Saturday, April 7, 2007

Absolute Impotence


One of the best ad parody’s I could find, this photograph of a “flaccid” bottle of Absolut Vodka illustrates a side effect of drinking too much. This advertisement also uses a quote from William Shakespeare, “Drink provokes the desire but takes away the performance". There is use of comparison-contrast, where this ad contrasts with the original Absolut ads and the message they try to get across. The picture of the weirdly shaped bottle also employs an example or illustration of what the product can do, which is deprive a male drinker of his ability to successfully attain an erection. Another rhetorical strategy observed here is an analogy, where the bottle and its new shape are analogous to what will happen to a man’s penis if he drinks too much. It is more of a visual analogy. The comparison-contrast tactic uses the appeal of pathos, as it is funny to think about the point trying to be made. Logos is implemented as well in all three rhetorical strategies, because it is a fact that alcohol intake can inhibit that appendage from working properly when it is needed to. Ethos comes into play with the brand usage of Absolut. This parody uses the original Absolut ads that boast “the Absolut Man” with a photo of James Bond, and other images like that to show that only the best drink Absolut, because it is the absolute best. The parody ad makes fun of the fact that you are not very close to being the Absolute Man when you cannot even get it up for a night of fun. The social commentary is that we place so much value on being the best, most masculine, whatever. But using alcohol to accomplish that isn’t going to get us very far because all it really does is inhibit us from being our Absolute Best.

5 comments:

Hagia Sophia said...

You did a great rhetorical analysis of the advertisement, it is indeed a very entertaining advertisement because we all know we've been there, you drink and have fun and get all hyped up, but when it comes down to it, guys think it's manly to outdrink everyone else, but when they're in the bedroom, they're manliness fails them and they just can't perform. the message is pretty much, don't drink too much if you plan on getting laid.

Fu said...

This is a great post, I think you explained this picture really well. I especially like this part "The parody ad makes fun of the fact that you are not very close to being the Absolute Man when you cannot even get it up for a night of fun" I looked through the alcohol section and thought most of the pictures in there are pretty funny. But most of the picture do tell the truth. The one about the drunk and driving is especially true to modern young adults. I like this post keep up the good work.

Jordan Lopez said...

I liked this ad you used because it is a hilarious reality. Absolut makes their product out to be cool, suave, and statement making but in reality- no matter how top shelf the liquor is, men can suffer embarrassing impotence which is not cool or suave. I think that the ad is good because it focuses on a negative side of drinking that many people don't think about or talk about. Everyone knows that drinking and driving is a no no- but few, at the start of a party night, remember that too much drinking and then having a sex is a no go.

Hannah Houck said...

I think you did a very good job at analyzing this ad. This is one topic that hasn't been used much for anti-drinking, but it is very valid. I like this ad because unlike the others which reiterate drinking and driving issues; this one shocks you with bringing up a subject that hasn't been used to prove this point. Maybe by using shock value they will get more people to think about the issue in a different way.

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