The Rhetoric of the Market

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IlBxHG4vfKw

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rhre2C4THT4

1. We know that ads are supposed to be persuasive. Take this for granted. But what do these ads persuade you to think, do, or believe—especially beyond simply purchasing their products?

The Alltel ad persuades the audience to believe that buying the Alltel phone service is the most logical of choices, and, in the end, customers will be cooler for making that decision. The Windows PC ad attempts to convince the audience that it is easy to use the software, and because it is so simple to use, the software can bring the family closer together.

2. As you study the advertisements, consider all the elements of it that you can identify. In other words, try not to just focus on the explicit argument. What implicit elements argue here?

Without directly telling the audience, the bullies of Chad in the Alltel ad represent the other phone companies. The bullies were once the cool kids. Now, the bullies are losers and Chad, who represents Alltel ideology, is cool and is loved by all. There is symbolism in the ad, but the symbolism is left to the audience to dissect for themselves. In the Windows PC ad, the implicit argument here (which is still pretty obvious) is that if a four and a half year old can send a picture to her family and is still able to communicate to them through Windows, then anyone can keep in touch with their family and bring their family closer together by using Windows.

3. Describe the apparent use-value of each product; then describe the exchange-value as you see it. Basically, what might purchasers of these products expect to get from them that an inexpensive, generic version would not provide? Evaluate the ads in terms of use-value appeal and exchange-value appeal—how does each address use and exchange concerns? Do they all do both? Do any of your observations contradict what you might have expected?

The use-value for the Alltel advertisement is If your cell phone is under the Alltel company, then you can have unlimited calling to 5, 10, or even 20 other people of your choice. You can also add phone lines to your plan for $10 each. For the Windows PC advertisement, the use-value is it’s easy to use and send photos with.
The exchange-value for the Alltel ad is anyone who has Alltel may initially not be as cool, but will eventually be the coolest, because having Alltel makes the most sense. The exchange value for the Windows PC ad, on the other hand, is that Having Windows PC is simple and convenient, and it can be a way to bond with the whole family, because everyone will be able to use it. Windows is attempting to tell the audience that no other software is easier and no other software is a better excuse to have the family become closer.
I think both ads effectively inform the audience of their products’ use-value and exchange-value. The Alltel ad addresses what the use-value and exchange-value of their company’s offers are and does so through comedy. The Windows PC ad, however, successfully addresses their software’s use-value and exchange-value through a cutesy, family-type theme by having a 4 ½ year old use the product.
I don’t quite understand the last question, but I do think there were many ways that both companies could have advertised themselves for their use-value. A company can advertise themselves or their products in many ways in order to convince the audience that it will be useful for them; however, a company chooses a specific type of ad because of how it convinces the audience that there’s also a specific exchange-value that comes with the product. Both ads effectively convey their exchange-value, and I cannot of another way that would have been better.

4. Who would you say the imagined audience for each ad is? What magazines do you think each came from?

The Alltel ad’s audience was anyone who is 18 years or older and is able to buy their own phone, and the Windows PC ad targeted family-oriented people as their audience.