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FSU Rhetorical Analysis Memo
FSU Rhetorical Analysis Memo
Date:2/2/16
To:LehuaLedbetter
From:SaraLiVecchi
Subject:RhetoricalAnalysisofFullSailUniversitycommercial
InthismemoIwillbediscussingtheuseofrhetoricinthecommercialforFull
SailUniversityinthefollowingorder:
Overview:
Audience
Purpose
Context
Rhetoricaltools
o Ethos
o Logos
o Pathos
Culturalconnections
Conclusion
Audience
Thiscommercialisdirectedtowardsprospectivecollegestudentswhoare
interestedinfieldsoffilm,music,games,andart&design.Toshowthis,the
actorsareyounganddepictcollegeageindividuals.Thereisnogenderor
racialspecificationasexemplifiedbythediversecast.Theaimisnarrowedto
onlyaspecificskillsetasdesignatedbythemajorslistedattheendofthe
video.
Purpose
ThepurposeofthisvideoistoadvertiseFullSailUniversitytoprospective
collegestudents.Throughsensationalizedimageryofproductivity,theviewer
isgivenasenseofexcitement.Theimagesinthevideoshowsuccessina
fieldthatisstigmatizedtobedifficulttohaveacareerin.Thereareimagesof
videogamedesignersbrainstorming,creatingmusicinastudio,shootinga
movieonafilmset,andperformingmusiclife.Alloftheseimagesareincluded
toshowtheaudiencewhattheirfuturescanholdiftheyattendFullSail
University.
Context
ThisvideolivesontheinternetandonTV.Therearealsoversionsofthisad
thatexistontheradioandthroughSpotifysmusicsharingwebsite.Because
thecommercialcanbefoundinsomanymedia,itismorewidelyavailableto
thetargetaudience.TeenagersareoftenwatchingTV,listeningtomusic,
watchingYouTubevideos,orotherwiseoccupiedbytheinternet,soitisfairto
assumethattheseformsofmediawillextendtheadtothisaudience.
RhetoricalAnalysis
Thecommercialutilizesrhetoricaltoolstoconveyitsmessagetotheaudience
inafairlysuccessfulmanner.
Ethos
appealtoethics
Becausethecommercialdepictsa
University,itdisplaysuseofethos.
CollegesandUniversitieshavean
authoritythatcreatesasenseoftrust
withintheaudience.Teensaremore
likelytobelievethatsuccessispossible
withthisUniversitybecauseoftheway
itusesethostoconveytheirmessage.
Logos
appealtologic
Thereisnotasignificantuseoflogosinthiscommercial.Ifitwerelonger,
perhapstherewouldbeenoughtimetoincludesomestatisticsregarding
successratesforFullSailUniversitygraduatesovertheyears.
Pathos
appealtoemotion
Bysensationalizingtheanticipatedsuccessof
theirstudents,FullSailUniversityisableto
evokeasenseofpositiveemotionwithinthe
audience.Themusicoverlaidthroughoutthe
commercialisdreamlikeandinspirational.By
includingsensationalimageryofsuccessas
Idiscussedearlierandthismusicinthe
commercial,viewersaremorelikelytoidentifywithwhattheyseeandbeginto
longforattendanceattheuniversity.
CulturalConnections
Thedecisiontoattendacollegeoruniversityisacrucialoneinthelivesof
youngAmericanteenagers.Mostoften,individualswillhaveadifficulttime
identifyingwhichschoolstoevenlookintointhefirstplaceunlesstheyalready
possessaninterestinaspecificfield.Teensinterestedinfilm,artanddesign,
gamedesign,andmusichaveadifferentexperiencewhenlookingforschools
thanprospectiveengineers,lawyers,teachers,etc.Thatbeingsaid,teenswith
theseinterestshavedifferentneedstobecateredto.TheFullSailUniversity
commercialaddressesthisgrouptopointthemintherightdirection.Theyhelp
prospectivestudentsnarrowdowntheiroptionsfromacolossallistofschool
namestoamoreaptlistofchoices.
Conclusion
AsIvethoroughlydiscussed,thecommercialforFullSailUniversityutilizes
rhetoricaldevicestoeffectivelyconveyitspurposetoitsaudienceoverits
manycontexts.Theaudienceprospectivecollegestudentsisnotedas
majorspecificintheoutgoingcredits.FullSailUniversityconveysitspurpose
withavarietyofimagesandencouragingwordsofsuccessthroughoutthe
video.Theculminationofthesethingsinadditiontoproperunderstandingof
Americansecondaryeducationcultureiswhatmakesthisasuccessfulad.