Blog #1

Good Odds - Toyota - Super Bowl 2018 Commercial

This commercial starts out with the picture of a newborn baby with only one hand and no feet. In the course of just over a minute, the commercial walks the audience through a journey of a disabled baby, who turned into a little girl, a strong teenager, and a wonderful, inspiring woman. Throughout the entire duration of the commercial, the video strongly appeals to the audience's emotions (pathos). We share sympathy for the struggles that the character faces at each point in her life, and we cheer on each of her successes and her unshaken determination. 

The remark of this story is how small the chance of winning a Paralympic gold medal is, almost 1 billion to 1, and after each step that the character takes, her possibility of achieving the medal is greater. This appeals to the common logic (logos) that if you are determined and work hard, you are more likely to succeed than if you just live by and don't put a lot of effort into what you are doing. 

This commercial also convinces the audience with credibility by using real stories of a real credible individual, Lauren Woolstencroft, who has won eight Paralympic gold medals, whose whole life depended on artificial feet. Her story is just so inspiring, and ties very well to the message that Toyota is putting forward: "when we are free to move, anything is possible." At the end of the commercial, people in different vehicles move toward the screen, some with disabilities and in a specially shaped vehicle, but the commonality is that they are moving, instead of being stuck in life just because of their own physical limitations. The theme song of the video, "Stronger than I ever been" by Kaleena Zanders, is a perfect fit for the story of the commercial. It adds to the meaning that if you are strong and are willing to push through challenges, the possibilities for you to succeed will be high, or even 100%, like what Lauren Woolstencroft did. The brand did a good job of showing the audience how they care by showing different Toyota options that will fit everyone even with disabilities.