The Rhetoric of the Market

1) My first ad is one of the E*trade baby commercials.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TiF-4LbgHn4

1. This ad is persuasive in selling it’s product on the basis that it is very easy to use, since a baby is the one using it in the commercial. The ad is also persuading the viewer to but and sell stocks online, since that is what their product helps you to do. The commercial is also persuasive in that their product can be used on a mobile device, which is something desirable in today’s world.
2. The implicit element of this commercial would be the fact that a baby is using the product on the commercial. This argues for the simplicity and ease of using the product, even though the audience is aware that babies cannot actually buy and sell stocks using a phone.
3. For this particular product I do not think that the consumer would loose use value by switching to a generic version of the product, unless maybe that version did not include the mobile option that is highlighted by the commercial. Also I do not think that any exchange value appeal would be lost by using another company’s product.
4. I would say that the imagined audience for this ad is people who are interested in buying and selling stock, since that is what the product helps you to do. Also the audience would be people who own mobile devices, especially a blackberry (since that is the one mentioned and used in the commercial).

2) My second ad is an ad for Nike women’s clothing.

http://msnbcmedia1.msn.com/j/msnbc/Components/Photos/050818/050818_nike_hmed1p.hmedium.jpg

1. I find this ad to be very persuasive, not only for the product that Nike is trying to sell, but for the lifestyle that it talks about. The ad is not only selling their brand to women, but they are also selling them the idea that it is alright for women to be athletic and muscular.
2. The implicit argument of the ad would be that is selling the audience more than just the shorts on the model in the ad. By the text used the ad is not only selling the brand, but the lifestyle that comes from using that brand.
3. No use value would really be lost from buying a less expensive version of the product, since all workout clothes, including shorts, are designed to do exactly the same thing. However, the exchange value appeal would definitely be lost by using a generic version of the product. This is addressed in the ad by the simple placement of the Nike logo on the pair of shorts in the advertisement.
4. The audience for this ad is athletic women, especially those who like to run, since running is specifically mentioned in the ad. I would assume that this ad would appear in either a women’s magazine or in a fitness magazine.