Live Action Ad : Ford

This commercial is advertising the car company Ford. It commits the fallacy Appeal to Authority because it uses Wayne Gretzky, the famous hockey player. He endorses his opinion on this product even though it is in an area that he is not an expert. The ad is directed at those who have a drivers license and are able to drive a car and specifically at those people who are hockey fans.

At the beginning of this commercial, Wayne Gretzky pulls up in a red Ford between two other cars colored white and light grey. I noticed the use of a bright, electric color for the Ford car between two dull colored cars. Also, the Ford car happens to be a fancy convertible, sports car whereas the other cars are vans. In a sense, this is promoting the fact that if you buy Ford vehicles, you will be ‘cool’. Next in the commercial, one guy honks their horn at Wayne Gretzky and he waves. Then the guy on the other side of him honks his horn and Wayne waves again. The first guy realizes that the horns together sound like the Hockey Night in Canada theme song. This makes the connection with hockey fans. When the ad cuts to Wayne laughing then saying ‘Must be playoff time’ he is wearing a beige jacket with a blue Ford logo on the chest. This stands out from the black seats of the car he is in. To make a smooth transition into talking about their vehicles, Ford calls their event ‘Playoff Payoff’. After talking about this event and their vehicles, Wayne comes back on the screen to say ‘Built for life in Canada’. This phrase is also written at the bottom of the screen in white lettering, accompanied by a Ford logo in white and blue. These things pop from the screen because the colors behind them are black and brown. After this, the two guys honk the Hockey theme song again, but the last note is much lower and comes from a big Ford truck which you can see in a review mirror. The guy who started this honking then looks scared and stops. This in a sense is saying that if you own a Ford truck you will have more power on the road than someone who owns a van.

Sound in this commercial is very important. At the beginning, the only sound is coming from the horns, which form the Hockey Night in Canada theme song. Once the commercial begins explaining about their special event and vehicles, the theme song is played with instruments giving it a full band sound. At the end of the commercial, the theme song is played with just the car horns again, but the last note is much lower and comes from a big truck, which prompts the other vans to stop honking their horns.

In getting Wayne Gretzky to promote their product, Ford is able to appeal to hockey vans, in addition to the average person with a drivers license.