Category: RCL

While many of the Elevator Pitches presented in class interested me and exposed me to a few different ways in which organizations are using rhetorical techniques to persuade audiences,  I was particularly intrigued by Matt’s presentation. His pitch focused on the website of Nvidia, a technology company, and how it illustrated their commitment to sustainability. His opening hook immediately connected the classroom audience to his artifact by encouraging us to reflect upon the commonplace of technological innovation in our lives. He then strategically flowed from this commonplace to that of environmental sustainability, and hence presented Nvidia’s messaging campaign as one that sought to merge these two themes into their collective “ethos” as a company. Moreover, he elaborated on this claim by providing direct evidence from their website that demonstrates their intention to promote sustainability. This includes the placement of their products on the the “Green500” list which ranks supercomputer technology solely in terms of energy efficiency. He also included additional information regarding the relative performance of the company’s public share price relative to other firms by mentioning their significant outpacing of the S&P 500 index. And while this does not specifically connect to the company’s messaging around environmental sustainability, it does suggest a connection between sustainable practices and economic growth. Hence, utilization of this connection may broaden the audience Nvidia is trying to reach by including those who may be  more strictly business-oriented and less open to exalting sustainability  unless it produces tangible benefits. I do think that as Matt develops his artifact analysis going forward, he could focus in more on the rhetorical choices used in the website and less on a broad description of the company. While an in-depth analysis of the company was certainly interesting, it does distract from the central purpose of the rhetorical analysis which is to consider how certain choices within the artifact itself appeal to the audience around certain ideologies and commonplaces.

 

With climate change and sustainability becoming exceedingly important issues for our generation, it is no surprise that corporations such as Ben & Jerry’s are working through campaigns such as the one above to convey their commitment to these causes to consumers. While it is generally a commonplace for people to think that most large corporations “only care about money” and have no concern for the environment, Ben & Jerry’s is clearly trying to shift this commonplace. The advertisement notes that they are “working daily throughout our operations to reduce our footprint”, establishing their ethos as a company that values impact over profit. They further convey credibility by promising to report their progress annually. Furthermore, the advertisement appeals to our pathos when it describes the company as a one that cares about our communities, earth, and individual customers. The visual imagery of different hands grasping a globe above the caption evokes a deep emotional sense of community and brotherhood. Next, the nature of the advertisement as one that connects multiple captions and pictures together establishes its logos, or the coherent message the company seeks to portray. Namely, a circular diagram is illustrated that connects the company’s love and care for its customers and community to the ethical manner in which it gathers ingredients to the ecologically efficient manner in which it produces its food. The ideas flow smoothly from one source to the next in establishing the overall message of a company that truly cares about the social implications of their actions, not just the financial ones. Such a campaign to demonstrate social/environmental consciousness to consumers is not just confined to Ben & Jerry’s, but exists as a part of a larger shift in American corporate culture that has occurred over the past few years. While corporations were once seen as impersonal agents only concerned with dominating others in the free market, advertisements such as this demonstrate a shift towards valuing social engagement as a way to connect with issues that consumers care about.

Addressing concerns surrounding the economy is an especially important priority to the Biden administration right now given the events of the past year. Record levels of inflation combined with recessionary fears has prompted a political climate increasingly skeptical to the administration’s plans to cope with these challenges, only heightening the importance of carefully chosen rhetoric in Biden’s messaging. In a recent video address that was uploaded to his official YouTube channel (which can be viewed here:  https://www.youtube.com/shorts/G5Gb3hoM0ag), Biden justified his administration’s previous policies through the commonplace of “helping working Americans and the middle class”. A strong solidarity with the middle and working classes is extremely prevalent in American culture, regardless of political ideology or affiliation. One only needs to see a glimpse of Trump’s rhetoric on the 2016 campaign trail to see that he similarly identified as one who would “fight” for the American middle class against large corporations, the “political establishment”, and global interest groups. Hence, it is a politically clever move for Biden to cultivate the current American sentiment towards support for the middle class as a way to show the good intentions of his administration’s previous fiscal policy initiatives. Biden admits that while inflation may have been an externality from his small business loans and individual payment programs, they were necessary for the survival of the middle class during a pandemic that was particularly challenging for this group. In this sense, Joe Biden cleverly uses the rhetorical situation of an American public worried about the economy to assure them of his commitment towards the middle class, a popular commonplace. This advertisement relates to two of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals, namely “Decent Work and Economic Growth” as well as “Reduced Inequalities”. Biden, in this speech, attempted to demonstrated his “ethos” as a president committed to fixing long term inequalities for the American middle class and unconcerned about temporary inflation.