You are on page 1of 2

One day at a hair salon, I happened to read a small poster in the wall with the following words

by Mary Ritter Beard: “The results of philanthropy are always beyond calculation.” Such action
of philanthropy can be captured in two commercials elaborated by Chrysler Motor Company
titled “It is Halftime in America” and “God Made a Farmer” that were played at the Super Bowls
46 and 47 respectively. The commercial “It’s Halftime in America” features actor and public
figure Clint Eastwood who at the halftime of a football game gives a motivational recount that
America’s attitude toward the issues of unemployment and economy downturn of that period
should be bold, courageous, and of unity. The commercial use images of Detroit, protests,
workers, firefighters, and families during Eastwood’s narration; it ends with the words “Imported
from Detroit.” In the commercial “God Made a Farmer,” Chrysler's Ram division plays a slide of
photographs presenting American farming along with the speech given by Paul Harvey--the
source of the title for the ad-- at the Future Farmers of America (FFA) convention in 1978. The
speech highlights the difficult aspects of being a farmer with allusions to the Genesis account of
the human creation. The commercial ends with the words “To the farmer in all of us,” which
comprise the title of a book published by National Geographic from which the proceedings of
copies sold will be transferred to FFA’s “Give the Gift of Blue” program (Chrysler Group LLC).
Although Chrysler employs pathos in both commercials to effectively make their vehicles more
appealing to buy and boost the corporation’s reputation by raising awareness of its philanthropic
activities, it fails to persuade all viewers to see its purpose plausible because of lack of ethos in
“Halftime in America” and lack of logical appeal in “God Made a Farmer.”

In “It’s Halftime in America,” Chrysler tries to persuade people to see the company as a solidary
element for America and its people and their success. The corporation effectively appeals to the
emotion of solitude that the audience may experience when Eastwood acknowledges that
“people are out of work and they’re hurting” and ask themselves how they will make a
“comeback.” Then, Eastwood recounts that the “people of Detroit,” implying the motor
companies, have experienced the same feeling but by “now [pulling] together,” the city is
flourishing again. By this appeal, the company creates an appropriate sense of unity and
affection in its viewers at the Super Bowl toward its brand that eventually can influence them to
buy one of its products. Also, this pathos appeal works well in establishing Chrysler’s products
as a credible source to boost the country's economy when bought. Overall, the audience leaves
with the proper feeling that buying an American product equals to better economy in America.

Similarly, through the “God Made a Farmer” commercial, Chrysler implies that farmers play an
important part in people's lives and in the economy of the country. Without them, there will not
be food put in the table and are presented as God's tool to fulfill that need for everyone. The
commercial takes advantage of several literary devices used by Harvey to appeal to the public
emotions but of interest is the use of assonance when Harvey says: “It had to be somebody …
who’d bale a family together with the soft strong bonds of sharing, who would laugh and then
sigh … with smiling eyes.” Using assonance together with the image of a family gathered for
supper, Chrysler emphasizes the idea of hard work in order to influence the audience to
acquaint and sympathize with the farmers’ lives. By doing so, Chrysler creates an emotional
impression in its viewers minds that is linked to its Ram trucks. Consequently, even if some
people would not buy a Ram truck, they will remember those pictures every time they hear Paul
Harvey’s speech or vice-versa, thus, creating a frequency illusion that later can translate in
potential buyers.

You might also like