http://kleercut.net/en/files//IHTad.jpg
This advertisement really spoke to me in the way it conveyed certain rhetorical aspects that we have covered during class. Recently, we talked about the use of relevance and timing in what you are talking about. For example, the recent oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, and the recent trouble in South America and the Middle East, has spurred much discussion about our energy resources and what we have to do in order to become more self-sufficient as a nation. This advertisement plays on the issue of deforestation, a topic that comes up every few years, but then somehow disappears back into the abyss of problems we have yet to solve.
The ad itself is a masterpiece in the way that it portrays the tissue brand as truly destroying the ancient forests of Canada. The box is decorated with a print of many stripped trees that have obviously been cut down to make paper, or in this case, it can be interpreted that they will be used to make Kleenexes. On other Kleenex boxes, there are usually cool designs or prints that draw attention to the boxes as more of a stylish accessory, rather than a box full of over-logged forest trees. Another aspect of this add which adds greatly to its overall effectiveness, is the three step process, which the add explains will destroy Canada’s ancient forest. The three step system is a great way to show how easy it is to lose one of the world’s greatest resources, which will be near impossible to get back. It also shows how little thought we put into a daily action, such as, blowing our nose. We could use a handkerchief, which doesn’t harm any resources, and is completely reusable, but instead, we would rather use the tissue, which we will disregard and throw directly in a trashcan in under three seconds. This add does a great job of portraying how effective using only a few words can be at portraying a message.
Looks like your other blog is so popular that no one is commenting over here yet. :)
ReplyDeleteOne thing that strikes me as interesting is the recent broad acceptance of "green" as an acceptable value to invoke. Ten years ago this ad would not have been well received by certain segments of the populace. But now Greenpeace, once a fringe group, is now able to display ads like this. And their presentation of more "normal" messages in turn makes them more of a mainstream group than they used to be. They've also shifted rhetorical strategies somewhat to focus less on shock and extremism, and more to small sorts of steps like this one.