While watching biology lessons this past week on YouTube I came across a variety of commercials. One that caught my eye in particular was the “Cop Code” Geico commercial. It starts with the rhetorical question “how much does Geico love saving people money on car insurance?” Then follows with “more than police love speaking in code”. It shows a clip of two police officers discussing an incident that had occurred earlier. One cop has bandages on his arm due to a Guinea pig biting him. Apparently it was very scary. Originally the animal was deemed a 10-66 (suspicious person), then a 10-70 (prowler), a finally 10-91V (vicious animal). They joke the angry animal almost called for a 10-44 (SWAT). It ends with 10-4 (they both understand). You would have to see it to fully understand, but you get the point.
Rhetorical analysis of this commercial starts with its purpose. Geico wants to sell its insurance by publicizing it in a advertisement. It builds credibility throughout. This is a visual mode that can be accessed one a TV or computer/phone. The tone of the characters is lighthearted and conversational. It grabs the audience’s attention by joking, but also because who doesn’t want to save money. Anyone watching this who drives a car is interested and if not at least amused. This can be any gender, age, or demographic. The commercial also uses rhetorical appeals- especially pathos (emotion) and logos (logic). It uses the narrative, the cops language, and the sounds/colors in the ad to invoke feelings that Geico is trustworthy and should be your insurance. They prove their claim by stating a fact in the beginning and equating it to another proven fact (cops love codes). In about 15 seconds the option to choose them is seemingly logical. Overall Geico is a very crafty company. They persuade you by using narrative.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KrQ_uOnzNhE