Clemson's Use of Rhetoric

During the 2010 Clemson football season, the University displayed a thirty-second commercial called “Determined Spirit.” This commercial was played during T.V. network breaks during football games to advertise for the University to perspective students. The commercial opens with Dabo Swinney, the Clemson head football coach, speaking highly of Clemson. He explains that, “you don’t get to pick your mom or dad, you don’t get to pick your color, and you don’t pick the kind of house you live in, but you get to pick the type of attitude you have.” Brandon Clear, a Clemson football player, follows Dabo explaining that Clemson students are strong-minded and are strong willed. While both Dabo and Clear are speaking, a montage of clips of Clemson athletics, academics, and recreation are displayed. The message of the commercial is that settling for anything less that Clemson will just leave you behind following the heard.

Rhetoric, the art of effectively persuading the audience, is displayed in this commercial. Dabo Swinney and Brandon Clear serve as the ethos in this commercial. Ethos is an effective form of rhetoric that uses an appeal to authority or character to induce credibility in the commercial. Swinney and Clear are both serving as recognized ambassadors of Clemson. The two of them give the commercial credibility because the audience is likely to be persuaded by Swinney and Clear.

The rhetoric in this commercial is portraying Clemson as a fun university with great athletics. Having the football coach and a football player describing what it is like to be a Clemson tiger and showing the importance of the athletics at Clemson shows the viewer how great it is to be part of the Clemson family. Clemson also shows the academic side of the university when the endless list of majors and students graduating with “be jealous” written on their hats are displayed. Clemson being displayed as a university that can be appealing to any perspective student because they have everything to offer in addition to a big time sports program.

The music in the background adds to the emotional appeal of the commercial. Clemson University hopes that this video gets perspective students excited and encourages students to apply to Clemson. A peppy and upbeat song in the video instills a positive source or emotion in the view. If the song playing in the background of this video were mundane, it would not spark the emotion for perspective students to be excited about coming to Clemson. In addition, using Clemson’s motto of having a “determined spirit” adds to the emotion appeal of the commercial. Have a university filled with determined students says a lot for Clemson and will encourage other students to want to be apart of Clemson’s determined spirit.

I believe that Clemson’s argument displayed in the commercial is accurate and persuasive. The rhetoric seen in the video effectively reaches the audience and definitely makes its point; Clemson is a great university filled with determined students who value their sports programs. The prospective students who viewed this commercial on T.V, most likely, are sports fans because this commercial was aired during the football games. Clemson effectively uses rhetoric in their commercial, “Determined Spirit,” to encourage perspective students to consider Clemson University.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sAvUs4JGJEU