99 Commercial Analysis: “The Chevrolet Commercial”

Emily Rosas

Dr. J. Logan Smilges

English 1013.01

15 December 2021

The Chevrolet Commercial

     Chevrolet, also known simply as Chevy, is a well-known American automobile manufacturer. Similar to other car brands, Chevy has consumers that either love the cars produced or they don’t, leading to the manufacturers creating advertisements and commercials in order to draw in more customers. Chevy released a commercial in 2014, that follows a girl through her life, showing all the ups and downs she encounters. The girl deals with breakups, new boyfriends, graduation, and learning how to drive with her dog right by her side. The commercial goes through the girl’s life in reverse order, starting with what seems to be a gloomy veterinarian visit for her dog and slowly going back through her life until it ends with her first picking the dog. In order to achieve their goal of selling more vehicles, the commercial features a Chevy in subtle ways, such as when the girl is learning how to drive. The commercial ends on a clip of a Chevy with text reading, “A best friend for life’s journey,” which applies to both the dog and the Chevy. It is clear that this company’s commercial is trying to relate how you rely on a dog to how you can rely on a Chevy, furthering Chevrolet’s overall purpose of persuading consumers to buy Chevys.

The commercial uses an aural mode of communication through music and small amounts of dialogue. For instance, throughout the commercial, a piano soundtrack is utilized, which  contributes to the overall feel and mood of the piece. Music can be perceived as either happy or sad, but it is clear that the music in the commercial is meant to create a sad and sentimental feeling in viewers. The music used is probably written in a minor mode, which portrays sadness. The music also has a slower tempo, which also contributes to the viewer’s identifying the music as somber and heavy-hearted.

The commercial also uses a visual mode of communication through imagery. The commercial has a tint or filter on it that is dark blue or gray in color, which can both create a dreary and emotional mood. As well as the tint, there is a lack of bright colors throughout the commercial, with any bright colors being muted and the overall use of softer colors. Thus, a nostalgic look and feel of the commercial is achieved through the effective use of aural and visual modes.

What’s more, the Chevy commercial strongly relies on the use of rhetorical appeals to persuade viewers that Chevys truly are “a best friend for life’s journey.” Since Chevrolet is claiming to be there through life’s journey, the company wants viewers to assume that it is only logical to buy a Chevy instead of a car that will not be as reliable or last as long as a Chevy is suggested to last. This appeal may be the only use of logos in the commercial, but it is an effective and strong use of logos. Throughout the commercial, it is also clear that the writers and director heavily used pathos to further the company’s commercial purpose. Pathos is an appeal to emotions and feelings and proves to be an effective method for Chevrolet to turn viewers into consumers. As mentioned previously, the commercial starts off with a clip of the dog in a veterinarian’s office. Viewers can only assume that this is showing the moments before the dog is euthanized, which is a very sad and emotional moment for any dog owner. This is one way the commercial uses pathos, as many people can relate to the loss of a loved pet or at least feel a sense of sympathy for the girl in the commercial. The commercial is effective in the utilization of pathos as many of the comments on YouTube, where the commercial can be viewed, suggest. Many viewers claimed to have teared up or even cried after watching the girl and dog’s journey through life.

In the end, it is clear that the commercial’s purpose is to show viewers that a Chevy will be there for many years of your life and through all of life’s ups and downs, similar to the dog in the commercial. This Chevrolet commercial uses a powerful and emotional message to appeal to viewers. Having a pet is an experience that many viewers can relate to, making the commercial extremely effective as well as impactful. For these reasons, Chevrolet was successful in evoking strong emotions as well as persuading viewers to buy a Chevy.

Works Cited

“2014 Chevy Commercial – Maddie.” YouTube, uploaded by Lloyd Lee Choi, 27 February 2014 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3t6bLugtJkQ