A Successful Ad Campaign

In our last assignment to this class we are faced with two rhetorical situations. These situations have been disguised in the assignment of coming up with a hypothetical ad campaign for a made up brand of potato chips. The first situation is developing a brand and advertisement for the chips themselves, the second is the pitch or presentation.

In the first part of the assignment we are supposed to create a packaging idea for the chips, a paper ad and either a storyboard or an actual video for a commercial. Each one of these parts have their own challenges but all include fostering a successful argument. The packaging is the first step to talking the first rhetorical situation of advertising. Packaging is often what we associate to a product, it’s the product or in this case the chips, identity. With designing the packaging we need to first develop a logo for the brand which needs to be not only memorable but also not over the top. Along with the logo a slogan for the product needs to be made, this often accompanies a logo and needs to be catchy, meaningful, and short enough to remember. The packaging itself needs to have warm colors that aren’t overwhelming and displays the product. To have a successful paper ad there are a few crucial items. First is a display of the product on a not too loud and cluttered ad. A catch phrase should be front and center with the product and should once again be short and memorable. The ad should be able to capture the essence of the product. Commercials follow much of the same line. Product display is key and the ad should display activities or ideas associated with the product. Along with this there should be an overarching theme and an appeal to the possible customer.

The second half of the assignment is the actual pitch of the new campaign. To have a successful pitch there needs to be a few things related with rhetoric. The pitch of course has to be convincing and persuasive but how can we do this? The primary factor is preparedness, if you don’t plan your pitch you are already doomed. Know what you want to say and how to say it, especially think about who you are speaking to. The next part is sharp graphics, if the things you are presenting look sloppy then so do you. Another thing that goes with graphics is your appearance. It’s an important factor that you as a presenter present yourself well. Those are just some basic ways to be successful.

How to Make the Best Chip

At the beginning of this assignment I began to think about a certain topic related to marketing. This topic in-mind was crucial and although I placed it high on the list of priorities I only looked skin deep. What I’m talking about is differentiating a product, creating a different product from the rest of the competition. When I originally thought of this it only resided in branding, packaging, logo, and motto. But after I read the “Best Chip” article I’ve found that it means so much more than colors, letters, and catchiness. Making a product different than the competition has a lot to do with location, heritage, and taste.

In the article the author explains his experience with potato chips and their vastly different histories and styles. He explains how different processes are found in different regions and how the love of chips is found throughout our country. He even tells the story’s believed to be the ones regarding the creation of the potato chip. Ultimately he describes how this isn’t just a chip, he explains that each potato chip is unique and the styles, cooking methods, and taste varies greatly around the country and regions. He goes on to offer that this American food is so much a part of our culture that we can see people mailing and bringing certain regional chips to friends all over the country.

This article really got me thinking about what we need to do with our project. We need to differentiate our product not just follow the pack. To do this though we need to do much more than just creating unique packaging and a noticeable logo. We need to help create a niche for these kettle chips within the pre-existing one. We need to help develop this chip as a regional taste. To do this we need to highlight this fact on the packaging and even imbed it into our logo and slogan. Eventually we should even inject some southwest Virginia into the ads and commercials. From this regional unique sect we can expand reach out and gain new customers as soon as we develop a strong un-supportive base clientele. 

Potato Chip Ads

Looking at different articles from the chip industry there definitely are some pretty standard ideas. When we think potato chips many chink crunchy and binge inducing. Many brands have pretty consistent ad campaigns and over time these pitches haven’t really changed.

In this ad from quite a few years ago Lay’s highlights the binge factor of its product. This campaign was extremely successful and multiple versions were released all including the same spokesmen. In this ad Lay’s compares its chips to the forbidden fruit from the biblical story of Adam and Eve.

In this ad which fits in with our topic of kettle chips we see some common themes. First we see words like natural and care. There is an emphasis on how the chips were made and the ad itself gives a rustic and simple feeling.

In this ad we see a connection between lays, natural ingredients, and happiness. In the slogan “Happiness is simple” lays wants to show us all that their product is simple and above all makes you happy.

