Rhetorical Analysis Essay – Updated Draft

“Reduce, Reuse, Recycle.” This is undoubtedly a cliché that most people associate with their initial introduction into the climate activism movement; unsurprisingly, given its ubiquity in the media and classroom when discussing the environment. In fact, the origin of this slogan coincided with the rise of environmental consciousness during the 1970’s when more Americans “were demanding that air pollution, waste and water quality needed attention” (Pantheon Enterprises). Being associated with the passing of the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act, the “Reduce, Reuse, Recycle” campaign appealed to a rhetorical situation in which taking care of the environment was becoming more of a critical social issue. Additionally, its simplicity and catchiness made it an ideal way to motivate the public to basic, but effective steps for action. Interestingly, as environmental consciousness has increased in popularity as a commonplace in our society since the 70’s, Ben and Jerry’s recently published an advertisement called the “Circle of Life” that mimics many of the rhetorical choices of the “Reduce, Reuse, Recycle’ campaign. Both advertisements manifest as a circular diagram, exploiting our tendency to process concepts by breaking them into smaller, interconnected ideas. Furthermore, both campaigns utilize visual rhetoric, the sources of trust, and appeal to larger political and social movements. Albeit the Ben and Jerry’s advertisement does so in a much more complex way, expanding upon the choices of the earlier campaign to broaden the rhetorical appeal. 

The visual designs of both the “Reduce, Reuse, Recycle” and Ben and Jerry’s “Circle of Life” advertisements are consistent with human psychological tendencies for retaining and engaging with the information. The central theme of both is that of a cycle, with three arrows connecting each idea to the next. By doing this, each advertisement can create a sense of coherence in their message and divide the audience’s attention to each point and lead them chronologically to the next point. However, while the “Reduce, Reuse, Recycle” ad only uses arrow to connect between singular words, the “Circle of Life” connects multiple sentences for each idea. Such a discrepancy displays one major difference in the rhetorical purpose of each advertisement; while the “Reduce, Reuse, recycle” campaign was simply intended to be a catch phrase that would resonate with a public relatively new to environmental conservationism, the Ben and Jerry’s appeals to those truly invested in social activism. Given the general principle that our brains can only comprehend so many words at once, the “Reduce, Reuse, Recycle” campaign is much more effective in engaging those that simply see the advertisement at a quick glance. The Ben and Jerry’s ad, on the other hand, is less engaging to a normal citizen taking a quick glance but is extremely useful for those seeking an in-depth description of Ben and Jerry’s plan to pursue various avenues of social activism.  The use of specific colors in each advertisement also has a clear rhetorical purpose. Both ads are heavy in green, especially the “Reduce, Reuse, recycle” campaign which solely uses green, a color that is generally associated with nature and the environment. Ben and Jerry’s advertisement is also heavily saturated with a clear blue, appealing to the environmental goals of clean water and air. Additionally, the Ben and Jerry’s advertisement incorporates actual photographs that help the audience quickly build associations with the written information presented. For instance, the scene of cows grazing on a farm builds an association with ethical farming practices and local resourcing, the image of a factory surrounded by trees and imprinted with a globe builds an association with a clean and efficient manufacturing process, and the final image of a group of people touching a globe develops a cumulating association with community and charity.  that builds associations with each of the ideas presented. For instance, the cows help build an association with ethical farming practices, the earth on the factory helps build the idea of a clean and efficient manufacturing process, and the people touching the earth builds a sense of community. Hence, the use of visual design choices to develop general associations with environmental activism and enhance the ability of the audience to engage with its rhetoric is demonstrable in both advertisements. However, the Ben and Jerry’s advertisement incorporates more complex design choices as the nature of the advertisement itself appeals as an infographic for more serious social and political activists concerned about Ben and Jerry’s position on these issues, rather than a general public campaign in the case of the “Reduce, Reuse, Recycle” advertisement.  

