In 1993, McDonalds starred Michael Jordan and Larry Bird in a Big Mac commercial where they played HORSE to see who would eat the Big Mac. Now fast forward 18 years and you have Dwight Howard and Lebron James playing a game of HORSE, but now only dunking, to see who would eat the Big Mac. Interestingly enough both commercial are practically the same thing. In both commercials they make impossible shots adding a hint of humor to make the advertisement more interesting. In the 1993 ad Larry Bird tells Michael Jordan that dunks are not allowed and in the 2011 ad Dwight Howard tells Lebron James that jump shots are not allowed, which seems pretty funny because even great players have something that they can’t do.
Now for the rhetorical analysis…
The 2011 ad, much like the 1993 ad, gives off a friendly vibe where in which two friends enjoy a friendly competition in order to eat the meal. The two players don’t seem like basketball players but more like friends who are meeting up to enjoy each other’s company. This warm and friendly feeling is important to support the image of McDonalds because fast food restaurants usually don’t have an air of friendliness but they are usually depicted as cold, industrial companies trying to maximize profit. Then both players perform impossible dunks throughout the game of HORSE and this signifies that people will do ANYTHING in order to eat a Big Mac because it is just that good. This exemplifies the quality and flavor of the Big Mac itself because even if it may just be a burger, it is a burger for which you would do ridiculous things to get. The last scene where Larry Bird comes in and thanks the guys for the lunch is really interesting because the players “seem” to not recognize him but just the fact that their lunch was stolen. Larry Bird is one of the most fascinating players that ever played the game of basketball and yet two basketball All Stars do not recognize him. This use of humor is to show how important the Big Mac is compared to even a legendary basketball player.
Here is the older advertisement so you can compare the two commercials.
Commercials with athletes are my favorite because they just seem like regular guys... who happen to be freakishly athletic. LeBron James and Dwight Howard are two of the greatest basketball stars and it's funny to watch the level of competition that they go through just to get a Big Mac. But the best part of the commercial is when Larry Bird eats their food because of James's and Howard's shocked reactions that a total "stranger" stole their lunch.
ReplyDeleteI like this commercial! It's pretty interesting that almost twenty years later, two commercials that are so similar can still appeal to audiences. It reminds me of the "Mean Joe Green" Coke commercial from years ago and then the recent remake with Troy Polamolu.I guess some persuasive advertising tactics never go out of style.
ReplyDeleteI think it's really neat how McDonald's remade a commercial 18 years later. As for the rhetorical strategies, McDonald's always seems to incorporate a heavy use of pathos and ethos into their commercials. Their appearance is always one of friends and family joining together in a meal from McDonald's, just as Lebron James and Dwight Howard come together as friends here. The underlying message in most of their commercials, and the one that seems to be played into this commercial, is to exemplify how rewarding McDonald's and Big Macs are, in a form of temptation toward the audience.
ReplyDelete