In this ad for kettle chips we once again see a product that is presented as natural and real. This ad falls in line with almost every other lay’s ad in the attempt to seem simple, real, and natural. This ad is unique in the fact that it points of the taste of the chips and how it may be conceived as real to the customer and consumer.

In this ad from a smaller chip producer we see a new twist. Although the themes of rustic and simple prevail we see a new approach. This chip ad attempts to really connect itself to simplicity, old times, and country principles and lifestyle. In other ads for this company they allude to the quality of their chips with funny and clever headlines like this ones, all in an attempt to grab attention.  

Review of Jacob's Argument

"In your paper you do a great job of adding a new twist to what we read in the book. Your argument serves as an excellent rebuttal to the topics and evidence of the original article. In doing this you not only broke down his premise rather well but you also went after his credibility which I thought was a rather great choice. In the beginning of your paper though I had a hard time figuring out what your stance was, not until the third paragraph was I sure you disagreed with the writer. After that though there was no question so possibly consider stating your opinion and stance more clearly earlier on in the argument. Throughout the paper I could tell you really wanted to inject yourself more into the writing and your personal stories definitely helped but I would be interested to see how your paper would feel if you made it less stiff and more personal. Your body utilizes logic and personal narrative very well and you do a good job at refuting the previous articles premise. Something that you may want to address are the individual sins and how they don’t apply to college students, or just specifically at Tech. As for the paragraph on the videos I think this a really interesting idea that students are acting this way, is this a part of the culture? Maybe you should define for the audience what you think student culture is compared to what the media suggests it is. Lastly there are a few grammatical errors here and there , to fix those I would just sit down with someone and have them proofread, as English was my second language I know the struggle."

Miriam's Review

"Your paper certainly kept my attention and honestly was very interesting. You obviously feel strongly personally about this topic and your personal stories help solidify your case even more. However I felt that the paper was less an argument and more like a statement. By statement I mean that you told us a personal story about how this is an issue then never went any further. While you explain where this might be coming from very eloquently you miss a crucial point: how to fix it. This is really important for your argument otherwise it looks like you are just telling us a story about how poverty and family influences the culture of a learning environment. While I liked your paper very much and it was entertaining, I felt like this was serious concern definitely at the end where you just leave us with the problem and no bright future. As for rebuttals to your argument I feel like you really need to think about what anti-arguments of your paper might look like. These will help you add more meat to your paper and push it past just being a story and help it look more like an argument. Using rebuttals you can also shape a solution to the problems you laid out for us. The use of alternate and opposing viewpoints are here but I feel that you should make them more explicit and less implicit. In your conclusion maybe consider talking about what is at stake if we don’t address and fix these issues."

Review of Heath's Paper

"Reading your paper for the first time you definitely got me smiling and laughing as a read along this absurd journey you took on paper. Your personal stories and narrative were very entertaining and the tongue in cheek aspect certainly made it a very fun read for me overall. The introduction was great and while I feel you need to maybe tie it into your topic a little better it definitely got me interested.  Maybe talk about or provide a solution for the issue, a more college like experience? In the main body I feel like you stuck with the same fun voice but you got distracted. While you tried to keep it light and in line with your personality I feel like you lost sight. You drifted away from your topic and I felt confused about what this paper was actually about. I highly suggest re reading your paper and really think about what you are trying to say. Do you want to change censorship or the whole high school educational experience? Also look at giving me examples outside of “Catcher in the Rye” for evidence. In your conclusion it seems that you suggest college is the answer? It seems almost like you want to talk about education as a whole and not just censorship. I would definitely work on providing a more concrete thesis and working on your presentation of evidence. Certainly keep the humor and your personal voice but your paper is actually confusing as far as topic is concerned. Make sure you explain a solution as well for your audience."

Cristian's Argument

Walking into a zoo the senses are bombarded, sights, sounds smells. All amazing, but zoos aren’t just for our consumption and viewing. Zoo’s serve a vital role in education, preservation, and protection of species. Many argue that zoos are an unsafe place for animals but argue that it is exactly the opposite. Zoos provide a necessity that allow species to thrive even after extinction and over-hunting in the wild. Zoos are necessary in this day and age and outside of its consumer basis it can do great things.

