part, everyone has the same goal: to successfully learn to play, maybe master playing guitar, and maybe even become famous. Although lots of guitarists may want to become famous, keep in mind that this doesn’t always necessarily mean playing in front of thousands of people on a huge stage. This Gibson Pure ad wants to make the viewer think, more specifically, think about what fame and fortune means to them. It wants to convey how a Gibson guitar can get them to that point. Everything about this ad is designed to make the viewer believe that a Gibson brand product can create fame and fortune. They use elements of text color, size, and placement to create an idea of fame and what it can be, a picture of a famous man in a casual setting to help create that idea, and even underlying techniques that cannot be seen just by looking at the ad. Because of the way the picture is set up, it seems as if the focus on being rich and famous is contradictory to the point it is trying to make. In this paper, I will explain why the text’s focal idea, the ethos appeal, the pathos appeal, and the picture actually all pulls this ad together in the perfect way.
Figure 1
From the ad shown in Figure 1, the viewer’s eyes most likely focus on the text first. The words are almost directly in the middle of the ad with big, all capitalized, white letters that stand out in the dark picture, which makes it hard to miss. The producer’s choice of the color white for this text is perfect because it makes the viewer’s eyes focus on it before anything else. The text reads, “Can you get rich and famous playing a Gibson? How do you define rich and famous?” which creates an idea. The producers of this ad want viewers to think exactly what being rich and famous actually is and how they can obtain it. They, of course, have to have the proper amount of talent to succeed. However, they will quickly realize that they also need the proper equipment. This is, again, another perfect tactic used in this ad because from that point on, they will subconsciously relate the Gibson brand to success.
The thought of needing proper equipment leads to my next point of ethos, which is done almost effortlessly because of the popularity of the Gibson brand name. Ethos is the credibility of a source, according to the Greek philosopher, Aristotle. The producers don’t give any statistics or say, “We’re the best.” in this ad. Although, they don’t even need to because just about everyone who has been playing guitar for a while knows that the Gibson brand is one of the top recommended brands in the music world. In fact, it made number one on the top-ten list of Best Guitar Brands. Also, it was ranked Level A – Best Quality along with a few others in the Puzzle Brand Comparison. These are just two example sites of the quality of Gibson products and how well-known they are.
Another technique this ad uses is something called pathos. Pathos is appealing to emotions (Aristotle). This ad tugs on the viewer’s emotions in the perfect way. It shows a well-dressed musician, casually standing in an elevator, while holding his Gibson Pure guitar. The man is all alone and not bombarded by fans of his music. This peaceful-seeming solitude creates a laid-back and stress-free feeling for the viewer. It makes them think of being famous as something relaxing and enjoyable, rather than being a hassle. It gives the viewer ambition and hope that they can one day be an amazing musician and pursue the “rich and famous” life that this ad talks about. However, what really makes this ad’s pathos appeal perfect is that the producers seem to have prepared for a person’s fear, doubt, and/or worry. They show this musician casually standing in that elevator which might cause some people to say, “Why don’t they show someone playing in front of a huge crowd since they are focusing on fame?” Be that as it may, this picture actually works perfectly because it takes the mind away from the nervousness of crowds, having the spotlight, and paparazzi. However, this picture works even better because it’s probably not intended to be about “fame” at all.
People think of fame and fortune in lots of different ways and to some, that’s probably not huge piles of cash and thousands upon thousands of people screaming their name. Therefore, considering the text and the picture combined, one could probably conclude that this ad most likely targets people who care more about the true quality of music, rather than the amount of money they make or the number of fans they get. This ad most likely is targeting people who don’t want to deal with all the baggage that fame comes with, but rather focus on the art of the creation of sound and music. The producers want people to focus on what being rich and famous means to them, rather than the standard norm that people think of when they hear the words, “rich and famous.” To some people, fame could be just the simplicity of having people know that they are amazing at whatever skill it is that they possess. In that same aspect, to some people, being rich could just mean having all the things you want out of life, like peace and happiness. This type of fame seems to be the ad’s true focus. Because of the specific audience choice, it creates a strong idea, many precise focal points, and an overall successful ad.
Works Cited
· Aristotle
o (http://courses.durhamtech.edu/perkins/aris.html)
· Best Guitar Brands
o (www.thetoptens.com/best-guitar-brands/)
· Puzzle Brand Comparison
o (https://jigsawjunkie.wordpress.com/puzzle-brand-comparison/)