Rhetorical Analysis Of Richard Seaver's Coca-Cola Ad

Improved Essays
Coca-Cola having been an iconic, refreshing brand for more than a century, must have been accustomed to copyright infringement. In 1970, the Coca-Cola brand was faced with the theft of their slogan, “It’s the real thing” by the publishing company, Grove Press for their advertisement of the Diary of a Harlem Schoolteacher. The executive of the soda company, Ira Herbert, wrote a formal letter requesting for the Grove’s discontinue of their slogan as it threatened the brand’s originality. Richard Seaver, vice president of the Grove Press, wrote a letter in response to the request and unlike Herbert’s polite and serious manner, Seaver appeared to be far more arrogant. However, the difference between their appearances in the letters illustrates that Seaver is significantly more convincing. Seaver utilizes subtle satirical strategies such as irony, mockery and also includes logic to emphasize how absurd Herbert sounded in his letter and to achieve his point that phrases are not limited to only one entity. Initially, Seaver …show more content…
The letter from Seaver was primarily written to reject Coca-Cola’s proposal of discontinuing the use of the slogan but it also ended up ridiculing Herbert. Herbert, however, had some strong points too especially when he provided logical arguments. In his letter, he mentioned historical dates to establish a seniority over the slogan. This would make his argument solid because it is difficult to challenge the ownership of something when someone else has claimed it far longer. Seaver though, worked his way around Herbert’s points and avoided the dates completely. Why are rhetorical strategies important? Rhetorical devices can influence an author’s

Related Documents

  • Improved Essays

    February 1979, a Coca-Cola commercial staring “Mean Joe Greene” aired for the first time and was loved by every American watching. The commercial won a Cilo Award for best advertisement of the year. Thirty-Eight years later it is still believed to be one of the best Super Bowl commercials of all time. Never mind the fact that so many great commercials have been played during the super bowl since 1979, but to be considered by the public as one of the best commercials with the lack of quality and technology they have today is amazing. The author’s main goal was to show that drinking Coca-Cola will make you happy and the creator of this commercial should be praise by the simple yet effective delivery.…

    • 873 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Name- Tizeta Rustin Class- English 1101 Instructor- Dr. Buell Wisner Date- 09/24/2017 Analyzing “Advertisements R Us” by Melissa Rubin The analysis by Melissa Rubin’s on the 1950 Coca-Cola advertisement allows readers to identify the main point of the ads easier.…

    • 946 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Decent Essays

    Coca Cola uses absolutely all existing means for communication on a massive scale for their products to reach an indeterminate public and integrated into a…

    • 1077 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Improved Essays

    In society, consumers all have a common thread, they want to feel as if a product that they are going to spend their money on is worth the cost. Many commercials you watch on TV are there for the sole purpose of making watchers want to buy their product by using intriguing messages or celebrities to draw in the watcher's attention. In the 2014 Chevy commercial titled, Maddie, the commercial follows the story of a young girl as she recieves her first puppy up until the no longer puppy’s final day. The writers of the commercial use common rhetorical analysis techniques to portray a general message to the watchers. For example, the writers uses pathos in this commercial to play on the watchers emotion and evoke an underlying sadness.…

    • 1039 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Pepsi Rhetorical Analysis

    • 1309 Words
    • 6 Pages

    Nowadays, we live in a globalized world where technology provides great opportunities for cross-cultural communication. Furthermore, it is a fact that most companies use different kind of technologic sources such as TV commercials, websites, and so on, to present their products to the general public. However, if companies want to expand its brand to the global market, it is important that they are aware of cultural differences and its possible influence on the people’s behavior. As an illustration, Pepsi, a multinational beverage company, has been responsible for creating a great quantity of commercials which have been shown across the globe. When analyzing Pepsi Company’s use of rhetorical appeals via two commercials, the company’s use of persuasion becomes obvious; moreover, Pepsi’s commercials are established in accordance with the culture where the product is intended to be sold.…

    • 1309 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Throughout, his letter Seaver addresses it toward Herbert. Seaver purpose about his letter was to express the situation and misunderstanding that took place with Coke slogan. The part that Seaver mostly focused on is how many people would get confused by the…

