Blog #2 Reebok Ad

1. What was your initial reaction to this ad? What elements stood out to you the most?


Initially, I thought the ad was a joke. The argument the author creates is vain and ludicrous. He or she is trying to prove the difference between running and jogging, which is, essentially, running and running faster. Key elements in this ad that catch my attention are the gloomy background, and the pathetic attempts of the author trying to make “running fast” part of a “rare breed”


2. Do you run? If so, how did this affect your response to the ad? If you are not a runner, how did that affect your response to the ad?

I personally do run (or jog according to our author) two to three miles a day. This may impact my response because I see running as a way to maintain or improve the way you look in front of a mirror. Whereas, the author claims that if somebody is running but not competing, his is not a runner. As stated in the advertisement, “running has evolved into a sport in which participants will push themselves to a point where they will happily hurl chunks on their shoes”. I disagree with the fact that if I am not throwing up after half an hour on the treadmill then I have not successfully “ran”.



3. Analyze the literal components of this advertisement (text, allusions to television, layout, images, and other elements referenced in your reading). How do these elements lend significance to the ad's intent to persuade?


The gloomy background, and the bright white font, makes the material on the advertisement more appealing to read. Each page has “words of wisdom” preceding it revealing the subject matter of the following page, which is somewhat alluring. Various pictures include, a man running in what seems like a desert, a man running on fire, animals running, and stick figures running. All the images relate somewhat to “intense running” and not just an average person exercising. These elements all seem like a pitiful attempt to distinguish the difference between a “runner” and a “jogger” which is iterated throughout the advertisement.


4. What values are promoted or discouraged in this ad?

The values that the author attempts to portray through this ad consist of dedication, hard work, commitment, consistency, and devotion.



5. Consider the intended audience for this ad. Does Pearl Izumi alienate the "jogging" population to its detriment, or do you see marketing advantages in dividing the running population from the jogging population? Explain.

Pearl Izumi is smart because he is luring in both the “jogging” and “running” audiences. By alienating the runners from the joggers, the runners feel special to be part of this remarkable revolution, whereas the joggers will want to join this unheard of group that claims to be elite.



6. Review your text's description of appeals to logos, ethos, and pathos. When you look at this ad, what type of appeal is strongest to you? What ad elements prompted you to make this choice? Now, consider the ad on the left.Pearl Izumi's ad appeared during Reebok's "Run Easy" campaign, which portrays runners in misery to promote a less aggressive, chat-friendly running pace supported by the campaign slogan, "I am what I am."

The author is using the “pathos” appeal of emotions in this advertisement. Seeing a sweaty, exhausted runner hurling appeals strongly to people’s emotions. They automatically sympathize, and sense the feelings of dedication and commitment a “runner” must have to risk his own health in order to complete a race.

At the end of your blog, respond to the following:7. Regardless of your opinion on this subject matter, if you could choose only one ad, the Pearl Izumi or the Reebok ad, to appear in a magazine, which would you consider the most effective in selling its product? Explain the main reasons why you chose one ad and why you rejected the other.

The Reebok advertisement would be more effective in selling this product because it is swift and forward. If a runner/jogger (the intended audience) was flipping through a magazine and came across a picture of a runner throwing up, it would catch his or her attention and they would surely see the Reebok shoes. If somebody in our author’s intended audience came across what seems like a novel trying to sell running products, they would immediately see through the desperate attempts of our author and flip the page.