I chose to rhetorically analyze this artifact because I was
personally in opposition to the claims it made and its persuasive elements.
It’s an interesting advertisement, but the entire theme of it is that taking a
pill every day is a strenuous, exhausting task—and although some people may
feel this way, I don’t. I thought it would be interesting to look into how
other people reacted to the advertisement and the thought process behind it.
In my rhetorical analysis, I picked apart the entire
advertisement and discussed the messages it was disseminating and how it
attempted to persuade the audience.
-I discussed how the advertisement works through portraying
taking a birth control pill daily as daunting, but then challenged that claim
by offering up the alternative—that people don’t find it to be that way.
-I also looked at how it plays on the fact that modern
culture is infatuated with innovation and the newest version of everything,
depicting traditional birth control pills as outdated and old-fashioned, while
NuvaRing as the new, “trendy” thing to do. I briefly challenged this as well,
noting how all of the reported issues with NuvaRing fail to be mentioned and
how it may not be as innovative as it’s made out to be.
-Lastly, I compared the advertisement to post-feminism and
discussed how it employed this ideology. Now that women have gained access to
birth control in general, the post-feminist view is that they now have a choice
between different methods and should feel empowered to choose which one they want.
Discussion Questions:
1)
How do you feel about this advertisement—do you
think it has the potential to be a powerful rhetorical artifact and successful
in persuading women to use NuvaRing? Why or why not?
2)
How does this artifact use ethos and gain credibility
in order to convince women to consider NuvaRing?
3)
What do you think Dubriwny would think about
this artifact in terms of post-feminism?
I strongly agree with your last major finding. The NuvaRing ad points out to women that they have the power to make their own choice of what birth control to take. The norm for many many years was to take the pill, and the ring rejects that idea. Relating this to your 3rd discussion question, I think Dubriwny would agree that the NuvaRing commercial persuades women to identify with the empowered woman who chooses NuvaRing - and to think about the option for themselves. The choice of birth control type allows women to feel like individuals rather than just another woman asking for the pill because that is what they are supposed to do.
ReplyDeleteWhen watching this commercial for NuvaRing, I felt that it was persuasive to women currently on birth control. It illustrates the frustration of "the old contraceptive routine" and shows an entirely new contraceptive that women can use with no frustrations. It calls upon women who are currently taking the birth control pills to use a simpler method. I think as Bianca stated, we are always trying to find new and innovative ideas, so this will appeal to many women. We always want the best results with the least amount of effort, and NuvaRing provides this in its advertisements.
ReplyDeleteNuvaRing highlights that this contraceptive plan is easy and has the same success as the pills. In establishing that it has the same results as the contraceptive pills women already use, it established credibility.
I believe this commercial is persuasive in that many women are convinced by advertisements for new and innovative ways to make her life easier. This commercial calls upon the modern day consumer that wants quick, effective results with little effort.
I think this commercial would not necessarily be persuasive to the degree of getting women to convert their current birth control technique, but I do agree that it would persuade them to look into other birth control methods available. The ethos of the ad that seems the most persuasive about it is the many symbols of freedom it seems to convey. From the removal of the bathing cap to the release from the daily obligation of taking a pill, it seems to portray a new way for women to liberate themselves from routine, and instead to relax. It tries in many ways to show how similar the NuvaRing and the pill actually are in effectiveness, and seems to at least want to instill the mentality that there are other options available besides the pill. Like Dubriwny talks about, there seems to be a degree of inequality in the ad in relation to responsibility. Although the NuvaRing is only an option for women, it seems to place all of the responsibility for birth control, both for the pill and NuvaRing, on the shoulders of women by not having any men in the commercial besides the one who 'delivers a beverage'. I think the introduction of male birth control would completely change birth control marketing in a way that Dubriwny would very much approve of.
ReplyDeleteI totally see your point and agree that it's insulting to insinuate that a person is not capable of taking a pill every day. But, as a learned in my Health Communication class with Dr. So, a good amount of Americans have trouble even reading pill bottles so as insulting it may be to the more educated, its kind of true.
ReplyDeleteI think NuvaRing is actually a wonderful product and wish to explain why. I use NuvaRing so you can trust my perspective. I got that ethos.
Something that I was shocked to find out about birth control is that its effectiveness is drastically reduced if its not taken at the same time everyday, a fact that is true about most medicine that is meant to be taken daily. NuvaRing surmounts this, as the hormones are naturally released inside you at the time they're needed. I'm a very forgetful person, as are a good amount of my girlfriends, and is nice to have the peace of mind that my birth control is working as effectively as possible without worrying about user error. I wish all my medicines could be used this way. NuvaRing takes the worrying out of using birth control, without having to resort to methods which are a bit more drastic, such as IUD's, which require installation by a doctor. It also uses all the same hormones that the pill does, so its just as safe. Its even super easy to skip your period all together, wooo.
NuvaRing is an easy alternative that will likely prevent more unplanned pregnancies and I hope that it becomes more and more widespread as people learn about it.