McDonalds Video Advertisement Essay Example for Free

McDonalds Video Advertisement EssayThis paper analyzes the rhetorical features of one particular tv advertisement (2010 see Reference list for details) t eyelid was issued on the internet by the multinational burger comp each McDonalds. It at once circulates on the internet with and with come forth the English subtitles. The subtitled text of the advert is a very brief nine lines long, followed by the single differentiate line shine as You argon and the full text is given to a lower place at Appendix 1. Hill and Helmers (2008, pp. 51-53) describe how a tv uses a particular type of judgement call(a)ed visual argument which is rhetorical sort of than logical or dialectical. The medium is very compressed and this does non allow full exposition of claim, argument, rebuttal, etc but on the other hand the visual aspect lends a sense of immediacy which written text does non leave. They warn, however, that the appargonnt advant come on of seeing rather than information is part ly illusory, since the images presented are highly structured and filtered so as to present a particular viewpoint. In their terminology the McDonalds advert would fall into the category of didactic narrative.The target market for McDonalds products is generally un fashion modeld families and teenagers. The opening shots set a scene which is familiar to this group a busy and noisy McDonalds restaurant with m both smiling faces. A father waits to be served while a son sits at a formica table and talks on his mobile telephone while expression at a photograph. Across the world, in France as well(p) as in other countries, this is a regular particular and will resonate with both onetime(a) and rawer viewing audience who see themselves in the father or son region.The dresscode in the picture is casual and cool as essayd by the beanie hat worn by a customer, and the hoodie worn by the boy who talks. This is typical of styles popular with young urban males. At first it looks like a mainstream father and son, where the son talks to mostone romantically on his cellphone. The person on the other end of the telephone is neither seen nor heard and one just assumes out of habit that this person is female. Lines 1-4 are spoken by the boy. The father arrives and lines 5-9 are spoken by the father.As the father quizzes the boy and makes a comparison with himself, the facial expression of the boy makes it clear that the father is not aware of a crucial difference between them the boy is gay. The Tag line which is presented on a plain screen at the end just before the McDonalds logo Come as you are tacitly acknowledges that people are different, and extends a welcome to all kinds of people. It does not matter whether they are older or younger, gay or straight, they should still come to McDonalds and eat together.The claim, or main issue which the delineation presents is that diversity is a good thing, and people should be welcome regardless of their sexual orientatio n. thither is no explicit verbal argument to back this up, but the story presents the gay son in a favourable light. This is done by camera angles that focus on his face, and the choice of an attractive young french male actor dressed in pretty average teenage clothes. This is by no federal agency extreme gay activism with stereotypical gay wardrobe, mannerisms and speaking style but a subtle moving picture of a situation that a pretty average young gay man is likely to encounter.It all looks and is intended to look normal. The video is youth-focused, because it lets the audience see things from the boys perspective, while make it obvious that the father does not appreciate the insider information which audience and boy share. The father represents the traditional French male role model of an experienced older man who is successful with women. The son represents a more than up to date role model of a gay French man. An interesting aspect of the video is that there are a number of appeals going on at the same time in different directions.On the one hand there is a main message conveyed by pathos, which shows the young boys romantic feelings towards his boyfriend, and his wry acceptance of his fathers old fashioned and rather macho attitudes. On the other hand there is some authority and believability in the role of the father who pays for the meal and takes a positive and fatherly interest in his son. The son is inward looking and reflective, using the personal pronoun I to reveal his feelings, while the father uses the pronoun you more often and directs his feelings outwards.The father cites the evidence of his own experience to offer an example for the boy to follow in his footsteps. McDonalds will be well aware that parents and teenage children, and the sometimes complex and difficult relationship between them is absolutely the territory in which they operate their business. They provide a framework, something like a neutral territory, in which this ge nerational conflict coffin nail be worked through, via the activity of buying and eating fast food. In making the gay-friendly message implicit, rather than explicit, McDonalds avoids the attainable outcome of presenting a crass or sensationalist message.The way gaps in the narrative are remaining for the viewer to supply is also very clever, because it flatters the audience and forces them to get involved in constructing the guessing of the advertisement. ambiguity used in this way is a very powerful rhetorical technique. There is still, of course, the possibility that some viewers will react negatively to the overturning of the traditionally dominant heterosexual point of view. Some viewers will resist the gay-friendly message that is being constructed but this, too, is part of the writers intention.Advertisers often philander controversy as a means to extend the impact of their message and this is a prime example of that. If some viewers react with an indignant and anti-gay blog post or a you tube video or text response then this in turn provokes pro-gay and pro-McDonald posts from the viewers. The message is then guaranteed durability and a wider circulation. In purely technical production terms this video is a model of economy and precision. There are only two speakers, and each takes only one conversation turn.The product is never mentioned, and the insistent recognizability factor with this brand makes this irrelevant in any case. Just in case there is any doubt in the viewers mind, however, the logo is added at the end. The colors are muted, and the mood is a gentle family intimacy with some tension caused by the unspoken facts which change the surface meaning of the discourse. thickheaded meaning is conveyed in shots of the changing expressions on the sons face, and these meanings are obliquely referred to in the tag line Come as you are.This phrase is used in standard English to mean something like dont dress up specially there is no destin y to be formal and the McDonalds ad suggests an extension of this to mean something like you dont need to pretend you are straight, just be yourself for a young and gay friendly audience, or you dont need to worry if your son is gay, just come and eat with him as normal for an older audience who whitethorn be less open towards a gay message. The advert makes a plea for tolerance, not for any particular orientation.All of the components of the advert, even including the brief snippet of song saying Im going on my way at the end, support these same messages and the images work, because they rest on a long McDonalds statute of adverts showing intimate conversations in busy restaurant scenes, but incorporate this new diversity ground angle in a positive, friendly and contemporary way. Appendix 1. 1. Boy Hello? 2. Boy I was thinking about you too. 3. Boy I miss you too. 4. Boy My dads coming, I have to hang up. 5. Father Is this your ramify picture? 6. Father You look just like me at your age/ 7.Father Let me tell you I was quite the ladies man 8. Father Too bad your class is all boys 9. Father You could get all the girls. (Song in the background) 10. Tag line replaces the pictures Come as you are. Hill, Charles A. and Helmers, marguerite (2008) Defining Visual Rhetorics. Mahwah, NJ Lawrence Erlbaum Associates. Lunsford, Andrea A. , Ruskiewicz, John J. , Walters, Keith. (2009) Everythings an Argument. Boston Bedford books. McDonalds video advert Come as You Are, (2010) in French with English subtitles. Available online at http//www. youtube. com/watch? v=xk8xyONKK_4feature= connect