Rhetorical Analysis

In Anita Elberse’s opinion article, “Risks and rewards of celebrity endorsements”, she explains how essential it is to have celebrity endorsements to be truly successful. Her claim is that the rewards of relying on endorsers very likely far outweigh the risks. She goes on to give evidence saying that she found that sales for brands jumped an average of 4 percent in the first six months following an endorsement deal. Also that endorsed film’s can be expected to increase nearly a quarter percent and they continually increase every time the athlete secures a major victory. The audience of this article is just anyone who takes an interest in the topic. She is trying to sway her opinion that celebrity endorsements are good for all those who think they are not and saying it to anyone that will listen. What motivated Elberse to write this, the occasion of the article, is mostly the partnership between Accenture and Tiger Woods, how Woods had a negative impact on its reputation so they decided to drop him after a six-year relationship. The purpose is to explain that even though Accenture dropped Woods, endorsements are overall successful. Elberse’s argument could have been stronger if she had used all three rhetorical appeals instead of just logos which is the only one expressed in this article. Despite that flaw she is still very adamant that the idea of celebrity endorsements is booming, and gives several reasons why.

Elberse says that endorsements work as well as they do because 1) celebrities help firms to tap into their fan base, 2) endorsements trigger sales by reassuring consumers of the quality of the endorsed brand, and 3) an alliance with an endorser can convey important information about an attribute that helps differentiate a brand from its competitors. Her reasons very well portray the basis of endorsements, but what she leaves out are the negative effects of celebrity endorsements. Elberse doesn’t explain any other views. She does say that “marketers who rely on athlete endorsers know they can be in for a rocky road…and they need to adapt accordingly.” She acknowledges the fact that having an endorser can be tough at times but ultimately it is worth it because of all the success the company gains from them. What about the negative effects? This article clearly neglects any possibility that endorsements can be harmful. In my opinion, even though Elberse explains very well all the positive points of endorsements, there are also negative views, and I am going to explain them in my argument.

Rebuttal: Pre-Writing

Media effects way people view things. Can change your mind. Make you feel something you wouldn't have felt without it. Celebrity endorsment sells. Just by having a celebrity in an ad can up sales. Many companies use this. TV commercials, magazines, etc. Changes the way people think...So this is cool? I need to have these new shoes? This will help me become more popular? When looking at the media people take on different views of the world. They become obsessed and feel they need to have certain things. Media uses this to their advantage, they try to make people feel as if they need their item.

My Editorial Topic

Risks and rewards of celebrity endorsements
By Anita Elberse


http://www.cnn.com/2009/OPINION/12/16/elberse.athlete.endorsements.tiger.woods/index.html

Editorial- Pre Writing

I viewed The Breeze when trying to find editorials that I took interest in. I found that I prefer the type of articles that relate to my age group such as “A Perfectly Planned Pregnancy” or “Darts and Pats” rather that the articles on Health Care and Democrats. Although the articles that I prefer are harder to come by, it is worth it because they are something I can write a lot about and seriously take an interest in. There were many articles on Haiti, since that is such a hot topic right now. This is something I also see myself writing about, because it is so recent and I would actually like to learn more about it. But this topic is also a little intimidating to me because I feel as if I would have to do a lot of research because I am not that familiar to what is going on with everything, so there would be a lot to learn prior to even writing about it. So if I had to choose an article, based on the ones I have viewed so far, I would probably choose “A Perfectly Planned Pregnancy”. This article is the opinion of Elizabeth Baugh on the realities of teen pregnancy. She has a very strong opinion about how a movie about teen pregnancy highlighted all the good and now the downfalls of getting pregnant at a very young age. She used negative words such as “getting knocked-up” and had a totally negative view on teen pregnancy. If I was to respond to this I would try to make people look at the positive perspective. Out of all the articles I viewed, this type is what I would take most interest in. I feel that I could really express my opinion because it is something would keep my attention enough to write a paper on.

Madeline: Childhood Reflection Assignment

“In an old house in Paris that was covered with vines, lived twelve little girls in two straight lines... the smallest one was Madeline.” As a child I watched the movie Madeline religiously, whenever I heard those words I would get into the mindset that I was one of the twelve girls living in the boarding school together. I wanted to be with them as they brushed their teeth in unison, and when they all slept in the same room whispering in the night, and I wanted to wear the same blue cloak and hat tied with red ribbon as the twelve little girls living in Paris. Madeline was the fearless, outspoken one that I had always aspired to be like; because she was the opposite of me as a child, I was very shy. This movie made me realize how important it is to stick together with your friends for something you’re passionate about, just as these girls did to save their beloved boarding school.

Madeline and her 11 friends lived at a school run by Miss Clavel in an old house in Paris. The future of the school was in jeopardy when its domineering owner, Lord Covington, decided to sell it. But with the help of the devilish son of the Spanish Ambassador who lived next door, the resourceful Madeline hatched a plot to save their adored home. But along the way the children encountered some adventures including being saved by the dog Genevieve in the Seine River, kidnappers on a visit to the circus, and eventually saving the boarding school as they all had so dearly wished. Madeline never lost hope when trying to save her home; she was never less than bold and confident, and would do anything to stay with her friends that she saw as her sisters.

Looking back at this movie now I can see why it was so special to me. These girls had such a special bond, and loved each other very much. They made me see what it like is to be a true friend, that being shy wasn’t the way to get something you truly want. I looked up to Madeline because she wasn’t afraid of anything, as I was afraid of so much as a child. She taught me to not be shy or scared and to go after what I desired no matter what, and I still live by that today. In the famous words of Madeline “That’s all there is—there isn’t anymore.”