Rhetorical Analysis of an Advertisement

Can the greatest athletes in the world be used to sell a product? If you happen to ask a company that goes by Gatorade, they will present a solid case that it has worked for them. Gatorade is one of the world's largest sports drink companies. Throughout the past few decades Gatorade has developed the system of using star athletes from all kinds of sports to endorse their product. This advertisement is one of their first using a star athlete, as they feature Michael Jordan in the 1990's. The layout features the star athlete and the product being advertised in a unique way. It is definitely directed towards the young athlete. With strong use of rhetorical appeal, they developed a dynamic ad campaign. Gatorade is a worldwide company, who has dominated their industry for the past few decades and brought an entire new kind of advertising to the market.

To first provide context on the Gatorade Company, here are some facts on them. They originated in 1965 as a sports drink company who supplied the University of Florida football team. University physicians created the formula and the company expanded from there. They have been a definite powerhouse in the sports hydration market since they started expanding and selling their product globally.

This particular ad was released in 1991 and was one of many Michael Jordan featured ads used throughout the 1990's. He was undoubtedly the most dominant athlete in his sport at this period of time. Gatorade came up with the idea of using star athletes, showing them drinking their product and exposing it to the masses. A brilliant idea considering how many Americans follow sports and aspire to be like the best athletes in the world. It wasn't an ad designed to be distributed to just one certain area. By using a celebrity they could make an instant connection with anyone who saw the print, therefore making it able to be in almost any kind of magazine.

Although this may appear to be a pretty basic, not colorful ad, it has a lot to offer. When one first looks at it, the bright orange Gatorade bottle will catch their attention. As the consumers eyes start to wander over the advertisement they will notice the all star Michael Jordan. It shows him sweating out the product. Jordan's sweat is also orange, to make the sure connection it must be Gatorade. The serious look on his face may remind some of the focused Jordan they see on television, but to the less knowledgeable crowd it appears he just finished a vigorous work out. One interesting piece of this is that the basketball player does not look tired or even phased. This plays right into Gatorade's message that their drink should be the only logical beverage while in a workout. They portray the idea that Gatorade is the only drink that will keep you performing and operating at your highest level. The slogan for the company has been "Is it in you?" since they were first created. In the picture you can instantly make the connection to the slogan. With the dim color throughout most of the ad and the severe face, it brings an overall serious mood to the photo. This serious edge is exactly what Gatorade wants to render to its customer.

All of the advertising done by Gatorade is aimed at the athlete. As stated earlier, by using the best, they are going to instantly make a connection with each potential consumer. The connection comes from the fact that Michael Jordan is known worldwide and is one of the most recognizable athletes on the globe. Their target market for an ad like this is going