Visual Rhetoric Analysis #1: Defining Rhetoric and Visual Rhetoric

I chose this image that is from a Pepsi commercial for our first analysis. While it doesn’t represent me, I thought it would be a good one to share because of the readings we did this week. The commercial highlights the current movements going on in the United States to secure our freedoms and liberties to live peacefully together. It features Kendall Jenner taking part in the movement and attempting to make peace with the officers involved by handing one a cold Pepsi.

I believe the commercial actually had potential to obtain its objective, however I wanted to share this one because it missed a very crucial point that we read about in our Definitions of Visual Rhetoric reading, in which I will shed light on in a moment. First, I would like to highlight what the commercial did right. According to our Mediums and Manifestations of Visual Rhetoric reading, we can begin to analyze the visual elements and see that Pepsi executed these beautifully. The camera movements seemed to slow down time for the main characters to be drawn into the action outside by utilizing slow motion. It also created a dramatic appeal as the main actors were introduced. Various camera shots focused on different actions to piece them together to tell the story.

The very crucial point that Pepsi missed the mark on is ironically what the premise of the video desired to draw attention to, in order to persuade the viewer to purchase their soft drinks. In attempting to capture a cultural experience, the visual frame discussed in our Cultural Theories of Visual Rhetoric reading was attempted to be captured universally.

Pepsi attempted to highlight the movements going on today with the Black Lives Matter and women’s marches, but missed the mark. Wired wrote, “The message is clear: All those women's marches, Black Lives Matter protests, and demonstrations outside Trump Tower would be much more effervescent—and effective!—if someone had just brought some soda.” Even Bernice King, Martin Luther King Jr.’s daughter tweeted an image of her father being held back by a police officer and included the caption, “If only Daddy would have known about the power of #Pepsi.”

photo source: screenshot from actual Pepsi commercial