Narloch 1 Ben Narloch Ms. Jacobs English 106 14 Sept.

2011 Rhetoric Analysis of NHL Commercial The dictionary defines advertisement, A paid announcement, as of goods for sale, in newspapers, on radio or television (Advertisement). Professional sports commercials do not sell a physical product like most commercials. They sell the viewership of the best athletes that the decade has to offer. Professional athletes like Michael Jordan, Derek Jeter, David Beckham, Peyton Manning, and Tiger Woods are known for being exceptional athletes as well as commercial sensations. Sadly, some people recognize the athletes for their commercials rather than their talents. Hockey commercials are known for showing action, impressive goals, bloody fights, and hard body checking to illustrate to the people the thrill of watching hockey. In 2007, the National Hockey League came out with a series of advertisements to promote their up and coming season (NHL). One commercial in particular has been popular for featuring two of the NHLs most known players. Daniel and Henrik Sedin are famous twin brothers who play for the Vancouver Canucks, and they are featured in this commercial. At the beginning of the commercial, there is a party taking place with about ten male adults. They are all playing poker, watching sports, and having a good time (NHL). One of the guys mentions that he has found some Swedish twins that want to join in on the fun. Everyone at this point assumes that there will

Narloch 2 be female dancers coming to entertain their party. All of the guys start getting money ready, and unbuttoning their shirts. Daniel and Henrik come inside dressed for game day, and there was utter disappointment on every mans face (NHL). Not very many people expect men to be the professional dancers for an all guy party. The twins proceeded to dance terribly for all the men. At the end of the commercial mynhl.com fills the screen (NHL). This hockey commercial is a great example of how star players can appeal to multiple audiences with emotion (pathos), and authority (ethos). However, this commercial lacks a relative meaning (logos). This commercial emphasizes that emotion is the most pivotal aspect. At the beginning of the commercial, we can see that everyone is having a good time at the party. Then, one guy announces that Swedish twins are coming to the party, and everyone there gets excited. When the twins open the door to make their entrance, everyone at the party is in a state of confusion. The camera cues into some of the people at the party, and we can only feel the confusion, and awkwardness taking place in the commercial. Daniel and Henrik walk into the party like they have entertained people before. We can conclude the signs of comfort coming off the twins as they proceed into the party. As they reach the middle of the room, there is still little positive emotion from all the guys at the party. However, one guy decides to play music to get the party started. The twins start dancing, but their male audience is still shocked. The viewers may see a sign of awkwardness, as a means of being funny. Everyone likes commercials that are entertaining and funny, but typically most are informative. The idea of pathos in this commercial is important, because the NHLs focus of this commercial is to prove that professional hockey can be awkwardly entertaining.

Narloch 3 At every party there is always the one person who wants to get the party started. We can assume that the party that was portrayed in the commercial had the potential of being great. Once the man says, I heard we are getting a couple of Swedish twins, the commercials viewers become interested and eager to find out what happens next (NHL). Everyone at the party assumed that they were going to be partying with beautiful women, but they were all in for a surprise. The idea of Swedish twins symbolizes the modern idea of sexuality. Ethos is expressed by the common fantasy of the American man who wants to meet Swedish twins. This myth suggests that Swedish twins are beautiful, blonde haired females that are willing to take care of any man. This commercial uses Daniel and Henrik to poke fun at the common misconception of female Swedish twins. We can conclude that the creators of the commercial did an exceptional job on the Swedish twin concept. A hockey commercial should persuade people to watch professional hockey. However, we can conclude that this commercial does not give a proper indication of what professional hockey is like. The idea of logos is very irrelevant in this hockey commercial. There is no point to the commercial. The only reason why the commercial relates to hockey is because two famous hockey players are featured in it. If they choose two random male Swedish twins to take place of the Sedins, then I would not have been able to tell you the relevance of the commercial. The commercial can also be viewed as offensive, because most people would assume that the party was receiving adult entertainment. Adult entertainment is not the kind of image that the National Hockey League would be trying to portray. A hockey commercial needs to be very

Narloch 4 straightforward so it will not confuse the viewers. I found the commercial entertaining, because I play hockey. This commercials target market was for anyone with a general interest in hockey. Ultimately, we can conclude there is little reason to this hockey commercial. Finally, the NHLs commercial idea was catchy, but it is difficult for people to understand the real purpose of the commercial. The use of emotion, authority, and the lack of reasoning helped break down the true meaning of this commercial. This commercial is humorous, and it poked fun at the infamous Swedish twin myth. Daniel and Henrik Sedin were perfect choices for the commercial, however the commercial would not have persuaded me to watch hockey. Hockey is a regional sport in North America and Europe, typically in the colder areas. It is difficult to promote hockey in places with warmer climates. Despite scoring goals and winning games, the Sedins are now very popular for being commercial phenomenons.

Narloch 5 Works Cited Advertisement. Dictionary.com. Dictionary.com, LLC. Web. 11 Sep. 2011. NHL. NHL Sedin Twins Promo (Extended Version). By NHLVideo. You Tube. You Tube, 23 Feb. 2007. Web. 31 Aug. 2011. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z6tBr6PMkBY>.