Dove Onslaught

I. At the center of the “Dove Onslaught” commercial is the constant barrage of visual, audible, and textual advertisements that society receives from the media to improve physical appearance, and strive for perfection.

II. Rhetorical Devices to Analyze:
A. Visual
1. As the commercial progresses, the methods for changing someone’s body become increasingly more dramatic and extreme. The audience starts by being a witness to simple bus stop billboards, and magazine covers, but by the end of the advertisement, society is watching females resorting to plastic surgery to alter their bodies.
2. During the video, the images and video clips that the viewers are hit with are very fast paced. This is obviously intentional, as it prohibits the people watching the clip from consuming each little detail from each ad. Society is forced to absorb this commercial strictly from the surface, and isn’t given the chance to fully comprehend what they are watching.

B. Audio
1. The music is very up-tempo and fast paced. Its quick pace serves as a major distraction for the viewers during the video. The music doesn’t allow the audience to digest and analyze the video at first glance. The people who watch this are only able to glance upon each segment, because the rhythmic organization of the music is almost chaotic, just like the clip itself.
2. At the beginning of the video, the phrase “here it comes” is repeated five times before the onslaught of advertisements and infomercials appear on the screen. This serves as a type of warning to the viewer, notifying them that something is indeed about to begin, and that the people watching should get ready to absorb the following information.

C. Text
1. During the video, words serve as another way society is constantly flooded with persuasive material meant to convince people to purchase/consume the body altering products. Flashes of diet, perfect, transform, etc. come across the screen. This is meant give the viewer just enough time to read the word and accept it for it’s face value, which in turn leads to people desiring the change of their bodies.
2. There are several quotes in the video that convey messages to the audience. Each of them either try to give hope to the viewer, by saying that you can stay away from the media, and that it is better to pursue “true beauty” in life, rather than the fake appearance fashion magazines and media tell us to achieve. In addition, viewers of this commercial are also reminded that this is in fact sponsored by Dove, and it is used as a way to gain popularity for the company. This is achieved because the audience is led to believe that Dove Company truly believes in the “true beauty,” and that you can achieve such looks by using dove products.

III. Three specific quotes from the video.
A. “Dove Onslaught”
1. The first thing this quote tells the audience, is that this commercial is sponsored by the Dove Company, and that it is obviously has the intention of convincing more people to go purchase Dove products. The viewers are being coaxed into believe that Dove is pure, and that they are accepting of natural beauty; they don’t believe in the fake appearance presented in the video; that by using their products, you will achieve real beauty.
2. The second thing this quote tells the audience is that we are going to be hit hard by either the severity or the number of clips in the following video. In this specific case, both affect viewers. We see dozens upon dozens of different methods Dove uses to get their point across. In addition, the subject that this video is linked to is very close to a lot of people’s hearts. Many people believe that the only way to achieve their physical goals is through supplements and surgery. Furthermore, most people want to change they way their appearance, and are willing to do almost anything to do so. Thus, this advertisement relates to everyone in some sense, making it a very powerful video.

B. “You’ll look younger, smarter, lighter, firmer, tighter, thinner, softer.”
1. These words are not said by the same person, but rather each adjective is presented to us by a different spokesperson from a different infomercial. They are used to persuade people to buy the respective products in each of the commercials.
2. The media says that the supplements the audience sees on television every single day will make all of these changes to your body, which in turn will naturally lead to a happier life. Society wants to look more like all of these words, and the only way possible, and least in the eyes of the media, is to consume/purchase all of the products/methods that are given to the audience in the video.

C. “Talk to your daughter before the beauty industry does.”
1. This quote offers a bit of hope to the viewers of the video, by saying that if the mothers of society take their daughters to the side, and talk to them about the dangers and falsities of the media’s communication, that society will be able to change for the good and begin to pursue real natural beauty that every woman has, instead of trying to fit into a culturally desired model-like look.
2. This quote is down right frightening. The fact that the media and the beauty industry has as much influence on a young woman’s life as their parents do, that is so wrong. The fact that the audience has to worry about losing their daughters and sons to commercials and advertisements is horrifying. In fact, that is the purpose of this video, to instill fear into the mothers and fathers of society. With a new sense of fear, parental units will be forced to have that talk with their children, in an attempt to save them.

IV. In summation, “Dove Onslaught” is a company sponsored video advertisement used to show the visual, audible, and textual modes that the media uses to coax people into altering their physical appearance to fit into the cultural norm; however, if the audience decides to ignore the media, Dove will be there to help them achieve true beauty.