Daniel Jensen

English 1010

Visual Rhetorical Analysis

Advertisements exist for one reason: to convince an audience to take interest in and purchase a company’s product. An incredible, yet finite, amount of groups exist across the globe that can all be swayed one way or another. An example of this is genders; a majority falling into the male and female category. These two groups possess unique qualities apart from one another, and some values are held stronger than others. In these two articles, Lay’s assumes males take special care in their cooking and the ingredients included in their meals in one, and that females yearn for adventure and “flavor” in their life. Lay’s takes advantage of these innate needs and qualities of genders and presents clean and articulated slates to reach and expand to these groups.

In the first advertisement, you are presented with an artistic representation of chips roasting on a grill, fully equipped with flames beneath and aromas rising above. The grill rack is created from perfectly lined barbecue sauce, onions are shaped to resemble the burning fire, and smoke, created by what seems to be a various assortment of spices, rises above three Lay's “Mesquite BBQ” potato chips. Below the picture, you see the bag of the chips next to text that reads “BBQ FLAVOR so RICH and SMOKY you can ALMOST HEAR IT SIZZLE.” All of the ingredients that make up the picture happen to all be the same ingredients that are used to create the “RICH and SMOKY” flavor of these chips. You are immediately pulled into this ad by the dark red colors that radiate across every element on the page from the smoke to the grill rack. The advertisement creates a perfect image to show just how authentic and fresh their potato chips are by creating a visualization of its taste.

In the second advertisement, a woman dressed in swimwear gazes out into the unknown off the side with a look that indicates that she is pleased with her successes. She is holding onto a maroon surfboard that lies parallel with her gaze and a backdrop of the sky and a rock cliff lies behind her. This advertisement has a similar style as how the elements are placed on the page with a large scaled picture above and a Lay's bag of chips and text below, this time saying “Life gets plain if you don't add flavor. Life's tasty. Crunch on.” Elements in the page are placed very perfectly and the lines are clean and straight. In contrast to the first ad, the second ad attracts viewers by emitting a ”flavor” for adventure, whereas the first ad focuses more on the actual flavor of the chip. In both, Lay’s uses the word “flavor” to appeal to both genders in a specific and creative way.

With its robust red color and depiction of a grill, the first advertisement appeals more towards a male audience that enjoys “Rich and Smoky” flavors in their meal. The advertisement also continues to say that you can hear the chips “sizzle” because of how flavorful it is, and what man can resist the sounds of cooking burgers on a grill? The second ad seems to appeal more towards woman and those that seek excitement in their day-to-day activities. The woman in this ad is in a very confident pose as she stretches her arm across her surfboard and stares off into what is expected to be her destination, the ocean. Her pleased look and swimwear attire indicate that she is a thrill-seeker and engages in water activities, and you can do things like this, too, if you eat Lay's Kettle Cooked potato chips.

Both advertisements heavily use the appeal to pathos, with mild appeals to ethos and logos. The first ad appeals to logos because the text suggest that the “sizzle” of the grill is heard by tasting the chip with its “rich and smoky” flavors. The second ad appeals to ethos because you see someone with a sense of adventure and excitement in her life. The character's credibility is immediately established, and as you veer towards the bottom of the page you are presented with what seems to give her that drive, the Lay's chips. In regards to pathos, the first ad highlights the flavors that you get to enjoy in the chip. The chemical makeup of the picture reflects the composition of the tastes you experience from this snack. In the second ad, the pathos stems from the text “Life gets plain if you don't add flavor.” This message appeals to those that lack excitement in their life and feel that this can be remedied through the miracles of a Lay's Kettle Cooked potato chip.

Both advertisements indicate a very clean scene with perfectly placed objects, and perfectly puffed chips. The first ad with the grill focuses on the flavors and tastes of the product by creating an image using its ingredients, whereas the second ad uses a confident and empowered woman to show how exciting life can be with the product. Consumers that find interest in both of these advertisements share that same appeal to an intricate, clean, and balanced layout that is depicted on both ads. “Flavor” is a term that is used in the text on both ads suggesting that Lay's main goal is to provide a flavor of chip to all groups of people. Like many companies, Lay's wants to appeal to their consumers, and what better way to do so than to take advantage of a product that can be easily changed and marketed to fit the needs of chip-eaters around the world?