Here are five different types of arguments and how they pertain to the BP commercial.
Argument to inform: BP is informing the viewers of everything that they are doing in the gulf coast region that we might not be aware of. The specific information helps people realize the efforts and money that the oil company is putting into the region. Iris Cross states that there are "19 centers in 4 states" and has made 120,000 claims with a 20 billion dollar fund. She has done a good job in informing me as well as others the steps BP is taking to fix the problems.
Argument about the past, present, and future: Iris Cross talks about how she is from the Gulf Coast and how she will remain in the region regardless of the outcome because it is her home. She also says that BP will not leave until they see no more oil and have cleaned it all up. Whether or not Ms. Cross is being honest about her situation is up in the air but I do believe that BP will not leave until the job is done, it doesn't seem like the public would allow anything less.
Argument to convince: Iris and BP try to convince the viewer that BP is a giving and caring company. However, I don't think very many people buy this. If they were a caring company then they would have never let it happen in the first place. On the other hand, the commercial is also saying that BP is committed to the oil cleanup. I do believe this because as I said before, I don't think they have much of a choice but to clean up their mess.
Invitational argument: Iris Cross's job is to listen to those who were and still are effected by the oil spill. The commercial also lists a telephone number and a link to the claims section on the BP website.
Rogerian Argument: Throughout the commercial Iris tries to find a common ground with her viewers. She seems sympathetic and caring. She states multiple times that she is from New Orleans and her family still lives there. Furthermore, the ad is trying to evoke a sense of trust in BP to make it out like they aren't some evil company who's destroying the world. On a more personal level, Iris is seen talking to fisherman, restaurant owners, and families to give a feeling of assurance and the hope to find a common ground.
I completely agree with the fact that you talked about the argument to convince not being too convincing at all. If they truly did care about the environment, then something at this caliber wouldn't have ever happened, they would've been more careful, and an oil leak would've never been feasible.
ReplyDeleteContinuing on what I said on Allie's post, the more you stop and think about this whole commercial the more it makes you question the purpose of it. Yes, this is them making an effort to fix things, but this situation could have been avoided. If they were so caring about the environment then there would have been far more safety measures taken in order to prevent this from happening.
ReplyDeleteI think your Rogerrian argument is well done. As she walks around with the people her company has hurt she tries to show this fake view that they are really patching things up. I think BP fails to realize that while their argument in the commercial isn't bad, it'll take a bit more then just words to fix our views on the subject.
ReplyDeleteI think that your assessment of BP's argument is accurate. The BP oil spill was a tragedy and someone needs to take accountability and make the changes necessary.
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