    • 880 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Alexus Ford English 101-10513 14 Oct. 2017 Professor Cuaves Rhetorical Strategies in: ASPCA Commercial Ft Sarah McLachlan The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals is a non-profit organization dedicated to preventing cruelty to animals. Based in New York City since its inception in 1866, the organization’s mission is “to provide effective means for the prevention of cruelty to animals throughout the united states. The ASPCA commercial achieved the sole purpose of swaying its viewers into being more inclined to donate to the organization through pathos, logos, and ethos.…

    • 1014 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    It’s just not worth it! Don’t drink and drive. Budweiser uses a puppy growing up to a dog and the bonding with his owner all through the growth of his life, they do everything together. They are best friends! The pathos appeal is overwhelming in this PSA when the owner leaves out to party, and the dog waits for him to get back.…

    • 666 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    “Since the slogan is so closely identified with your product, those who read our ad may as well tend to go out and buy a Coke rather than our book.” (Lines 14-16). Along with “I am sure that you will agree that this posed a…

    • 1178 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Decent Essays

    In this essay I will compare and contrast the idea of Coca-Cola coming together and how the corporation is taking the initiative for a healthier society and Gap’s campaingn to raise awareness to the Aids epidemic in Africa. Your essay may be structured by either a point-by-point or block pattern. To review these structural strategies, revisit pages 226-228 in your textbook, Steps to Writing Well.…

    • 326 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Writing a persuasive essay can be done in various ways. In Libby Hill’s essay “Calvin and Hobbes: The Voice of the Lonely Child”, she uses methods such as emotional appeal and testimony to connect to her readers. In Melissa Rubin’s essay, “Advertisements R Us”, she uses a very different approach as to how she persuades her reader. Rubin concentrates on logical appeal and historical facts to prove her claims. Both of these essays present reasonable arguments in different techniques as to what their claims are, how they display their evidence, and how they present the evidence to their readers, but Rubin’s essay is more persuasive because she presents a logical approach to argue her evidence.…

    • 1040 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The Super Bowl is one of the substantial events of the year. Not only is it a program action packed with football, but, it is also a showcase for some of the most stellar commercials of the year. An advertisement in the Super Bowl costs several million dollars because the Super Bowl is often the most viewed television production globally. Therefore, companies work exceptionally hard to construct their most effective, passion-filled advertisement of the year. They aim to captivate the audience through rhetorical devices such as emotional appeals, humor, uniqueness, etc.…

    • 925 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Decent Essays

    Richard Seaver, in his letter (1970) regarding the use of a slogan for a book, argues that Coca-Cola doesn't own the phrase "it's the real thing" and since their products are so different, no one will mistake the book for Coca-Cola, even if they use the same slogan. Seaver supports his claim by saying he is only using the slogan because it came directly from a review of his book, "Diary of a Harlem Schoolteacher," and that because of the first amendment, they can use any words they want to advertise. The author's purpose is to remind Mr. Herbert that Coca-Cola doesn't own phrases in order to let him know that his press company will continue to use the slogan, "It's the Real Thing", in their ads. His tone is informal and at times, sarcastic…

    • 143 Words
    • 1 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Improved Essays

    In 2010, Old Spice launched a series of humorous commercials featuring Isaiah Mustafa as “The Man Your Man Could Smell Like.” They are incredibly successful commercials, albeit strange. Portrayed in them are grandiose and lavish lifestyles featuring costly belongings ranging from gondolas to horses to yachts. The commercials were an overnight success and quickly became a cultural phenomenon, generating significant word-of-mouth buzz online and offline. In its commercial, Old Spice effectively convinces its viewers of the urgency surrounding their new product by appealing to their own underlying desires, affecting their decision making without being cognitively recognized. The narrator achieves this by specifying the foundations of attractiveness,…

    • 1000 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    "Hello ladies. Look at your man, now back to me...sadly he is not me..." begins the most notable Old Spice commercial, "The Man Your Man Could Smell Like. " When a company develops an advertisement, they use many different strategies and techniques in order to convince the audience to buy their product. Old Spice specifically, is known for their humorous, yet ridiculous advertisements based off of stereotypical male ideals. Though these commercials are not extremely logical, they tap into the audiences emotions through humor and sex appeal.…

    • 1034 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays