http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KnxpdUdD0Ro&feature=related
I watched this commercial for the first time today, as I had never even seen it or heard about it. It seemed to fall under the category of banned/controversial ads. In the commercial, you see a couple enter a room and begin to have sex. When the man lifts his head up, you recognize him as the face of evil, Hitler. The video is then followed by a message in German that reads, "AIDS is a mass murderer."
Personally, I think that this is a very effective and ineffective at the same time. The fact that the message following the video was in German, clearly means that the ad was meant to be shown in Germany. For Germany, Hitler was a very embarrassing and awful part of their past.
The fact that they, and most of the world, associates Hitler with evil, is a very effective way to promote AIDS prevention. This is where both ethos and pathos come into play. When people see the recognizable face of Hitler, they obviously have a certain feeling towards them, hate. The ethos here is very effective for the message that they are trying to send. Also the pathos is directed correctly since most people do not have good feelings towards Hitler or AIDS. The commercial is also kind of ineffective in the fact that it is pretty controversial seeing as how Hitler has become a taboo for most society. That is probably why the commercial ended up being banned from TV.
Wow that's a really great ad to analyze. But I definitely understand why they would ban it in Germany...it's a really touchy part of their past, and almost seem to erase it from their memory. But the rhetorical techniques are definitely extremely effective.
ReplyDeleteI think its a good commercial from a deterrence perspective. In people's minds if Hitler is linked with AIDS then people will want to do as much as they can to avoid getting it. Unfortunately, that part of history (especially for Germany and Holocaust victims) is still very hush-hush and touchy.
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