Christine Spurgeon
Professor Steven Krause
ENG 328- Ancient Style and Youtube Commercials- Final revision
Elements of good style, as identified by ancient rhetors, are relevant and recognizable today in contemporary writing and multimedia communication. Aristotle and other scholars studied language to classify different stylistic ornaments; they determined most of what we know today of what constitutes persuasive, attractive, and distinguished writing. Largely dependent upon but separate from grammar, ancient people established the concept of ‘style’ as the various unconventional uses of language, and how nuanced use of these devices can result in effective and engaging writing and discourse. Stylistic techniques go beyond the fundamental rules of speech, using interesting combinations of words to appeal to and/or influence the listener. Many of these ancient concepts are now universals. Per our assignment, it did not prove difficult to find a commercial on Youtube that made use of these rhetorical devices in an attempt to gain the favor of their audience- particularly a commercial produced by a company as vast as Nike in the immediate wake of a high-profile scandal.
In late 2009, Tiger Woods faced a series of public allegations that he had a large number of lascivious extramarital affairs. In the early months of 2010, Tiger Woods confirmed most of those allegations. He admitted that he had been unfaithful to his wife for many years, and engaged in unsafe sex with multiple women. Prior to this scandal, Tiger himself was a modern trope, an accepted symbol for clean cut, all American goodness. From his teenage years into his thirties, Nike had carefully managed and marketed Tiger’s conservative image, which was revealed to be completely opposite his wanton reality. Tiger Woods shocked and disappointed the public with his behavior, and the public was quick to criticize and satirize his lack of judgment and his abuses of fame and wealth.
In the months after his liaisons became public, Tiger lost virtually all of his high-profile endorsements. In light of his actions most companies determined he was no longer an appropriate representative. A bold move on Nike’s part, they decided to continue their long standing relationship with Tiger Woods and immediately began a vigorous attempt to salvage Tiger’s reputation and Nike’s status as an endorser with what would become a highly controversial commercial, and one rich with stylistic ornament. Ancient rhetors believed language “Ought to be clear and that it ought to touch the emotions as well” (Crowley and Hawhee 230). This commercial illustrates how much companies rely on the emotions of their consumers, when trying to persuade these people to buy their products.
Tiger Woods is set against a gray, flat background, looking straight at the camera. He wears a humble, exhausted, and deeply troubled expression on his face. The brief dialogue is spoken by the solemn voice of Tiger’s late father-
“Tiger, I am more prone to be inquisitive, to promote discussion. I want to find out what your thinking was. I want to find out what your feelings are. And did you learn anything?”
The words used in this commercial are simple, even intentionally sparse. The succinct speech in this commercial is an example of what the ancients termed a litote, an understatement for rhetorical effect or audience response. In the case of this commercial, Nike is approaching the situation from a minimalist standpoint. The audience is entirely aware of the greater social context of the commercial, but for Nike it is undesirable to speak of this. In this case, Nike evidently felt their spare approach strengthened and added credibility to their advertisement, and maybe the public would be vindicated by his public shame. What is equally interesting is Tiger’s lack of speech and the effect this is intended to have. His silence connotes humility and agency. For Nike, the understated commercial, an example of a litote, is a way to possibly resurrect Tiger’s image- perhaps if they shame him thoroughly enough, consumers will forgive him. Many people found this sincere, and an equal number of others disagreed.
An important and perhaps the most debatable issue with this commercial is the concept of kairos, or appropriateness on different levels. According to Crowley and Hawhee, there are no definite rules that govern kairos; the writer must use their best judgment and evaluation. Appropriateness varies by situation and is determined by the attitudes and understandings (ethos) of the target audience, as well as the nature of the material discussed. According to Aristotle, the effective orator should have “A knowledge of the times for speaking and for keeping silence, and has also distinguished the favorable occasions for brief speech or pitiful speech or intensity” (Crowley and Hawhee, 233). This is related to Gorgias’s idea of speaking when the listener is ready to hear. Nike and Tiger likely thought they should confront the situation head on, while it was still fresh. Some viewers may have thought this somewhat honorable, considering Tiger to be assuming responsibility for his actions and repenting. Others, myself included, found the timing of this commercial to be tasteless. Only a few months after these revelations tore apart his family, Tiger Woods and Nike were too quick to try to repair the damage done to his image for the sake of finances.
The propriety or kairos of the commercial is debatable in other capacities. Nike and Tiger take enormous liberty applying Tiger’s late father’s previously recorded words to Tiger’s current situation. No one knows how the senior Mr. Woods would have reacted to the scandal or whether or not he would have endorsed the Nike commercial. In light of the way Nike and Tiger exploited his father, this marketing ploy is weak. Others may view it with more compassion or feel vindicated over Tiger’s public shame, which is likely the response Nike hoped to get, given their intense and risky efforts to save their top earner.
Only four sentences long, this dialogue incorporates multiple stylistic ornaments. The words chosen are an example of anaphora, seen in the repetition of the first word in several sentences: “I am… I want… I want.” These sounds are pleasant to the ear and engage the listener, making them want to hear what follows until they are rewarded with a conclusion. Each sentence seems a bit heavier than the last, building off one another towards a climatic end, the final idea is meant to be a profound and satisfactory close.
The first sentence in the dialogue is meant to cast a more profound light on the situation, and imply (and convince the audience) that there are great life lessons to be learned from Tiger’s fall. The next two statements seem to be meant to humanize Tiger and bring him down to the level flawed mankind. Earl Woods asks of Tiger’s thinking and his feelings; it is clear Tiger’s situation was a result of feeling and not thinking. The last is a heavy rhetorical question- “And have you learned anything?”- is an example of sententia, in this case a wise or pronounced statement meant to seamlessly bring the dialogue to an end and resound with the audience. Though this is a rhetorical question, one the audience is meant to answer this question on their own with “Yes”, the nature of the use of this rhetorical device is saying, without actually saying in words, that Tiger Woods has learned a harsh lesson. Tiger’s appearance and the soft, slightly disapproving words of his father assure the audience that he has been deeply humbled and shamed by the repercussions of his actions.
This commercial, though lacking authenticity, employs multiple techniques of ancient style in an attempt to strengthen the approach and delivery. Anaphora and a soft, even tone make the arrangement of words enjoyable to hear. Though the sentences are few, they are positioned in a way that captures the attention of the listener and satisfies them at the end. The understated nature of the commercial, an example of a an ancient litote, implies the nature of the challenges without actually saying them. However, the commercials’ kairos or appropriateness- what Cicero believed to be the most important aspect of persuasive rhetoric- is weak, unconvincing, and even pitiful. The text contains many effective stylistic ornaments, techniques the marketing company manipulated for a specific intended audience response, but they did not succeed. All in all, this ad comes across as distasteful and inappropriate, despite clever though minimal uses of stylistic ornament. Words can be powerful and eloquent tools, but at times, it is best to say nothing at all.
Works Cited
Crowley, Sharon, and Debra Hawhee. Ancient Rhetorics for Contemporary Studies. New York u.a.: Pearson, 2004. Print.
“YouTube – Tiger Woods Commercial: Earl and Tiger.” YouTube – Broadcast Yourself. Web. 09 Oct. 2010. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5NTRvlrP2NU.