As both the “Reduce, Reuse, Recycle” campaign and “Circle of Life” advertisement seek to establish the trust and credibility of their audience as a fundamental rhetorical goal, both utilize appeals to pathos, ethos, and logos. As the “Circle of Life” advertisement contains many rhetorical and structural similarities to the earlier “Reduce, Reuse, Recycle” campaign, it is no surprise that they use similar methods to establish trust, although the Ben and Jerry’s advertisement includes additional techniques to broaden its rhetorical appeal. Beginning with the concept of logos, the structure of a circular diagram is important to establishing an argument that is coherent and reasonable. Reduce, reuse, and recycle are all verbs that are self-evident to most people, and we can see how they fit together as cycle of repeatable actions that are easy to apply to our everyday lives. The “Circle of Life” has a similar logos in that it concepts multiple ideas as a coherent message of Ben and Jerry’s plan for social action but incorporates more complex concepts than simple verbs. As a viewer of the ad, the information flows from a statement of their commitment to what goes into their food, to a statement of their commitment to the manufacturing process, to a final commitment to utilize their influence as a company for good. In this sense, Ben and Jerry’s presents their unchanging character as a socially conscious company from their cultivation of raw materials all the way to the decisions made at the highest level of management.  And while both these advertisements illustrate their message in a way that is reasonable and logical, such efforts are in vain if the audience lacks a fundamental trust in the character or “ethos” of the entities presenting their arguments. With respect to the “reduce, reuse, recycle” campaign, its use coincided with a time of concrete political action on environmental issues, such as the introduction of Earth Day by Wisconsin Senator Gaylord Nelson on April 22, 1970, as well as the formation of the environmental protection agency (EPA) and the passing of the Resource Recovery Act. Hence, the three-word slogan became associated with the cumulative effort by federal, state, and local governments to promote conservationism, making it associated with real civic action. On the other hand, Ben and Jerry’s uses specific language in the advertisement to build upon their ethos as “a socially progressive company” that has a track record of speaking out on hot-button political issues. Furthermore, they state in their advertisement that they will hold themselves accountable to their promise to promote sustainability by publishing a “report on our progress annually”. This gives Ben and Jerry’s additional credibility as someone viewing the ad is more likely to engage with their message if they think they will follow through with it. Finally, Ben and Jerry’s use pathetic appeals to make their message personal and individualized. Namely, they state that they “care about you” and “care about making the earth beautiful”. Such statements do not necessarily add informational value to the message of the advertisement, but they make the message seem more human and individualized, rather than robotic. The utilization of the second person makes the audience feel like they are being directly reached out to, while the adjective “beautiful” leaves a simple, but profound image of earth that Ben and Jerry’s are trying to cultivate.  

For a slogan or advertisement to engage the public, it must resonate with the deeply held values and beliefs held by members of the public. Consequently, it is unsurprising that both the “reduce, reuse, recycle” and “circle of life” advertisement articulate views common to popular political movements and ideologies as an effective form of rhetoric. As referenced earlier, the 1970’s, which was the time when the slogan gained national attention, were a time when environmental issues became significant in the American political sphere. The post-war economic boom had generated significant problems with waste and pollution, prompting activists to advocate for awareness as well as definitive restrictions and regulations. And while the message of “reduce, reuse, recycle “does not insinuate any complex plans or policies to help the environment, it is effective in the sense that it attempts to make environmental activism accessible to average citizens. Most everyday citizens are not interested in reading complex manifestos about reducing carbon emissions through economic policies, but they are open to the idea of reducing their environmental footprint through simple steps. The Ben and Jerry’s “circle of life” advertisement also includes rhetoric connecting to specific political ideologies and movements, albeit in a way that intrigues more committed activists than the general public. While many Americans could not care less about where Ben and Jerry’s stands on significant social issues (they still make delicious ice cream), there is an increasing number of socially liberal consumers, especially among the youth, that will only support corporations that advocate a progressive stance on social issues. Ben and Jerry’s make specific appeals to this political ideology in their advertisement when they note that ensuring a clean manufacturing process “is a matter of social and economic justice”, terminology that may not be familiar to the more conservative-minded audience. They also note that they are willing to “speak up about issues we care about”, insinuating that Ben and Jerry’s will continue to advocate and support a progressive political stance given the central message of the ad and what they have previously believed. Consequently, making claims that intrigue trending political ideologies is a rhetorical tactic used by both advertisements, yet they differ in purpose between bridging the public to this ideology (“reduce, reuse, recycle”) and solely focusing on gaining the favor of those already familiar and supportive of the political ideology (Ben and Jerry’s).