https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mzwtzF_EH40
When people think of Coca-Cola, they think of two things: soda and the polar bears. These creatures have become the mascots of the soda.
It was first created in the 1980’s as a mascot during the Christmas season. It projected an image that Coca-Cola was not a large faceless organization. With this advertising campaign, Coca-Cola was showing that it was part of the family.
In 1993, this commercial was animated to give the warm feeling of comfort and joy showing the bears’ amusement of the aurora borelis. This reflects our own joy of the holidays with our families and Coca-Cola sharing the celebration.
Another purpose of choosing cute animals such as the polar bear was the merchandising possibilities. The most common of the items was the stuffed polar bear with the Coca-Cola logo on the red scarf. Polar bear clocks with the bear holding a bottled Coke were popular. There are also Christmas ornaments with the bear in a snow globe.
Cute, fluffy polar bears, are a simple and cuddly symbol that speaks volumes in a crowded soft drink industry. Coca-Cola, loves to show this happy group of bears to bring happiness to their customers. Not only in their taste of the sodas but, also in their hearts.
I agree that the use of polar bears could appeal to a wide variety of audiences both for both children and adults. The fluffy white polar bear creates a comforting nostalgic feeling from childhood that many people could find appealing.
I find your analysis on Coca-Cola’s symbols to be very informative. I would extend on your topic of the commercial being a sense of “family”. I agree with this and say that the value represented in the commercial is Community. Although we (the viewers) are not sure if they are one big family, or just many people attending a movie event, one of the polar bears scoots over so that the last polar bear can join in. This gives the essence that they are one, or in the least, that they are accepting.
Very interesting artifact! You made some great points about how they pertain to notions such as nostalgia, too!
Given the original prompts for this posting, I suggest using numbers and subheadings (1. Medium of Delivery, 2. Ethos, etc) to organize the content. This might make it easier for your audiences to read your analysis. I look forward to your identification of more examples of rhetorical appeals in this artifact.
You did an awesome job of explaining the different components of this brand! Possibly, you could put some more of your focus on how the ’93 commercial relates to Coca-Cola’s modern focus points to create another component within your paper. That component could then create a more in-depth view of the audiences present for this organization.
I think that you identified the recurring situations of rhetoric well when you explain how Coca-Cola is commonly thought of to have two specific things, which are polar bears and soda. Any audience that reads this would agree, and therefore you are immediately using rhetoric to appeal to your audience, which you do a great job with. Pathos is definitely prevalent in your artifact. When you mention that the bears give a “warm fuzzy feeling” I think this is where you identify how your artifact uses pathos. It’s very interesting how you connect the emotional appeal of polar bears with how they are symbolized.
For your analysis to be effective, I recommend that you explain the exact function of the polar bears in these ads. It doesn’t seem like enough to say that they show that Coca-Cola is part of the family, because by itself, that makes no sense. Instead, try something like “Polar bears evoke x emotion, which has widespread associations with family values.” That would clear up a lot of confusion. The same thing applies with your point about merchandising. Why are polar bears easier to market than other mascots? Why not puppies or kittens? Specifically, what emotions or attitudes do the polar bears bring about in audiences? It’s also unclear where the ethos or logos comes into play. How do polar bears make logical appeals? What kind of credibility do they have (or what credibility do they suggest for Coca-Cola)?
Have you considered comparing Coke’s strategies to Pepsi? I remember a Pepsi commercial in 2012 I think with Drew Brees and One Direction that appealed to two main audiences: 1D fans and NFL enthusiasts. That was my favorite commercial for years because I was such a big 1D fan and I liked Drew Brees so the commercial really targeted me and my sisters. It might be a lot to compare, but I think it would definitely be interesting to see.