Lecky 1 Whitney Lecky ENGL 1001 Professor Hinnant 10/9/2013 Rhetorical Analyzing Starbucks Starbucks is a well-known company who

advertises their product through many ways. It has been doing very well and their advertisements have been catching the eyes of many people. The success of this company has been impeccable and they continue to strive with business each and every day. They are mainly known for how great and flavorful their coffee is, but they also are known for having great customer service. Starbucks is always coming up with new ways and new ideas for getting their product out there and to get more customers through the doors. In an online magazine ad that was found, there are many different aspects of it that can be rhetorically analyzed. One of the aspects that can be analyzed is the color choice of the ad. The color choice of the whole advertisement is very appealing to the eye. All of the colors are cool colors and are not obnoxious to the eye. They also did not include any colors that would seem kiddish or appealing to the younger generation because Starbucks attracts adults or older teens due to the fact that they drink coffee more. The color green is spread throughout and that stands for wealth. People with money generally are the ones who go out and buy coffee. Starbucks is known for being such a high-quality brand and since it has such high-quality, it tends to be on the expensive side for each cup one can buy. The color green also stands for richness, which stands for how rich the coffee is. The coffee Starbucks serves is not ones typical cheap brand of coffee. It is rich in flavor and even has specific names that sound fancy such as venti and grande. Since the color green is clear and pops on the page, they want their
Comment [B3]: I dont have a clear mental picture of what your ad looks like at this point. In revision, you may want to consider giving your reader a brief summary of your text so they can follow you the rest of the way through. Comment [WL4]: Add in more info on what this ad looks like Comment [WL5]: Say what colors are actually in the ad Comment [B6]: What colors are they specifically, and what makes cooler colors less obnoxious? Comment [B7]: This term feels informal. I think you may want to choose another. Also, what are kiddish colors? Comment [B2]: The wording in these first few sentences is awkward at places. Really watch how you engage with language. Comment [B1]: Id like a more creative title!

Lecky 2 audience to know this. The color choice is also the color of the actual Starbucks brand and they want to stick to these colors .The color is also very evident in yet another piece of this ad, the actual Starbucks logo. The Starbucks logo is evident in two places, one being on the cup and one being at the bottom of the page. One of their logos is placed on the big cup in the picture. This logo is clearly blown up big so that it easily draws their audience in and has them look at it first. It has bold color and big writing. On the logo itself, it shows a woman who almost looks like she is a queen or a goddess. She has long wavy hair and is wearing a crown-like object. This shows that if someone drinks their coffee, they will also be like the person on the logo and feel like royalty. The goddess girl is also white on a black background so this image of her pops when looking at the logo. This logo could also be looked at in a different way. Someone view the logo as an eye. If they were to see it as an eye, they black would represent the pupil and the image of the girl would be what they were seeing. This would mean that the girl is what they are looking at in their eyes and that they are looking at the royalty. The royalty would be represented in the good cup of coffee they are handed to that is rich in flavor. There are also stars on two sides that represent the star-quality of the brand one is purchasing. These stars could also represent that stars and people of high- class drink this coffee, so if someone wants to also be of high-class then they need to drink this cup of coffee. The one at the bottom of the page was put there so that it would be the last thing a reader would see. It will be stuck in their minds after they close out a web-page or flip the page in their magazine. The logo is very important to Starbucks because the logo represents them. When someone sees this logo, they know it is Starbucks that is involved. Below the lower logo is a banner.
Comment [B10]: Im not sure how well this transition is working. Comment [WL11]: In this paragraph try not to use the word logo so much Comment [B9]: Im not sure Im following you here. Push hard to explain this more clearly. Comment [B8]: Some of the connections in here are strong, but I feel like youre not fully explaining yourself at points. Theres probably another reason for the green that you havent yet mentioned.

