Dorothy Solsten

MEDT7490

Assignment 6

Allstate Mayhem: Cat

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dHXL8A1dowo

Rhetoric. What type of persuasive technique the commercial is using? Pathos, logos, or ethos?

Explain why.

The Allstate commercial utilizes the persuasive technique of pathos. The comedic value behind

the commercial allows the audience to relate and associate Allstate with positive emotions. People can

relate to Dean Winters portraying a cat, especially if they own one. The comedy behind the message

helps the audience laugh at the silly things that all cats do while reminding them that it is important to

have insurance coverage all any sort of issue, no matter the cause.

Overall message. What product or service is the commercial trying to sell? Where was the

commercial set? Describe the setting(s). Who was in the commercial? Describe the people in the

commercial. Who was in the commercial? What objects were in the commercial? Describe the

objects. What happened in the commercial? Provide as much detail as you can.

The commercial is trying to sell Allstate insurance. The commercial is set in a house where Dean

Winters portrays a cat that is causing mayhem around the house. The “cat” is shown lying on the couch

with the female owner and playing with a toy, spitting up hairballs, riding around on a Roomba vacuum,

and turning on the water in the bathroom sink to drink out of. The “cat” states that the owners think he is

just a ball of fur, but has been plotted to destroy them and is ready to pounce causing chaos and

mayhem. The water overflows flooding the bathroom and eventually causing the ceiling to crash down on

the first floor and the family. The “cat” reminds the audience that if they have the wrong home insurance

coverage, then they would be paying the damages out of pocket. But with Allstate, they would be better

protected from mayhem.

Production: What cultural codes are they using? What is the overall message they are trying to

communicate? Analyze the purpose of the commercial: What is the message of the TV

commercial? In other words, what do the commercial’s creators want the target audience to

believe about the product?

A cultural code that this commercial is using is the setting of a suburban house with a normal

family that has a pet cat. This appeals to any family or person that has a pet and knows how cute and

annoying they can be at the same time. The appeal is to the everyday family that may experience

mayhem from pets or any other everyday life events. Another cultural code that is seen briefly is the

husband running out of the kitchen wearing an apron when the ceiling crashes in, while the wife appears

to have just gotten home from work. This appeals to a nontraditional household setting. I think this was

done to balance the suburban household feel and setting. The message of the commercial is to make

sure that the viewer has the right type of insurance coverage to cover any crazy damage that may

happen. Life is unpredictable, so it is important to ensure that there is correct insurance coverage for any

situation.

Distribution. At what time during the day was shown? What TV show was playing?

Who is most likely to watch that show? Why you think they are showing that commercial at that

particular time? Who is the target audience of the commercial? Explain your

Thoughts.

This commercial was aired on ESPN2 around 7:00pm during Sports Center. Families are most

likely watching at this time to get up-to-date information on what is happening in sports. I believe that this

commercial is being shown at this time to the audience due to the abundance of people watching before

or during dinner. Most people watching own a home or live in a home that needs to be insured. We are

also approaching the end of the year and the time to renew or redo insurance coverage is something on

everyone’s mind. The target audience is homeowners and the everyday person that knows the crazy

accidents that may happen and that you may be insurance coverage for.
Persuasive techniques. Analyze the techniques the commercial’s creators used. What visuals

techniques do the commercial creators’ use to convince us of their message? Pick two and

explain how they help support the message. What aural techniques do the commercial creator’s

use to convince us of their message? Pick two and explain how they help support the message.

One technique that the created used was focal point. The camera follows a grown man around

the house as he portrays a cat. The camera follows him around like he is an animal. This free camera

motion draws the viewer into the life of this “cat” and how he is causing mayhem. Another visual

technique used is the wide angle of the ceiling crashing in. This allows the viewer to see the extent of the

damage. The camera then quickly pans over to Mayhem while he sits back and watches the aftermath of

what he had done. These techniques allow the viewer to imagine this happening to them. The aural

technique that is used during this commercial is the demonic and calculated tone and storytelling of the

damage from the point of view of the cat. He is funny and clearly has planned this out. Another aural

technique is celebrity endorsement. Dean Winters is a well-known actor and his endorsement helps

convince people to insure their home through Allstate.

In addition, in the same word document, write a reflection about this activity. What did you learn

from the materials provided? Why is important to know persuasive techniques? How you can use

these types of exercises in your classroom?

While completing this assignment, I learned the simple visual and aural techniques that

commercial creators use to capture a set audience. I learned how important timing, target audience, and

subliminal messages are to the sale of the product of product from the commercial. I also learned some of

the persuasion techniques used to convince people that they need the product that is being sold.

In my classroom, I would use exercises like this to help show them the power of persuasion.

Persuasive writing is an important standards that my students need to learn and it is important for them to

understand the working behind the techniques and how advertisements can convince an audience that

they need their product. It is also an important life skill to learn.