Wallin 1

Tristan Wallin
Mrs. Ludwig
English 101, MW 11:00-12:20
23 March 2016
Nature Its In You
I remember trying to put together a tent in the pouring rain. I remember waking up at five
in the morning to get ready to fish on a serene, glass-like lake. I remember sitting around a
campfire eating Smores, while listening my grandpa tell stories about his World War II Heroics.
Most of all, I remember peering into a non-polluted sky to see an endless array of stars,
reminding me of a more primitive, peaceful lifestyle. This kind of peace that I hold so dear has
become largely nonexistent in todays digital, fast-paced modern society.
Camping and most other outdoor activities have begun a rapid decline as people question
its necessity in a twenty-first century world. More people today find their entertainment through
their iPhone rather than a fishing pole and would rather watch the latest hit television show than
gaze at the stars above. Not to mention that more and more often, I hear statements like why
would I go camping when I have a perfectly good house? or why would I go fishing when I
can just pick a fish up at the supermarket?. Though these are valid questions and concerns, this
shift in society and culture, away from the old fashioned way of life, has hurt companies like
Cabelasforcing them to adapt or die. Therefore, in 2013, Cabelas launched an advertising
campaign called Its In Your Nature. In the commercial, Cabelas presents a mix of human and
nature in order to exemplify the symbiotic relationship that each party shares. There is no one
narrative presented during the commercial, but rather a variety of individuals enjoying their own
varied experiences. For example, one experience in the beginning is a man getting out of his

Wallin 2
truck in the middle of an endless plain with his dog presumably to go bird hunting. Also,
Cabelas portrays a group of friends laughing by a campfire which is another experience that
many people cherish and relate to because of any joyful moments they may have experienced
around a campfire in the past. Finally, one the last and most effective shots in the commercial
comes on a clear blue lake as a bright eyed son learns how to fish from his father and the two
share a solitary, but loving bond. Cabelas uses the relationship between people and nature to
explore the idea that some of our best memories and future adventures would not have been
possible without nature. Additionally, this unforgettable commercial uses not only ethos, logos,
pathos, but a variety of other rhetorical devices in order to convince a twenty-first century
customer that nature and the great outdoors are still incredibly relevant, even in 2016.
Cabelas Its In Your Nature campaign is effective in part due to the use of logos,
specifically presenting a rational claim, that applies to every viewer of the commercial. Much of
commercial relies on pathos to be effective, however the effectiveness would be completely
negated without a logical claim to be built upon. That claim, acting as the cornerstone for
Cabelas entire argument, is the idea that Its in your nature to feel like you were born in the
great outdoors (Cabelas). If the audience does not accept this claim, then the commercials
validity falls apart. However, I find this claim to be completely logical because every person on
Earth has a prehistoric ancestry in which our early predecessors were born, lived in, and
ultimately died in nature. As much as people try to push nature away, its importance to our
survival and advancement can not be understated. Therefore Cabelas claim of a connection
between nature and human nature is effective not just because it is logical, but primarily because
it applies to everybody.

Wallin 3
Pathos, or an emotional appeal, is the primary appeal utilized throughout the commercial,
catalyzing various types of emotions from the audience. To begin, the narrator in the commercial
gives a hypothetical situation saying Its five AM and ten below, so what makes you hop out of
bed like a kid on Christmas morning? (Cabelas). Accompanying this narration is the image of
coffee being poured into a cup in front of a campfire and also an image of a hunter, with his dog,
hopping out of his truck at the break of dawn. This was a very a great use of pathos because now,
at the beginning of the commercial, the audience is meant to feel that same giddy excitement for
the day ahead that is seen in the video. The narrator also uses the analogy of the feeling on
Christmas morning in order to relate to much of the audience. Another great use of pathos occurs
when the narrator states that its in your nature to crave the sound of leaves crunching beneath
your feet and to feel like you were born in the great outdoors. These statements within the
commercial are meant to bring out the primitive, pre-historic nature of the audience. I believe
that the use of pathos in this example is used in an attempt to exploit the audiences primal
connection with nature. Finally, towards the end of the commercial the narrator invigorates
childhood memories by stating that its in your nature to pass it on (Cabelas) and to teach
your children to continuously learn new skills (Cabelas). I found this to be effective because, in
a way, Cabelas is holding the audience responsible for sharing their outdoor strategies or skills
with their kids. These examples of pathos are also effective partly because of the use of sensory
details incorporated with each example. The chill of ten below and the sound of leaves crunching
beneath your feet are both excellent examples of feeling and sound that further the audience's
engagement with the commercial. Feelings of giddy excitement, reminders of primitive nature,
and the importance of childhood experiences are just three of the many examples of a great use
of pathos used throughout the commercial by Cabelas.

Wallin 4
Ethos, or the speaker's credibility, is also a vital element used to appeal to the audience.
Cabelas is internationally known as a source of affordable, high-quality outdoor equipment
with Cabelas catalogs shipped to all 50 states and 125 countries. (Cabelas....History).
Besides their numerous catalogue awards, they have also remained progressive by introducing an
online catalogue and a very diverse core of employees of different religions, races, and genders.
In addition, within the commercial, the narrator mentions that theres only one way to take an
animal, and thats with ethics and respect and also the fact that its in your nature to believe
that the outdoors should be preserved(Cabelas). Cabelas establishes ethos, and ultimately the
audiences trust, with their well regarded reputation as a high quality, diverse company combined
with their feeling about the respect for nature and animals.
Cabelas uses a variety of rhetorical devices in order to make the commercial more
powerful. To begin, Cabelas poses several questions like what drives you to wade through
waist deep swamps? (Cabelas) and what leads you to study the hatch? (Cabelas). These
hypothetical questions are successful because they act as a hook, and in theory the audience is
expected to watch the commercial to find out the answer to the question, or even answer it
themselves. Finally, the most effective use of rhetoric was anaphora, the repetitive use of
successive phrases. The word to is used to begin a sentence four times. The word that is used to
begin a sentence three times. And the phrase, its in your nature, is used as a sentence starter five
times. It was repetitive but effective because for Cabelas, this phrase was the linchpin of the
entire ad. Therefore, if nothing else, Cabelas wanted the audience to walk away remembering
this simple four word mantra: its in your nature.
The use of ethos, logos, and pathos, combined with an array of rhetorical devices, in
order to explain why interaction with nature is still necessary for people in todays society.

Wallin 5
Overall, the effectiveness of this commercial comes through the worldwide scope of whom it
affects: everyone. Cabelas presents the idea that nature itself is interconnected with our own
human nature, which thereby explains our natural attraction to the environment. Ultimately,
Cabelas is not directly attempting to exploit this relationship between humans and nature, but
rather the company wants to spark interest in their products by helping people once again to
recognize the nature within is connected to the nature itself.

Works Cited
Cabelas. Cabelas Its In Your Nature Anthem. Online Video Clip. Google. Youtube, 18
February 2013. Web. 7 March 2016
"Cabela's Company History." Cabela's: World's Foremost Outfitter. Cabela's Inc., n.d. Web. 08
Mar. 2016. <http://www.cabelas.com/content.jsp?pageName=CompanyHistory>.