A Rhetorical Analysis of the Hallmark’s Commercial
The highly emotional and moving Hallmark commercial emphasizes the special bond that the mothers have with their children during their lifetime. As a well-known card company, Hallmark’s primary goal is to become a part of one’s special moments in life that deserve to be appreciated by the exchange of greeting cards. The target audience of this commercial engages those who are closely connected with their families or those who strive to create one and share their love and support. The main idea of the video expresses that nothing can prepare us for the day when our children grow up and detach from parents’ support and guidance in life. Nothing can also prepare us for the day when our children finally understand the unconditional and the most genuine love that dedicated parents can provide for their families.
The video conveys its message through an emotionally moving image of a caring mother and the process of her child maturing and eventually becoming a parent one day. The in-depth analysis of communication and the meaning behind it contributes to understanding the values and ideology that the author aims to deliver through the text. More specifically, a rhetorical analysis is focused on the interpretation of a language to influence other people through classic rhetorical means, such as ethos, pathos, and logos. Hallmark commercial covers all three rhetorical appeals to communicate with the target audience in a genuine manner.
Concerning the first aspect, ethos is promoted by selecting appropriate language and vocabulary related to the motherhood topic, designing professional communication through the video, and a logical connection between the main ideas of Hallmark’s commercial. The commercial associates a mother with a hero and highlights the little privileges of being a mother. By demonstrating the genuine issues of being a mother and raising a child, Hallmark proves its credibility to the audience. The final scene warmly depicts a new grandmother receiving a note of appreciation from her daughter, who recently became a mother. This moment and the way it makes someone feel truly incorporates the ethos principle of trust and credibility.
Consequently, the emotional side of media communication is related to pathos, which facilitates emotions to make people act. The #CareEnough commercial used simple and meaningful language; however, it manages to provoke a strong emotional tone of voice by depicting the most crucial moments of parenthood. Hallmark’s video begins and concludes with similar childhood moments but with different generations to emphasize the lifecycle phase of being a mother and how her daughter perceives it later. One of the most touching scenes is a mother and a child having fun in the bathroom. However, it might be a moment when she makes her last bubble beard. The commercial pays particular attention to simple moments, such as caring kids up to bed or having them greet you like a hero when you come back home. Pathos is used through the strong images and words that provoke a strong emotional attachment to Hallmark and its commercial.
The third aspect, logos, is associated with the effort anyone can take to convince the target audience by adopting logic and reason in the text. Although the commercial is not supported by logical reasoning, facts, textual evidence, or historical data, it is defined by the analogy with the episodes of real-life to which many women can relate. The commercial presents the lifelike and not idealized image of motherhood and identifies crucial moments shared as a mother and a child. Therefore, Hallmark’s main argument is that when you care enough to cherish every moment, you can change the world. The logos are also enhanced by the specific message to the viewer regarding the special moments shared by a mother and her children, especially when they grow up and decide to start their own families. These little moments matter because they are strongly missed when the children grow up and, thus, they can never be replaced.
The true image of motherhood is yet genuine and rewarding when choosing this path. The video aims to remind the audience that sometimes motherhood can be extremely challenging, but your efforts always count and are worth every cherished moment. Having a caring family might be true luck within modern unstable society and, therefore, should be appreciated accordingly. When analyzing the viewers’ comments, it is said that Hallmark’s commercial makes a powerful impact on each one of the viewers. Some of the viewers might particularly relate to a certain stage in life depicted in the video and rethink their relationships with mothers. Without any doubt, our mothers change the world by caring enough to cherish every moment, which is a well-designed slogan to influence the target audience and make a change.
Hallmark’s video accurately communicates to the audience through three key rhetorical appeals by using ethics, emotions, and logic. The compassionate image and adequately chosen phrases that mothers commonly use create the cohesive and structured message covered in the main commercial hashtag #CareEnough. To conclude, the communication and media role implies influencing and persuading the audience to make a significant change. Hallmark’s commercial uses ethos, in the beginning, to establish the company’s creditability and promote mutual trust with the audience. The logos are applied to argue and deliver critical points of the video. Ultimately, pathos helps to both begin and finalize the commercial to enhance the emotional appeal and, therefore, accomplish the main objective of the #CareEnough campaign.