Alexander England

 It is fitting this paper is written on new years eve. It is fitting because when New Year rolls around the world seems to take a long look in the mirror. Ads across the board encourage people to become better versions of themselves as new years resolutions become a mandatory aspect of this holiday season. Only to be abandoned weeks or maybe months later people pledge to lose weight, work harder, and be better. This paper will discuss a specific ad made by Nike and how its rhetoric invokes a specific audience through its content, its media, and its kairos which all combine to include and exclude different audiences.  

To understand the different ways the ad invokes an audience one must first understand the ad itself. The ad opens up to a long road, each side has a grassy plain with a county feel to it. On the end of the road jogging down is an overweight boy, probably in his pre-teen years with a shirt, shorts, and running shoes on. As this boy runs to the camera a narrator describes the true meaning of greatness, and how it is not some supernatural gift or genetic improbability. The ad is rather simple, but even simple can have a paper.

First, the content invokes its audience in a variety of ways. This ad is targeting people who wish to lose weight or exercise more, it is made to make an average or below average joe to feel as if greatness is as close to them as they desire. Obviously, those who are confident in their current exercising habits will not be drawn to this ad leaving them excluded. However, those who relate to the narrator and or even the boy running down the lonely old road will be included being the invoked audiance just based on the content of the ad itself. That being said there is far more than meets the eye than the ad itself, there are more factors to consider.

Next is the media in which the ad was conducted and published. The ad was aired on cable television, YouTube, Facebook, and many more platforms alike. This spreads the ad to a wide variety of people who may or may not resonate with the ad as previously mentioned. However, while it includes many people it also excludes those who do not have access to many of these platforms or were not targeted to view the ad by the marketing that Nike used. This means that Nike invoked an audience who uses media platforms and meets criteria that made them more likely to respond to the ad in a positive manner. For example, Nike would put the ad on a sports cable network while it probably would steer clear of a local news station. 

The final piece of the puzzle is the kairos of the ad. The timing of the ad is New Years’. As previously stated it’s the time when everyone reflects on the year and what goals they have in mind. It is notable that “everyone” is a loose term. As some people do not recognize January first as the new year’s holiday many people are excluded from the kairos of this ad. This means that those who celebrate New Years’ on January first are subject to the influence of the holiday and the ad itself. The timing of the ad represents Kiros as it is timed in a manner that optimizes the ad’s efficacy with its invoked audience. It serves as a catalyst for an increased clientele for Nike as many people vow to lose weight and buy Nike equipment in order to do so. 

A good writer understands one universal truth. There is no such thing as an audience that caters to the world. For this example discussed, the Nike ad, invokes a particular audience as the ad targets specific people. The content of the ad invokes an audience that can relate to the desire to be great, and work out, and possibly lose weight. The media of the ad invokes an audience with access to the outlets that the Nike ad was aired upon, and finally, the Kiros of the ad invokes an audience that celebrates and participates in the New Years’ festivities. It’s simple, but even simple has an explanation. The ad may be short and not have much to it, but when one looks deeper into the audience invoked there is far more than meets the eye.

Works Cited

Only1ruben. (2012, August 10). Find YOUR Greatness - NIKE Commercial. Retrieved January 02, 2021, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G2kdMU4Mk9Y