Ad Textual Analysis: Bose Noise Cancelling Headphones

Ad Textual Analysis The ad for the Bose Company shows a picture of a clueless guy rowing a boat with Bose noise cancelling headphones on. Little does he know, he is only a few feet from rowing off of the well-known Niagara Falls. He is clueless because he cannot hear the waterfall because he has the noise cancelling headphones on. At the top of the ad it says “Bose Noise Cancelling Headphones”, with the words “Reduction Headphones” slowly fading off of the page resembling the noise fading away as if you were to just put the headphones on. Many ads have different persuasive purposes and ways of explaining the ad. For instance, some, like the Bose ad, use humor to reel in the audience.
Next, the purpose of this ad is to inform the audience that Bose noise cancelling headphones are so efficient that the user would not even be able to hear a waterfall a few feet away from them. It is also to promote the high quality of Bose products while getting people to laugh. The targeted audiences for this ad are people that work in loud areas or need noise reduction headphones to aid their life.
The quality of this ad and the colors they use are outstanding.
At first glance, you see a giant waterfall with a beautiful display of a variety of colors that stand out the most. At the next glance, you see the man rowing an old-fashioned one-seat boat in the lower right hand corner. It takes a few seconds to understand what exactly is supposed to be going on in the ad. However, as soon as the audience sees the noise reduction headphones on the man’s head they finally realize he cannot hear the waterfall behind him. By letting the audience figure out the ad, it adds to the humor that is already present in the ad. This ad keeps the audience thinking about it by making them wonder what will happen
next.
Astonishingly, Bose uses all three rhetoric strategies in this ad. First, Bose makes an interesting advertisement by using humor in a life-threatening situation. Even though it is a scary thought going off the top of a huge waterfall, Bose adds comic relief because it is very unlikely for this situation to actually occur. Therefore, the audience is able to laugh and understand the pathos portion of the ad. Niagara Falls is one of the most well known landmarks in America. Anyone that has seen the waterfall in person or heard the water crashing as it hits the bottom knows how piercingly loud this national landmark is. Bose uses the popularity of this waterfall to show how amazingly well their product works; this makes it able to fit into the Ethos category as well. Finally, It is also categorized as logos because many people are familiar with the quality and excellence of Bose products. Bose is making a stand by how excellent their products are and their reputation. The man in this photo is very relaxed. He is seen with his shoes off and sunglasses on, leaned back on the boat while slowly rowing down what he thinks is a river. He has the Bose headphones on and appears to be whistling along to the music as he rows the boat down the river. He is completely oblivious to the fact that he is about to row off the edge of a waterfall only a few feet from him. I feel that this advertisement is very effective. People love quality products and by making it seem that this product can eliminate the sounds of a roaring waterfall it makes the product seem very quality and better than any of the other competition. This product is stating that it is so efficient that it can do extraordinary things, like drown out the sounds of a waterfall. The humor in the advertisement makes it most effective. When people laugh they are more likely to remember or recall what it was that they were laughing at. If a person finds something to be humorous they usually share it with their friends. This advertisement probably is more effective than most other advertisements that have almost no printed words with it. This Bose ad has also stirred up a lot of controversy since it was released. Many people are wondering if they have these headphones on and something tragic were to happen would they be able to hear the catastrophe and if so, be able to react to it accordingly. Because of this claim, I do think Bose could have explained the efficient aspect of their product in a different way other than a man almost rowing off the edge of a waterfall because he could not hear it. Bose does a fantastic job at describing it as one of the best noise reduction companies in the market. The say their noise reduction headphones are so effective you will not even be able to hear the water crashing down from the American landmark, the Niagara Falls, which they placed elegantly in the background of the picture. Bose is stating to its audience that they are the best company out of any competition when it comes to noise reduction headphones. Bose also wanted to appeal to Americans by placing an ad next to the Niagara Falls, which is a very common landmark. All companies in today’s world have ads to promote their product. How well the ad is displayed can sometimes determine whether or not the audience will buy that certain product. Many companies try to add humor in their ads to try to get the audience to remember their product. Bose adds humor in their advertisement by having a person row their boat and not be able to hear the Niagara Falls only a few feet from him. The main purpose of all ads is to make a lasting impression on its audience, whether or not it can do that will be how successful the ad will be.
Works Cited
"Bose Noise Reduction Headphones: Waterfall." Ads of the Worldâ„¢. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Jan. 2014.