Rhetorical Analysis of Pepsi's 'Way of the Kung Fu' Commercial
Pepsi “Way of the Kung Fu” Commercial: Rhetorical Tools
PepsiCo pushes their top product Pepsi in the commercial “Way of the Kung Fu.” This commercial is meant for anyone that drinks soda, but it appeals to Americans who are interested in pop culture and understand the humor put forth in the commercial. The Pepsi commercial employs tools, such as contrived narrative, repetition, humor and bandwagon.
This commercial contains a popular storyline seen in many films and television shows. A young American boy knocks on the doors of what seems to be a Buddhist temple where is taken in by the master. First they shave his head then train him like they would anyone else, of course he fails and fails again. Time passes and he is shown in his late teens, early twenties at this time he has mastered all of the Kung Fu moves, which he displays. After displaying his moves his last test was to drink a Pepsi and then smash it with his head to receive the seal of approval upon his forehead like the rest of the monks. The commercial ends with the young man being accepted by the rest of the monks and surrounded in a celebratory fashion of American culture not the typical Buddhist culture.
The whole commercial is a contrived narrative, at the very beginning a young boy knocks on the doors of this palace then from there on the commercial follows the boy till he achieves his goal and becomes a member of the palace. Following the failures and successes of the main character gives the viewer a background story for the ending when the main character smashes a Pepsi can with his head.
As one of the most recognizable brands around the globe it is a surprise that the Pepsi logo isn’t shown till the end of the commercial. Instead a different symbol is shown throughout on the door to the palace, the forehead of the members and the flags around the palace. Towards the end of the commercial you realize what the symbol really is, it’s the top of the can. The repetition of this
PepsiCo pushes their top product Pepsi in the commercial “Way of the Kung Fu.” This commercial is meant for anyone that drinks soda, but it appeals to Americans who are interested in pop culture and understand the humor put forth in the commercial. The Pepsi commercial employs tools, such as contrived narrative, repetition, humor and bandwagon.
This commercial contains a popular storyline seen in many films and television shows. A young American boy knocks on the doors of what seems to be a Buddhist temple where is taken in by the master. First they shave his head then train him like they would anyone else, of course he fails and fails again. Time passes and he is shown in his late teens, early twenties at this time he has mastered all of the Kung Fu moves, which he displays. After displaying his moves his last test was to drink a Pepsi and then smash it with his head to receive the seal of approval upon his forehead like the rest of the monks. The commercial ends with the young man being accepted by the rest of the monks and surrounded in a celebratory fashion of American culture not the typical Buddhist culture.
The whole commercial is a contrived narrative, at the very beginning a young boy knocks on the doors of this palace then from there on the commercial follows the boy till he achieves his goal and becomes a member of the palace. Following the failures and successes of the main character gives the viewer a background story for the ending when the main character smashes a Pepsi can with his head.
As one of the most recognizable brands around the globe it is a surprise that the Pepsi logo isn’t shown till the end of the commercial. Instead a different symbol is shown throughout on the door to the palace, the forehead of the members and the flags around the palace. Towards the end of the commercial you realize what the symbol really is, it’s the top of the can. The repetition of this