TOW #16- Visual Text: Huggies Advertisement

Huggies is one of the world's most recognized diaper brand. Huggies' parent company Kimberly Clark has been around since the 19th century and have a strong consumer market due to their use from generation to generation. Huggies is already established as a credible diaper company. This leaves room for their advertisements to play with emotion and reasoning to attract consumers. 

In this particular advertisement Huggies toys with humor as a rhetorical device, specifically satire. The ad reads: "Don't irritate your new boss." Joining the quote is a picture of a baby, meticulously groomed to resemble the typical wall-street type of man: Big collar, slicked back hair, rolled up sleeves - think Tom Cruise as Les Grossman in Tropic Thunder. The image is extremely satirical. It's strongest attribute is the humor of the baby. Obviously, the baby is not a corporate boss. However, babies, have a notorious tendency to become the boss of the house due to their infantile needs, even though it is unintended. Also, the term "irritate" can make mothers cringe. This phrase is a double entendre. "Irritate" can also indicate a rash or irritation of the baby's skin. This would cause even more crying and attention focused on their "new boss." 

The Huggies brand does a fabulous job of appealing to their wide demographic of mothers through this advertisement. Because Huggies has established credibility through years of successful diaper sales and satisfied mothers and baby bottoms, the advertisement (rightfully) lacks an appeal to ethos. Nevertheless, the humorous baby steals the show. The hilarious image successfully appeals both to pathos and logos. A baby should not be irritated by diapers, therefore buy huggies and your "boss" will not be irritated, making the mother's life easier. 

TOW #15- Article: "Anchor Management" by Jonah Weiner

Ron Burgundy and the Channel 4 News Team have already changed nightly network news forever - what does Burgundy have in store for this hilarious sequel? Jonah Weiner shadows Will Ferrell for a day on the set of Anchorman 2 in this article for Rolling Stone. Ron Burgundy, Will Ferrel's self-described favorite character is - or rather was - the anchor of the Channel 4 News team in San Diego until his girlfriend, Veronica Corningstone stole his spotlight. Many members of his team, including stars such as Steve Carrel and Paul Rudd's characters have gone in directions other than news. That's where the second movie picks up and that's where the author of this article, Jonah Weiner, joins the cast and crew in filming. 

Weiner moves chronologically through his day, starting with different takes on the set. The entire article is less of an investigation and more of an appraisal of ingenious director Adam McKay and Will Ferrel's improvisational and writing skills. "In Ferrell’s hands, Ron is as indelible a portrait of puffed-up American masculinity as our culture has mustered: “At first glance, you think he’s really self-confident, but he’s such an insecure guy,” says Ferrell. “His confidence supplants knowledge.” Anchorman’s director, Adam McKay, who wrote both movies (and runs a production company, Gary Sanchez) with Ferrell, says, “That’s stuff we both love: guys who project great authority and competence, but behind it there’s just f***ing chaos, incompetence, derangement or pure self-interest.” " Weiner's use of humor and quotes from people on and off the screen provide his audience with varying perspectives that are usually unattainable to the average movie-goer. It's safe to say that Anchorman 2 will be a huge success. Weiner has showed his readers a behind-the-scenes look at the key figures involved in making this hilarious movie possible. 

TOW #14 - Article: "Encouraging Economic Report Reveals More Americans Delusional Enough To Start Their Own Business" - The Onion

The Onion proudly refers to itself as: "America's Finest News Source." Readers of The Onion quickly realize the entire news source is drowning in satire; almost nothing factual or newsworthy is every written on The Onion. In a period of Economic rebuilding, America is coming out of a recession and many "real" newspapers report on the country's economy. The Onion has written a completely satirical article about Americans "delusional" enough to open a new business in this economy. The article is bluntly titled: "Encouraging Economic Report Reveals More Americans Delusional Enough To Start Their Own Business." This news source relies entirely on sarcasm and satire to reach their readers in this article. Throughout the article facts are sprinkled in between long satirical rants in attempt to make the article appear credible. For example: "The report, which described its findings as “highly encouraging for near-term economic growth,” confirmed that over 200,000 small businesses were founded in 2013 by entrepreneurial Americans who have completely and utterly lost their grip on reality, and noted that the number of bold and frankly insane Americans applying for new business permits had risen markedly over the past year." While the onion provides laughs to its readers, it is not a credible source. The article also exemplifies extreme bias towards its arguments: “Every day, we’re seeing more entrepreneurs who are deluded to such a degree that they are confidently investing their entire life savings in new and unquestionably ill-fated restaurants, storefronts, and online businesses.” The author of this article simply does not provide enough evidence to support his harsh claim. It is obvious that The Onion does not want to be a credible news source. Their satire and sarcasm work hand in hand to create a news article that has some - if very little - relevance in life.