In 2014, the Royal Dutch Guide Dog Foundation (KNGF) published an award winning commercial advocating the use of service dogs for veterans with post traumatic stress disorder. The advertisement, while being aimed towards those who might have someone in their lives PTSD, lends itself to a larger audience through its strong use of pathos and ethos. By using images with connotations that are universally familiar, it tries to evoke a strong sense of sympathy and emotion in a wide range of people. The commercial also appeals to the audience through its presentation of relatable material to draw in viewers and connect with them.
The commercial begins with a close-up view of a man’s eye and part of his dirty face. There is no music, only faint, nonthreatening …show more content…
Many viewers were either reminded of their own personal relationship with a pet, or they recalled knowing someone who had a strong bond with their animal. One viewer was even able to give a positive testimony of how his veteran neighbor was saved numerous times by a service dog. He stated that the dog was able to sense when his owner was in a stressful situation and would keep him calm. Another user on imgur stated that this video wanted to make him go hug his dog after seeing how caring and comforting the PTSD dog was. There are numerous accounts of people being reminded of how much their dog means to them. Watching a pet administer love and care to his owner elicited a widespread, although simplistic, emotional response. At first I was surprised to see such a strong response to this image. However, I realized that so many people are caught up on the soldier’s relationship with a dog because many people are able to relate owning a pet. Owning a pet is also more common than being a military veteran, resulting in its widespread relevance to the …show more content…
Bad dreams are a common trouble that everyone has experienced. And while most civilians do not suffer from PTSD, KNGF was able to relate certain aspects of PTSD with common nightmares. Despite having little to no similarities with the actor, many people were able to step into the shoes of the soldier as he woke up from his dream. Dreaming is a common life occurrence that is used to emphasize the reality of the situation the injured soldier is in. KNGF used the situational representation of PTSD in order to draw a parallel between two seemingly different lifestyles. However, after watching the commercial the viewer is able to come away with a sense of relation to the
The commercial begins with a close-up view of a man’s eye and part of his dirty face. There is no music, only faint, nonthreatening …show more content…
Many viewers were either reminded of their own personal relationship with a pet, or they recalled knowing someone who had a strong bond with their animal. One viewer was even able to give a positive testimony of how his veteran neighbor was saved numerous times by a service dog. He stated that the dog was able to sense when his owner was in a stressful situation and would keep him calm. Another user on imgur stated that this video wanted to make him go hug his dog after seeing how caring and comforting the PTSD dog was. There are numerous accounts of people being reminded of how much their dog means to them. Watching a pet administer love and care to his owner elicited a widespread, although simplistic, emotional response. At first I was surprised to see such a strong response to this image. However, I realized that so many people are caught up on the soldier’s relationship with a dog because many people are able to relate owning a pet. Owning a pet is also more common than being a military veteran, resulting in its widespread relevance to the …show more content…
Bad dreams are a common trouble that everyone has experienced. And while most civilians do not suffer from PTSD, KNGF was able to relate certain aspects of PTSD with common nightmares. Despite having little to no similarities with the actor, many people were able to step into the shoes of the soldier as he woke up from his dream. Dreaming is a common life occurrence that is used to emphasize the reality of the situation the injured soldier is in. KNGF used the situational representation of PTSD in order to draw a parallel between two seemingly different lifestyles. However, after watching the commercial the viewer is able to come away with a sense of relation to the