Lecky 3 The banner at the bottom is a bright green color that makes ones eyes drift down to the lower end of the ad. It has text on it that says ITS NOT JUST COFFEE, ITS STARBUCKS which has a lot to say even though it looks simple. First of all, all of the words except for Starbucks are not bolded. This shows that the word Starbucks is clearly the important part of it and that they wanted it to stand out. The phrase means that they are not a typical coffee, they are their own special kind of coffee and they think their coffee is better than their competitors. They also made the writing white on a green banner making the text pop out at someone. Another thing that pops is the big cup and the big straw. The cup and straw are huge on this page. Since they are so huge, it makes a reader go and see that as one of the first things they see when they open up to view the ad. The cup is clearly the main focal point and they made this the focal point because it is the product. They want the reader to physically see what they are selling. They also had a straw inside of the cup. The straw is placed near the top and is bright green. The angling of the straw makes a persons eye follow down to the big cup of Starbucks coffee. The cup is white and showcases the logo on it making it stand out and so that a person does not focus on the cup itself, but more of the logo. Next to the cup, big words are showcased. The words IF YOUR COFFEE ISNT PERFECT, WELL MAKE IT OVER. IF ITS NOT STILL PERFECT MAKE SURE YOURE IN A STARBUCKS. are shown in very large text on this ad. Since the words are so large, a reader would instantly read them. The saying is easy to understand and clearly states that Starbucks thinks their coffee is perfect and if it is not perfect then they will make it perfect. This saying would appeal to a lot of readers because it shows that Starbucks cares a lot about their customers and making them the perfect product. People who enjoy good customer service and the perfect cup of coffee, may decide to lean
Comment [B12]: Youre transitioning this way at the end of every paragraph. Try to play around with your technique a little!

Lecky 4 towards this brand of coffee because they are willing to put good quality in every time. The words coffee and perfect are also seen first so most likely the reader will see perfect coffee and want to read what the text says. The words are in a simple text, but they are bolded to show the words have a bold meaning. Since they also are known to have good coffee, they want one to know that they are willing to keep making customers happy and that happiness is really important to them. The lid is an indicator of a lot of things. For one, it shows that the coffee the person who had this specific cup was so good they needed to take the lid off to get the last sips of it. It is also very large in size so it draws a persons eye down to the bottom more. The lid also shows that the consumer drank all of the coffee and did not just take a few drinks and throw it away. The consumer had to be satisfied with the coffee in order to do so and this means that the consumer had good customer service and a great cup of coffee. This would make a reader think that they would most likely be in the same situation as the person who had the coffee in the picture. Behind this lid, there is a blurry background. The background is a blurry image of a city, but even though it is blurry, it still stands for something important. It indicates that most people who would be more interested in this product are people on the go and who are busy. Generally people who are not on the go would just make their coffee at home, which is uncommon if someone has a hectic job in the city. Often these people are found in cities and live in or see buildings like the one blurred in the background. It also indicates that since this product is in cities, it can often be seen as a trendy thing to do and more people might want to catch onto this trend. Society these days likes to catch onto trends and like to be in the now so they would also want to drink this coffee as well. Although all of
Comment [B14]: Im not sure I buy this. Just because they enjoyed the coffee doesnt mean they enjoyed the customer service. Comment [B13]: Strong connections in here!

Lecky 5 these aspects of the advertisement could be viewed in different ways, they were put there for a reason.
Comment [B15]: Im not sure how well this conclusion is working.

Whitney, Nice work. Overall I think that the arguments and connections you make throughout are strong and believable. Im particularly intrigued by the second half of your analysis. All your arguments concerning the ideas of perfect coffee, city life, and full consumption are incredibly persuasive. However, I feel like the first half of your analysis is much weaker and still needs some work in terms of development and expansion. You say, for instance, that the ad uses cool colors and avoids juvenile colors, but you never tell me what those colors are specifically or why they matter, other than the fact that kids arent as prone to drink coffee. You also talk about green in terms of wealth or richness, and you make strong arguments, but I feel like youre leaving out the most important symbolic interpretation of green. Think that over and see if adding it in might add to your analysis. There are also some places where your language gets a little spotty and I have trouble understanding what youre trying to say. Because you want to sound like the expert/authority in this piece, you have to make sure youre being direct and clear at all times. Id also like to see you play around with your transitions a little. After the third paragraph they get pretty predictable, and I want to see you playing around with different styles and methods!