Ad Discussion

Over the past few weeks, Apple has launched a new ad campaign called "Shot on iPhone". The ads, like the one below, are all very similar in nature.

https://www.ispot.tv/ad/AR5R/apple-iphone-the-human-family-shot-on-iphone

https://www.ispot.tv/ad/Ay6R/apple-iphone-shot-on-iphone-by-linda-h-song-by-glass-animals

https://www.ispot.tv/ad/AyRA/apple-iphone-shot-on-iphone-by-robert-s

The ads come with a very clear rhetorical purpose. They all effectively utilize the power of photography to try and convey a strong sense of pathos. The goal is to make the audience feel emotionally connected to Apple and the iPhone in a way they never have before. The content matter of the photographs are not by any means related to specific hardware or new apple releases; instead, the ads are intended to imply that these emotional connections and communications between people around the world are built through the iPhone, and specifically in this case, the iPhone camera. These experiences can be "shot" and shared through the lens of the iPhone, and that is why you should have one. The ads establish ethos in a creative way. They create a credibility in a sense that the iPhone is for the common man, meaning you. All of the ads end with a statement saying "shot by so and so". These are not famous people, they are just people. This establishes a credibility with the common people around the world looking for a phone, i,e Apple's entire consumer market. They have roped you in with an intense emotional appeal and backed that up with the idea that you too could be having these experiences. And as for logos, the evidence for the emotional experiences they are trying to sell to you are in the photographs and videos themselves. You can actually see people from all walks of life and places being filmed all over the world by iPhone cameras, and now that you feel emotionally connected and able to be involved as a common phone buyer, the ad has effectively done its rhetorical job.