Anyone who has been paying attention for the last ten years has probably heard about pandas. Pandas have dwindled in the wild of china but zoos are helping reverse this tide. Zoos here and all over the world in cooperation with china are working to breed in captivity to increase the panda population and return them successfully to the wild. However this isn’t the only case.

Zoos allow animals like the panda to have a second chance in the natural world. While some may say that zoos are damaging to animals I see zoos doing good with limited space. While zoos display animals and sell tickets they use these funds to educate and protect. Often zoos have programs that protect endangered species, some even containing animals that are extinct in the wild. Zoos can provide these animals a second chance. Take the American Grey Wolf for example. After the swift settling of the American Mid-west wolfs were slaughtered in great numbers to protect cattle. Today though after a program set up with Zoos wolves have been re-introduced to Montana and Idaho along with the Dakotas. These wolves are thriving and now because of zoos they have a second shot after being cheated by humanity. These wolfs aren’t the only case, but in fact this is becoming more common.

The original thesis is strong and while it is hard to argue against cute animals in small cages there are areas for improvement. Outside of usual there are some typos that will be easy to fix. I very much like the intro paragraph and I don’t want to see that change too much. Overall the paper is rather good for a first draft but I would like to see more evidence in the body. I feel like you definitely embrace the personal narrative part but linger away from the argument maybe? As for evidence maybe think about another topic. I personally can argue that zoos do have good to them, and while the spaces are small we all know zoos aren’t very well funded in most cases. Zoos struggle for space and land and maybe you can point that out as an issue with our society. As for dealing with counter arguments I would suggest only taking a moment to address them and then give evidence to the contrary but don’t build too big of a straw man. The voice of the paper I think is excellent I would definitely suggest keeping the tone because your personality shines through. 

Jessica's Argument

Students lined up to go in and all are stressing, we talk casually but everyone is inside their heads. I know that now is the time to really perform and my years of schooling are about to be weighed. While thinking all this over the weight of this moment hit me, this will be a score that showcases my abilities to all the colleges I want to attend. The SAT most definitely serves a purpose that is relevant to students as well as colleges. The SAT itself certainly leaves something to be desired however it is a crucial part of college admissions. Standardized testing is here, it’s everywhere and just because you get into a college doesn’t mean you’re done with it. Many will soon take an LSAT or MCAT test and in college a standardized test is a norm in many classes. The SAT allows colleges to see how well you perform in 3 crucial areas, reading, writing, and math. Undoubtedly these are some of the basest concepts to any education or field of study. The SAT allows for demonstration of these critical skills. From this test colleges get a snapshot of how students do in these areas. This plays a large role in the admissions system because not all schools have the staff or the manpower to sift through the tens of thousands of applicants in the 3 month period before decisions are released. Many complain about the culture of stress the exam creates, this isn’t going away anytime soon. College is stressful and a lot of weight is placed on finals which may be a standardized test. The SAT allows colleges to see just how well students can react to this. If you can’t handle the stress of a big test then you might not do so well in college. As for the money, somebody has got to get paid. But beyond that the element of money makes it more serious. If I didn’t have application fees I might have applied to as many colleges as possible, quite frankly wasting selection boards’ time with looking through my application. The SAT fee does two things. Pay the people who grade the tests and also makes the test more serious. With the addition of money students will take their chances at the test seriously from the first shot.

In conclusion I like your argument but there are definitely some counter arguments that you may want to address. The overall flow of your paper is pretty good I didn’t see anything that stood out in a negative aspect. I feel like there definitely could be some work done to your argument though. This topic is rather tricky and you could suffer from many good rebuttal points, I would suggest focusing on this. Really work on thinking ahead and trying to predict anti-arguments. Focusing on these rebuttals I feel that you won’t have any problem with added some meat to your paper as far as the argument goes. Also try to work on the voice a bit more, open up and express yourself more personally throughout the argument.